The following guide will help you know how to backup your PST file.
* Manually copy the PST file
To backup your PST file, an easy way is to copy that file to somewhere else. Here PST Repair you will learn how to repair your PST file. Under Windows XP, this file is located at:
C:/Documents and Settings/%username%/Local Settings/Application Data/Microsoft/Outlook/
Under Win Vista or Win 7, the file is here:
C:/Users/%username%/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Outlook/
Then you have to copy the above located file to: another file, or folder, or an external hard disk, or an USB flash drive, or a CD-ROM or DVD-ROM.
To restore the data from this file in case of a system crash, open Outlook and go to ‘File’ – ‘Data File Management’ and select the ‘Data File’ tab. Check here How To Backup PST File to learn how to backup pst file. Browse for your backup file and open it.
* To use the PST file from somewhere else
The moment your Windows will crash, be aware that files and folders on the C drive will become compromised. A good thing to do is to move your PST file to another drive than the one you’re using. Then simply set the Outlook path for the file to that other drive. If you want to do that, first close your Outlook, move the PST file from the above default folder, start again Outlook the look for the new location when you see the prompt.
Rename your old Outlook file to something different (use a different file extension) so it will be easy to retrieve it if something is to happen to the relocated file.
* Import and Export
If you want to export your personal folders from Outlook, and reimport them after a while, it is possible to do that. You can use this method to export your PST file to a different secure location on your hard disk and re-import it in case of a system crash. To export your PST file, in Outlook go to ‘File’ – ‘Import and Export’. In the dialogue box that comes up, choose ‘Export to a File’. In the next window that comes up, choose ‘Personal Folder File (.pst)’. In the next dialogue box, choose the folders that you want to export. You should always have the ‘Include subfolders’ checkbox set so all your folders (and subfolders) are indeed included in the exported file. Then on the next window, simply choose a name for the file you want to export and browse to its new location.
To import datas from the backup, go to ‘File’ – ‘Import and Export’ then on the Dialogue box, choose ‘Import from another program or file’. After that, select ‘Personal Folder File (.pst)’. Browse for your backup file and import it. Once done, Outlook will get all the previous settings found in your old file.
* How to use the add-in part of the PST file backup
Thanks to Microsoft, there is a free add-in part of Outlook that with a single click permits you to easily backup your PST file. After downloading that add-in (the ‘Personal Folders Backup, from Microsoft), install it on your PC. This adds a new option titled ‘Backup’ to the ‘File’ menu. This useful program helps you to choose what files (and folders) you want to make a backup of besides its frequency.
