MS Outlook -- migrating calendar settings/records to new PC?

Post #62,293 by kmself 11/11/02 7:32:05 PM 11/11/02 7:46:20 PM Reply	MS Outlook -- migrating calendar settings/records to new PC? So, there are users running MS Outlook here for its calendar. Just set up a new PC for one such user...her calendar & outlook settings are AWOL. I'm trying to locate the relevant files from the archive of her HD. Migration was from MS WinNT 4.0 WS to WinXP, all new hardware. Office 97 => Office XP. The old NT box is still available for scrounging from, though I'd prefer fishing data from the old HD archive on her new box. \r\n\r\n Questions: \r\n\r\n \r\n What files does MS Outlook use to store user data -- mailbox, calendar, addressbook, etc. \r\n Where are thse files located? \r\n \r\n\r\n [Edit: noting versions of MS Office] --\r\nKarsten M. Self [link\|mailto:kmself@ix.netcom.com\|kmself@ix.netcom.com]\r\n[link\|http://kmself.home.netcom.com/\|http://kmself.home.netcom.com/]\r\n What part of "gestalt" don't you understand?\r\n [link\|http://twiki.iwethey.org/twiki/bin/view/Main/\|TWikIWETHEY] -- an experiment in collective intelligence. Stupidity. Whatever.\r\n \r\n Keep software free. Oppose the CBDTPA. Kill S.2048 dead.\r\n[link\|http://www.eff.org/alerts/20020322_eff_cbdtpa_alert.html\|http://www.eff.org/alerts/20020322_eff_cbdtpa_alert.html]\r\n Edited by kmself Nov. 11, 2002, 07:46:20 PM EST Expand All History
Post #62,299 by jake123 11/11/02 8:45:50 PM Reply	Re: MS Outlook -- migrating calendar settings/records to new I think you're going to have to restart the old system and do an export of the data in question, and then import it back into the new system. OT OS/2 note... there's a new program coming called [link\|http://lookout.netlabs.org\|Lookout/2]. It's a sort of outlook clone that uses mysql as its backend. I've seen an alpha release... the mail part doesn't work yet, but the calendar, notes, and contacts parts of the database are working. It looks like it has a lot of potential. Ummm... oh yeah, currently it will only connect to a local database, but the intention is to have it be able to connect to a remote database eventually. It uses a plugin architecture where people can write libraries for it (ie- .dll files) that implement new functionality. It's going to be released under the GPL once they get it to a beta condition (I've been given to understand that's when the email part is finally working). After it comes out, if someone were to port it to X, well, I can see how that could be something good;). --\n-------------------------------------------------------------------\n* Jack Troughton jake at consultron.ca \n [link\|http://consultron.ca\|http://consultron.ca] [link\|irc://irc.ecomstation.ca\|irc://irc.ecomstation.ca] \n Laval Qu\ufffdbec Canada [link\|news://news.consultron.ca\|news://news.consultron.ca] *\n-------------------------------------------------------------------
Post #62,302 by kmself 11/11/02 9:14:43 PM Reply	Solved -- you nailed it. I think you're going to have to restart the old system and do an export of the data in question, and then import it back into the new system. \r\n\r\n That is in fact what I ended up doing. Still have no idea where the stuff's being kept on the old box. \r\n\r\n Binary obfuscated data formats suck. --\r\nKarsten M. Self [link\|mailto:kmself@ix.netcom.com\|kmself@ix.netcom.com]\r\n[link\|http://kmself.home.netcom.com/\|http://kmself.home.netcom.com/]\r\n What part of "gestalt" don't you understand?\r\n [link\|http://twiki.iwethey.org/twiki/bin/view/Main/\|TWikIWETHEY] -- an experiment in collective intelligence. Stupidity. Whatever.\r\n \r\n Keep software free. Oppose the CBDTPA. Kill S.2048 dead.\r\n[link\|http://www.eff.org/alerts/20020322_eff_cbdtpa_alert.html\|http://www.eff.org/alerts/20020322_eff_cbdtpa_alert.html]\r\n
Post #62,339 by jake123 11/11/02 11:17:05 PM Reply	Re: Solved -- you nailed it. Still have no idea where the stuff's being kept on the old box. \r\n\r\n Look under c:\\windows\\application data\\identities<insert gibberish string here>\\outlook express... you'll find a big pile of .dbx files in there. \r\n\r\n Binary obfuscated data formats suck. \r\n\r\n Considering that they're probably good ol' foxpro, I bet you can find a plethora of tools around you could use to mess with 'em. I don't particularly mind binary files, just so long as the tools exist to access them directly if you need to. The problem, of course, is that this is not often the case at hand. I'd be surprised if decent db recovery/alteration tools for the outlook databases shipped with MS Office... and even more surprised if the docs on how to use anything that might be able to go look at those were easily found. \r\n\r\n It's the steep decline in the quality of the documentation that ships with most software that I hold the software industry as a whole mostly to task for, more than anything else. When I dig out the old manuals for the stuff I got back in the day ('92 to '95 or so) and what you get nowadays, I'm pretty much convinced that they're all carpetbaggers out to make the quick buck and get out rather than actually earning an honest crust by delivering quality goods to their clientele. --\r\n-------------------------------------------------------------------\r\n* Jack Troughton jake at consultron.ca \r\n [link\|http://consultron.ca\|http://consultron.ca] [link\|irc://irc.ecomstation.ca\|irc://irc.ecomstation.ca] \r\n Laval Qu\ufffdbec Canada [link\|news://news.consultron.ca\|news://news.consultron.ca] *\r\n-------------------------------------------------------------------
Post #62,365 by altmann 11/12/02 1:58:51 AM Reply	Look for .PST files -- Chris Altmann
Post #62,483 by Silverlock 11/12/02 3:24:16 PM Reply	yep Also, if she has a personal address book, look for *.PAB files. Generally speaking though, when moving between different versions, export/import is more secure than just copying.
Post #62,547 by kmself 11/12/02 7:20:06 PM Reply	Followup -- and if the old system were, say, largely hosed? I think I've solved the current problem. Documented a bit at TWIT on [link\|http://twiki.iwethey.org/twiki/bin/view/Main/MicrosoftOutlook\|MicrosoftOutlook] as well. \r\n\r\n Question that occurs though -- and this has some real-world basis from the past month or so. What would you do to recover data from a system whose HD had crashed, at least sufficiently that the OS no longer booted and/or it wasn't possible to export the MS Outlook data? I still don't see a way for a standalone client to be replicated or transferred readily. What am I missing here? \r\n\r\n --\r\nKarsten M. Self [link\|mailto:kmself@ix.netcom.com\|kmself@ix.netcom.com]\r\n[link\|http://kmself.home.netcom.com/\|http://kmself.home.netcom.com/]\r\n What part of "gestalt" don't you understand?\r\n [link\|http://twiki.iwethey.org/twiki/bin/view/Main/\|TWikIWETHEY] -- an experiment in collective intelligence. Stupidity. Whatever.\r\n \r\n Keep software free. Oppose the CBDTPA. Kill S.2048 dead.\r\n[link\|http://www.eff.org/alerts/20020322_eff_cbdtpa_alert.html\|http://www.eff.org/alerts/20020322_eff_cbdtpa_alert.html]\r\n
Post #62,551 by inthane-chan 11/12/02 7:33:52 PM Reply	.pst files contain all the data... ...and can be "Opened" from within Outlook. File->Open->Personal Folder File (.pst) That's there for me under Office 2000 right now... And that's what I've used several times. DM: "OKay, you round the corner, and entering the alleyway, you see two men standing on eachother's shoulders." silence at the table Player: "F#$% it, we're fighting Cirque de Soleil! Run for your life!"

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