How to extract and import Outlook 2003 data from

[DaveLembke]

How do you extract and import data from Outlook 2003 on a system with a crashed Windows XP OS, but you can access the data by plugging the HD in as a Slave drive to navigate through the files and folders that are all accessible?

The OS is swiss cheese after adware and virus's. I got rid of the problems and now need a way to copy the data over from one hard drive to the now healthy laptop waiting to have the outlook e-mail, address book, contacts, etc imported to it. BTW: The virus did not penetrate through e-mail it was free downloaded junk that was a download trojan.

Looked for an Archive.PST, but it appears as though the user did not have autoarchive enabled...

--  If I could load or launch the Outlook 2003 off that Hard Drive, I could probably do the Export to File and Import from File, but I know that this wont work, because of the lack of registry keys tying my OS to the Outlook 2003 on this other hard drive.

Thanks for your help on this one... Dave

[soybean]

How about backup.pst or Outlook.pst?

[DaveLembke]

Thanks for your help ... but oddly there are no PST files. I searched the entire hard drive for *.pst with no matches... So I wonder if there is another extension used that I am unaware of... :-/

Dave

[DaveLembke]

Hey everyone, I came up with a work around, but still wondering why there are no PST files. I built a spare P-III system up and installed Outlook 2003. Then took that hard drive and connected it through a IDE to USB converter device to avoid file in use problems. I then copy and pasted overtop of the new Outlook 2003 install to bring everything over and have the registry keys match up. Took the hard drive then and put it back in the P-III box and fired it up..

I was then able to run Import/Export from Outlook to create the Backup.PST to my pen drive.

I then imported the Backup.PST to the healthy laptop..

MY GOD ... What a hoakey fix to get the data I needed out of Outlook 2003.  
Still stumped why there was no PST files  :-/
...Without a PST, where are all the data stored?? :-? :-? :-?

Well I am happy that I got the data for the client to make them happy ...  8-)

[soybean]

Thanks for sharing that work around procedure with us.  Glad to hear problem solved.

[Rob Pomeroy]

Just to ask the obvious - were you searching hidden files and folders?

[DaveLembke]

Hey... I actaully missed the advanced search function in the Search to Specify that Hidden files/folders be added to search criteria, but still no matches to *.pst ... Convinced it must be some other format possibly.. Just no info out there on it and I dont want to blow away a support call with MS on this, since it is resolved, and probably something stupid.

Below is pasted screen clips of the Search and the Properties to include Hidden Files/Folders at both locations .... VERY STRANGE !!!

I am going to mount the drive from the laptop that has the blown Windows OS and connect through the IDE to USB converter to and perform a search again. Maybe the hidden files didnt get copied over when selecting everything to copy over to my C:\didi folder. Maybe with the search set to regular vs advanced to search hidden files, it was missed. Will post what my findings are... :-/

[Rob Pomeroy]

On XP, the folder containing the Outlook datastore is usually Microsoft\Outlook under the hidden folder, Application Settings within the user's profile folder.  Sometimes it appears under the Local Settings folder instead.