Contacts have disappeared, but are still around

Thread view:

Enable EMail Alerts

Start New Thread

Thread rating:

Ctheory - 19 Oct 2005 01:20 GMT

I am using Outlook 2003 Prof. Ed. I had all my Contacts in the 'Contacts'
folder in my Outlook.pst file. Suddenly I find them to have disappeared,but I
am able to access them through Toolbars ->Address Book. This means that I
have to go to the edit screen to view a phone number. How do I get them back
to my 'Contacts' folder and where are they stored? The 'Contacts' folder is
empty and shows 0KB.

Reply to this Message

Russ Valentine [MVP-Outlook] - 19 Oct 2005 03:58 GMT

What did you do to make them disappear? Did you look in Deleted Items?
What happens if you use Folder List or Advanced Find to look for them?

Signature

Russ Valentine
[MVP-Outlook]

>I am using Outlook 2003 Prof. Ed. I had all my Contacts in the 'Contacts'
> folder in my Outlook.pst file. Suddenly I find them to have
[quoted text clipped - 5 lines]
> is
> empty and shows 0KB.

Reply to this Message

Ctheory - 19 Oct 2005 04:30 GMT

Last I remember is that I enabled the "Show this folder as an email Address
Book" option of the properties menu for the Contacts folder. Now when I
access it through the Tools-Address Book, it shows four folders to choose,
one named Outlook Address Book (no entries), and three others with the same
name "Contacts" of which one has my addresses. But in the navigation pane, I
only have one folder named "Contact" under My Contacts which is empty and all
others are not displayed. How do I get the correct one and delete the others?

> What did you do to make them disappear? Did you look in Deleted Items?
> What happens if you use Folder List or Advanced Find to look for them?
[quoted text clipped - 8 lines]
> > is
> > empty and shows 0KB.

Reply to this Message

Russ Valentine [MVP-Outlook] - 19 Oct 2005 11:17 GMT

So in fact, your Contacts have not disappeared at all, then, right? They are
right where they always were, right?
You just have invalid references to Contacts Folders in your Address Book.
Just remove the invalid references here:
Tools > E-mail accounts > View or change existing directories or address
books > Outlook Address Book > Change. >

Signature

Russ Valentine
[MVP-Outlook]

> Last I remember is that I enabled the "Show this folder as an email
> Address
[quoted text clipped - 24 lines]
>> > is
>> > empty and shows 0KB.

Reply to this Message

Russ Valentine [MVP-Outlook] - 19 Oct 2005 11:48 GMT

Also, there can be no such thing as Contacts that appear in your Address
Book view, but not in your Contacts pane. As I said, use Folder List to
examine you entire folder hierarchy to see where they are.

Signature

Russ Valentine
[MVP-Outlook]

> Last I remember is that I enabled the "Show this folder as an email
> Address
[quoted text clipped - 24 lines]
>> > is
>> > empty and shows 0KB.

Reply to this Message

Ctheory - 20 Oct 2005 00:25 GMT

Sorry, if I did not use the correct words to describe it. But now I hae the
problem sorted. I figure that two of the other references had been created by
Outlook everytime I had clicked this "Show this folder as an Address Book"
option. When I removed the unnecessary references it correctly showed one
Contacts folder under Outlook Address Book in the 'Show Names from the"
option in Tools>Address Book.

But this did not solve the problem for the Contacts folder in the Navigation
Pane. Yes, there was a backup Contacts folder elsewhere in the Folder list,
but it wasn't referencing it either, although I did Exit and Restart Outlook
after every complete sequence I performed. Finally, sorted the problem out by
physically copying the contacts in the backup folder to the main Contacts ...
and then it appeared.

Thanks anyway, as your post did give me the idea to work a solution.

> Also, there can be no such thing as Contacts that appear in your Address
> Book view, but not in your Contacts pane. As I said, use Folder List to
[quoted text clipped - 27 lines]
> >> > is
> >> > empty and shows 0KB.

Reply to this Message

Russ Valentine [MVP-Outlook] - 20 Oct 2005 00:55 GMT

That was not a "backup" folder. That was your Contacts Folder that got moved
inadvertently by some action you took. As I said, your Contacts Folder had
to be in your profile. How it got moved only you can know. It requires an
end user action to do so since Outlook will not do this all by itself.

Signature

Russ Valentine
[MVP-Outlook]

> Sorry, if I did not use the correct words to describe it. But now I hae
> the
[quoted text clipped - 55 lines]
>> >> > is
>> >> > empty and shows 0KB.

Reply to this Message

Ctheory - 23 Oct 2005 02:40 GMT

It was the "backup" folder. How I know this is that it has been in
co-existence with my main Contacts folder for nearly two years, when I
migrated the entire Outlook.pst file from Outlook 2002, and it was copied and
created by me when I started using PDA's for fear of losing it while
synchornising. I knew it was always there even when I went through this
problem. Further, I am now in the process of updating it as I last updated
the backup from the main folder about eight months ago.

Anyway, I am now satisfied that my problem was resolved, however I am still
curious as to what had happened, as I am generally quite aware of the actions
that I do.

> That was not a "backup" folder. That was your Contacts Folder that got moved
> inadvertently by some action you took. As I said, your Contacts Folder had
[quoted text clipped - 59 lines]
> >> >> > is
> >> >> > empty and shows 0KB.

Reply to this Message

Russ Valentine [MVP-Outlook] - 23 Oct 2005 03:55 GMT

No backup folder would exist in the same profile.
That's not a backup.

Signature

Russ Valentine
[MVP-Outlook]

> It was the "backup" folder. How I know this is that it has been in
> co-existence with my main Contacts folder for nearly two years, when I
[quoted text clipped - 91 lines]
>> >> >> > is
>> >> >> > empty and shows 0KB.

Reply to this Message