Migrating contacts from Outlook 2003 to 2007?

Thread view:

Enable EMail Alerts

Start New Thread

Thread rating:

Clive McF - 27 Nov 2007 01:00 GMT

Could some kind soul let me know how to do this? So - added a new hard drive,
upgraded o/s to xp, and Office to 2007. At this stage all the original
software still on the old hard drive and can be accessed but not run. Outlook
2003 doesn't seem to create .pab files (or at least I can't find any such
files on my drive), and if I try to import from a .pst file, 2007's import
function can't find .pst files created by 2003. All advice would be very
welcome.

Reply to this Message

Russ Valentine [MVP-Outlook] - 27 Nov 2007 02:22 GMT

Outlook hasn't used PAB files for years. Here are the complicated
instructions for accessing an Outlook data file:
File > Open > Outlook Data File...
Notice that you do not touch any command that says Import. Ever.

Signature

Russ Valentine
[MVP-Outlook]

> Could some kind soul let me know how to do this? So - added a new hard
> drive,
[quoted text clipped - 5 lines]
> function can't find .pst files created by 2003. All advice would be very
> welcome.

Reply to this Message

Clive McF - 27 Nov 2007 04:42 GMT

Ah yes, sound advice thanks and this is what I did to open my messages
archived in .pst files. Works fine. But sadly, no contacts were transferred
which is why I (naively, obviously) thought I'd need to import them
separately. So I guess the question I should've asked is "Where does Outlook
2003 keep it's contacts, and how do I get them into 2007?" I did find a file
called "Address Book" in a Microsoft folder, but since it was last accessed
in 2003 and can't be opened as a data file (since it isn't a .pst file I
suppose) I imagine it isn't relevant?

> Outlook hasn't used PAB files for years. Here are the complicated
> instructions for accessing an Outlook data file:
[quoted text clipped - 9 lines]
> > function can't find .pst files created by 2003. All advice would be very
> > welcome.

Reply to this Message

Milly Staples [MVP - Outlook] - 27 Nov 2007 07:40 GMT

All of your Outlook data is in the .pst file. If you are missing your contacts, then your .pst file may be corrupt. How did you open that .pst file? Can you create a new mail profile and configure it to use your saved .pst file? What version of Office/Outlook did you upgrade to 2007? You should always create a new mail profile after upgrading as the upgrade process invariably corrupts the mail profile.

Signature

Milly Staples [MVP - Outlook]

Post all replies to the group to keep the discussion intact. All
unsolicited mail sent to my personal account will be deleted without
reading.

After furious head scratching, Clive McF asked:

| Ah yes, sound advice thanks and this is what I did to open my messages
| archived in .pst files. Works fine. But sadly, no contacts were
[quoted text clipped - 22 lines]
||| file, 2007's import function can't find .pst files created by 2003.
||| All advice would be very welcome.

Reply to this Message

Clive McF - 27 Nov 2007 08:28 GMT

OK: here's the story. back in the dawn of time, running Windows 2000 and
Office 2000 (hence Outlook 2000). All good. Acquire a PDA, comes complete
with upgrade for Outlook to 2002 to allow it to sync emails etc. No problemo.
Outlook 2002 automatically updated to 2003 (I think). Works fine, I set up
folders in Outlook's folder tree, file emails accordingly, every so often
rename the .pst file to something like "ArchiveDec06", Outlook creates a new
'Outlook.pst" file, I can open the old archives via File>Open>Personal
Folder File and access old emails (I assume this archive is also where
Outlook gets its Contacts from). Bliss. But running out of disk space we are,
so time to install a new hard drive. Old drive (3 partitions) backed up onto
server, becomes secondary drive, new drive installed. Brand spanking new XP
os installed on new disk, plus Office 2007. Open Outlook 2007, admire
splendidly bloated GUI, configure Outlook once recovered from retinal damage
and the email thing happens. Joy unbounded. Go to .pst files archived by
Outlook 2003, open them with the complex File > Open > Outlook Data File
sequence, voila archive opens exactly as it did in Outlook 2003 except...no
contacts. Trawl net. No joy have I. Finally arrive here, seeking
enlightenment am I.

> All of your Outlook data is in the .pst file. If you are missing your contacts, then your .pst file may be corrupt. How did you open that ..pst file? Can you create a new mail profile and configure it to use your saved .pst file? What version of Office/Outlook did you upgrade to 2007? You should always create a new mail profile after upgrading as the upgrade process invariably corrupts the mail profile.
>
[quoted text clipped - 7 lines]
> | a data file (since it isn't a .pst file I suppose) I imagine it isn't
> | relevant?

Reply to this Message

Russ Valentine [MVP-Outlook] - 27 Nov 2007 10:27 GMT

Contacts are never archived. Why wouldn't you open your Outlook data file
instead of an archive?

Signature

Russ Valentine
[MVP-Outlook]

> OK: here's the story. back in the dawn of time, running Windows 2000 and
> Office 2000 (hence Outlook 2000). All good. Acquire a PDA, comes complete
[quoted text clipped - 38 lines]
>> | a data file (since it isn't a .pst file I suppose) I imagine it isn't
>> | relevant?

Reply to this Message

Clive McF - 27 Nov 2007 11:06 GMT

> Contacts are never archived. Why wouldn't you open your Outlook data file
> instead of an archive?
[quoted text clipped - 40 lines]
> >> | a data file (since it isn't a .pst file I suppose) I imagine it isn't
> >> | relevant?

Reply to this Message

Clive McF - 27 Nov 2007 11:25 GMT

Think I must be missing something here-sorry. By "Outlook data file" do you
mean the Outlook.pst file generated by Outlook 2003. If so, I can open this
fine in Outlook 2007 with File>Open>Personal Folder File, and can access the
email messages, the folder hierarchy etc exactly as in Outlook 2003. But no
contacts. This is where I came in really - hence the doomed attempt to import
them. Am I looking at the wrong file?

> Contacts are never archived. Why wouldn't you open your Outlook data file
> instead of an archive?

Reply to this Message

Russ Valentine [MVP-Outlook] - 27 Nov 2007 12:01 GMT

Usually when one has no Contacts in a PST file it is because:
1. They are opening an archive file instead of their default PST file.
2. They are failing to use a view that shows the Contacts (e.g., use the
Contacts view, not the Mail view)

Importing will not help in any situation.

Signature

Russ Valentine
[MVP-Outlook]

> Think I must be missing something here-sorry. By "Outlook data file" do
> you
[quoted text clipped - 10 lines]
>> Contacts are never archived. Why wouldn't you open your Outlook data file
>> instead of an archive?

Reply to this Message

Brian Tillman - 27 Nov 2007 13:33 GMT

> Think I must be missing something here-sorry. By "Outlook data file"
> do you mean the Outlook.pst file generated by Outlook 2003. If so, I
> can open this fine in Outlook 2007 with File>Open>Personal Folder
> File, and can access the email messages, the folder hierarchy etc
> exactly as in Outlook 2003. But no contacts.

Are you looking at the Mail view in the Navigation Pane? If so, then
naturally you won't see any Contacts because Contacts folders aren'e mail
folders. Switch to the Folder List view and you should see the Contacts
folder.

Signature

Brian Tillman [MVP-Outlook]

Reply to this Message

Clive McF - 28 Nov 2007 01:46 GMT

OK: if by 'default PST file' you mean the Outlook.pst file generated by 2003,
then yes I'm opening that. And yes, in the Contacts view in 2007 under My
Contacts there's a list of the Contacts folders, one for each opened data
file. Problem is, they're all empty... I'm thinking I'm going to have to work
round this the clunky way, by trying to slurp them off the pda...

> > Think I must be missing something here-sorry. By "Outlook data file"
> > do you mean the Outlook.pst file generated by Outlook 2003. If so, I
[quoted text clipped - 6 lines]
> folders. Switch to the Folder List view and you should see the Contacts
> folder.

Reply to this Message

Russ Valentine [MVP-Outlook] - 28 Nov 2007 10:59 GMT

Then you either never put Contacts in this file, you are not using the
correct file, or you did not transfer it correctly. Outlook does not create
any data when it creates a PST file. Only the end user can do that.

Signature

Russ Valentine
[MVP-Outlook]

> OK: if by 'default PST file' you mean the Outlook.pst file generated by
> 2003,
[quoted text clipped - 14 lines]
>> folders. Switch to the Folder List view and you should see the Contacts
>> folder.

Reply to this Message

Brian Tillman - 28 Nov 2007 13:03 GMT

> OK: if by 'default PST file' you mean the Outlook.pst file generated
> by 2003, then yes I'm opening that.

The "default" PST is the one you've chosen for your delivery location
whether you created it or the Outlook installation created it.

> And yes, in the Contacts view in
> 2007 under My Contacts there's a list of the Contacts folders, one
> for each opened data file. Problem is, they're all empty... I'm
> thinking I'm going to have to work round this the clunky way, by
> trying to slurp them off the pda...

If the Contacts folders are empty and you added them to your mail profile
with File>Open>Outlook Data File, then they were empty to begin with.

Signature

Brian Tillman [MVP-Outlook]

Reply to this Message

Rate this thread: