lost secondary "contacts" list in outlook address book

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Jim Law - 23 Jan 2004 17:08 GMT

Hi folks.

I have a strange problem. There is a user who had his PST
file located on the local drive. I copied this file up to
the server. Deleted the existing Personal Folder and
created a new Personal Folder pointing to the server copy
of the PST file.

When the User started Outlook 2k, he found that he lost
2/3 of his email addresses. He says there were another
Contact entry in the address book and that all the email
addresses he uses and manually adds were located in this
secondary "Contact" list entry. This secondary "Contact"
list is missing. The first is used when he adds the
address from any email he receives.

I looked thru the PST file using outlook and couldn't find
any other folders that contained contact information. I
returned the outlook settings back to original and GOT the
same results as with the server.

We only use Internet Mail, Personal Folders, and Outlook
Address Book. This personal only has one Personal Folder
service running.

Can anyone know how OUTLOOK can use an address book that
is not located within outlook's pst file

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Russ Valentine [MVP-Outlook] - 23 Jan 2004 22:04 GMT

It cannot, unless this user was using an old PAB instead his PST file.

Signature

Russ Valentine
[MVP-Outlook]

> Hi folks.
>
[quoted text clipped - 23 lines]
> Can anyone know how OUTLOOK can use an address book that
> is not located within outlook's pst file

Reply to this Message

JimLaw - 24 Jan 2004 01:39 GMT

As strange as it sounds, this is true. I also have another
user who has experienced this problem. Please note we are
using WIN9x operating system

>-----Original Message-----
>It cannot, unless this user was using an old PAB instead his PST file.
[quoted text clipped - 27 lines]
>
>.

Reply to this Message

Russ Valentine [MVP-Outlook] - 24 Jan 2004 03:48 GMT

Can't be. You'll simply have to post more information as to what the profile
contained. Outlook does not have any separate address book file. The Outlook
Address Book can only display the contents of a Contacts Folder.

Signature

Russ Valentine
[MVP-Outlook]

> As strange as it sounds, this is true. I also have another
> user who has experienced this problem. Please note we are
[quoted text clipped - 39 lines]
> >
> >.

Reply to this Message

- 24 Jan 2004 04:36 GMT

Their is only one profile. The original settings contains
the following:

Internet E-mail - Microsoft Mail
Outlook Address Book
Personal Folders
Personal Folders
Personal Folders

The Personal Folders pointed to PST files on the local
drive. The Address Book contained 2 entries pointing to
the Contacts of the Personal Folders. (Contacts: Personal
Folders). When I opened Outlook and looked in the Contacts
for each of the 3 Personal Folders, I found twoo were
empty. The only one which contained contacts was for the
primary. Unfortunately, I didn't actually open the address
book. Emails were sent to the primary Personal Folder.
The user didn't know that there were other "In" boxes
since her view was set to show the In box of the primary
Personal Folder.

I copied the primary PST file up to the server. Here I
stand.

As part of the troubleshooting, I opened some the mail in
the sent box. I discovered some of the recipients could be
found in the contacts, others needed to be added. There
were many which only had the properties and send options.
With these type of email addresses clicking on the
properties came back with the following error:

cannot perform the request operation. the command
selected is not valid for the recipient.

This suggest that there was another set of CONTACTS
somewhere that contained alot of email addresses.

I have opened every PST file on the hard drive and the
server. None of these PST files contain the missing
contacts.

Strange problem.

>-----Original Message-----
>Can't be. You'll simply have to post more information as to what the profile
[quoted text clipped - 45 lines]
>
>.

Reply to this Message

Russ Valentine [MVP-Outlook] - 24 Jan 2004 10:58 GMT

Odd. Nothing jumps out as a cause here except that having three different
PST files in the same profile is a setup for data going missing. So is
moving a PST to a server, which as you probably know is not recommended.

Nevertheless, the only data that can appear in an Outlook Address Book must
reside in a Contacts Folder in a PST or Exchange mailbox, and the only other
place Contacts data can reside in Outlook is a Personal Address Book.

Signature

Russ Valentine

> Their is only one profile. The original settings contains
> the following:
[quoted text clipped - 108 lines]
> >
> >.

Reply to this Message

Jim Law - 25 Jan 2004 05:23 GMT

I thought as much. Sorry I don't know why the PST & PAB
files be on the Server. If left on the wrkstation, there
would be no backup of these files.

Thanks for your help!!!!

>-----Original Message-----
>Odd. Nothing jumps out as a cause here except that having three different
[quoted text clipped - 118 lines]
>
>.

Reply to this Message

Russ Valentine [MVP-Outlook] - 25 Jan 2004 09:58 GMT

It is perfectly safe to use the server to back up PST's. It is just not
recommended to place the active PST on the server.

Signature

Russ Valentine
[MVP-Outlook]

> I thought as much. Sorry I don't know why the PST & PAB
> files be on the Server. If left on the wrkstation, there
[quoted text clipped - 148 lines]
> >
> >.

Reply to this Message