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General discussion

Folder endings for Microsoft Outlook.

Mar 3, 2004 2:43PM PST

i know that Outlook Express folders are *.dbx.

can someone please tell me what the folder endings are for Microsoft Outlook?

thanks.

david williams

Discussion is locked

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Re:Folder endings for Microsoft Outlook.
Mar 3, 2004 8:28PM PST

There are no less than a handful of Outlook versions, but these two words at http://www.google.com should find the files...

OL2000 BACKUP

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In my Outlook XP ...
Mar 3, 2004 10:26PM PST

I press help, then search for locations;database, then choose File locations of Outlook (all translated from Dutch, so an approximation of what you'll get) and Outlook replies in the right pane with all extensions (what you call "endings"), with the possibility to show the exact location of every file.

It's too long to reproduce here, primarily because it covers 4 different OS'es with their own locations.

Hope this helps.


Kees

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Re:Folder endings for Microsoft Outlook.
Mar 4, 2004 12:31AM PST

Hi David,

As mentioned by the posts above, it depends on the folder...

How to Compact Outlook PST and OST Files
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;289987

OL2002: How to Change from Using a .PST File to Using an .OST File
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;290857

Outlook 2003 Add-in: Personal Folders Backup
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=8B081F3A-B7D0-4B16-B8AF-5A6322F4FD01&displaylang=en

OL98: (CW) How to Copy the Personal Address Book (PAB)to Another Computer
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=http://support.microsoft.com:80/support/kb/articles/q181/7/49.asp&NoWebContent=1

Hope this helps.

Grif

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Folder endings for Microsoft Outlook. Thank You Grif, Robert and Kees.
Mar 4, 2004 12:47AM PST

I suppose i should have been more specific. I should know better.
The O/S is Windows XP PRO being used by a standalone home user.
He uses Microsoft Outlook for his default email server and wanted to know how to clean out his deleted and sent items folder.
He has a few infected email sitting in the deleted items folder and was concerned that if he deleted them direct to the re-cycle bin it could cause an infection.
I advised him that when I wanted to delete the deleted items. I went to start>search and typed in *.dbx,
this gave me all the folders in the email function in an encrypted form and I could delete the folder in it's entirety without opening it.
Windows also regenerates the folder on re-boot in much the same manner as the index.dat file.
on reading the links that Robert gave me, I am of the opinion that the folders in Microsoft Outlook have a file ending of *.pst.
would this be the format to enter in the search function?
thank you for your help.
david williams

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Re:Folder endings for Microsoft Outlook. Thank You Grif, Robert and Kees.
Mar 4, 2004 1:05AM PST

David,

When you delete mail messages from within Outlook, they DO NOT go to the Recycle Bin. They are simply removed from the folder that it resides in and cleared from the machine. It's not usually a good idea to delete the .pst file from Outlook, unless you're really desperate. It contains a lump sum of all the stored data from Outlook, which includes all the stored folder and contacts. Deleting the pst file won't do any harm to the system, as it will get recreated upon restart, but there will a lot of information loss.

As long as his "Preview Pane" isn't being displayed, it's perfectly safe to delete the infected messages from within Outlook.

Hope this helps.

Grif

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Re:Folder endings for Microsoft Outlook. Thank You Grif, Robert and Kees.
Mar 4, 2004 2:29AM PST

Sounds like his would be the regular PST files BUT these message stores are quite different from the DBX files created for each "Folder" in Outlook Express as there is just the one PST file that contains all the "folders".

These are database files and each message is a record so when deleted they are just unavailable until the database is compacted.

If he deletes the "infected" messages in the "deleted items folder" they are gone and won't be causing problems. If he deletes the PST file however he will have deleted ALL of his messages, folders, and most probably his contact list too.

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:Folder endings for Microsoft Outlook. Thank You Grif, Robert and Kees.
Mar 6, 2004 12:22AM PST

thank you Edward and Grif.
will pass the information on.
david williams