Accessing a PST file

[emilyo]

I don't use outlook.
A new user at our office has been sent all his old outlook stuff as a file called archive.pst, which he would like to look at.
I have installed Outlook on my computer and copied the pst file to my hard drive.

When I do file, open, personal folders and select the pst file, I get the following two messages:

'Properties for this information service must be define prior to use'

Followed by:

'File access is denied, you do not have the permission required to access the file C:\My Documents\archive.pst'

Can I access this file, or should I ask the senders to convert it to some other format?

Thanks in advance,

Emily

 

[smah]

First, go to Tools, Services and make sure Personal Folders service is installed. If not add it.

This might take care of the access denied message, but if not, that is a problem with permissions/ownership that we can address after (assuming you're using window XP or 2000).

The .pst file format is what you want to use.

 

[Newposter]

Also, if you copied it from a CD to hard drive, you must reset the properties to turn off the "Read-only" setting.

Newposter
"Good judgment comes from experience. Experience comes from bad judgment."

 

[bazzert]

You should have more sucess if as New poster said make sure that the file isn't read only and rather than trying to open the file you should import it.

File - import - import form another program or file - choose pst form the list and follow the rest of the prompts

 

[emilyo]

Hi there guys, thanks for your replies.

So, I have unticked the Read-only property on the file.
I don't have a services option in Tools, but I don't think it matters as when I click on File and Open I get the option "Personal Folders File(.pst)".

I have tried opening the file, wher I still get the message: 'Properties for this information service must be define prior to use'
Followed by, 'The File Archive.pst is not a personal folders file'

If I import, I get the same two messages.

Maybe the file has become corrupted somehow?

 

[bazzert]

OK, one last thing its possible that the PST came from a machine running Outlook 2003 and the PST contains Unicode info. This info is not readable by earlier versions of Outlook.

Is also possible that the version of Outlook inc service pack is different.

I'd try opening the file in a recent version of Outlook