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Thread ID: 99149	2009-04-22 04:45:00	Outlook PST problem	Billy T (70)	Press F1

Post ID	Timestamp	Content	User
767225	2009-04-22 04:45:00	Hi team I am operating Outlook 2000 and because I was approaching the 2GB limit I made a back-up copy then deleted a whole pile of old messages, like several years worth!! That doesn't reduce the PST file size for some obscure reason so I then went to compact it but couldn't remember how to do it, did a search and found the answer: Folders list>View>Properties>General>Advanced>Compact Now. It looked familiar, I've compacted several times in the past, but when I went to the folders list I got an error message saying I wasn't authorised to access it. Now that is strange because I operate with Administrator privileges and it has always worked in the past, though I can't guarantee I used this particular method of accessing the Compact function. There is another option I may have used which involves going to "Make a New Profile" choosing the PST then>Properties>Compact and Cancel at the end of the compacting process. Problem is I can't find (or access) the "Make a new profile" function either. Outlook Help isn't helpful at all, my various reference books don't seem to be interested beyond Outlook Express. Any ideas? I can't download email at present because I only have about 10K of space left and one attachment will probably kill the PST file. Fortunately I can read most incoming in Mailwasher. If you know a way that works, please give ALL the steps from opening Outlook onwards as my intuition is at a low ebb today. Cheers Billy 8-{( :confused: PS. Which version of Outlook opens the 2GB barrier? If I can get a copy of that it might solve my problem by indirect means.	Billy T (70)
767226	2009-04-22 04:56:00	Hope this helps. email.about.com	Sweep (90)
767227	2009-04-22 04:59:00	Might sound silly, but did you empty out the deleted items as well. Normally I empty out the Inbox, then Sent items, then empty the deleted items - and reboot. Generally I find it sometimes needs a reboot as well to resize the actual file.	wainuitech (129)
767228	2009-04-22 05:14:00	Might sound silly, but did you empty out the deleted items as well. Normally I empty out the Inbox, then Sent items, then empty the deleted items - and reboot. Generally I find it sometimes needs a reboot as well to resize the actual file. Yep, I deleted everything and did a reboot, that is my usual practice to clear RAM/Cache and get rid of hang-over artefacts anyway. As far as I was aware Outlook.PST doesn't shrink even after massive deletions and compacting is the only answer, but I could be wrong. Just reaffirming, this is Outlook 2000 and later versions might behave a little better. It is currently sitting at 1,995,113kb. :horrified Cheers Billy 8-{) Afterthought: If I restore the back up copy then Archive by Date (if that is possible and also if I don't hit this silly access problem) might that reduce the file size via the back door? There is no risk that I'll lose any information as I have multiple back-ups stored on another drive.	Billy T (70)
767229	2009-04-22 05:43:00	Dunno - can only but try -- Blimey Billy :eek: Thats cutting it close - 2GB and trouble :) Edited: HAve a look at the last couple of posts in This forum (forums.techguy.org)	wainuitech (129)
767230	2009-04-22 09:41:00	You could create a new PST file and move all the emails into that as a storage.	ronyville (10611)
767231	2009-04-22 11:16:00	Well, I've run scan.pst which corrected a few errors and funnily enough that dropped the file size back to 1,978,000kb which gives me some temporary breathing space. I'm out of ideas for getting access to the file for compacting. I can't get in via the normal route of the Folders list because access is denied even though I have full administrator rights. However, I can access a PST file via this method on my laptop so I may try to copy the PST across and do it there. Watch this space! I can't even find the other option of entry via "make a new profile". With this method you set up to create anew profile, that apparently gives an option to choose a PST that you want to compact, you click cancel after compacting and exit without creating a new PST file. Cheers Billy	Billy T (70)
767232	2009-04-22 12:19:00	One way to archive e-mails without the risks of a .pst file is to hi-lite all the required e-mails in Outlook and then simply click & drag them off into a folder that you have open in explorer. This creates a whole bunch of individual files with the name of the e-mail subject and a .msg extension. Has to be done manually, but safer than a dodgy .pst file.	decibel (11645)
767233	2009-04-23 00:06:00	Well, I've successfully negotiated a temporary reprieve! I renamed the PST file on my laptop, copied over the file from my main computer and I was able to compact it on the laptop without problems. It came down to 1.8GB so I now have 200MB of headroom which should last until I upgrade my computer and install a later version of Outlook that doesn't have the 2GB limit. I was rather surprised at the small amount of space recovered though, because I deleted nearly half of all stored emails. I have no idea why access to the personal folder properties is blocked, or how to get around that. Any advice would be appreciated. It is not password protected or anything like that and I only have one user profile (Administrator) enabled. I guess it is a glitch in a configuration file somewhere, or perhaps in the Registry. Any further ideas/advice would be appreciated. Cheers Billy 8-{) :thumbs:	Billy T (70)
767234	2009-04-23 01:00:00	Seriously consider starting a new pst file. You can allways open the old one to view old emails. Ive seen PST's corrupted due to this 2G issue. It can leave a mess to try & recover emails from, you may loose all your contacts if the PST get corrupt.	sroby (11519)
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