Seems like you're new here. If you want to be notified the next time I write something, sign up for free email alerts (absolutely no spamming) or subscribe to the RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!

MS Outlook is the default mail client for many users and avid Outlook users contain all their mail, contact, calendar and huge personal data in Outlook.

So, it is highly important to know how to take backup of MS Outlook files regularly. This small tutorial is an attempt towards that.

How to:

There are two methods for backuking up Outlook files, Easy method and a slight difficult method.

First, off-course the easy one. Go to Microsoft, download the free MS Outlook Backup utility and run it at regular intervals. Simple. But it requires you to have Genuine Windows copy. If you have that, you don’t require to read this post any further. If not, go ahead to the other method.

For MS Outlook 2003…

(Look out this space for Taking backup of MS Outlook 2007 files, in a later post)

You just have to locate your Personal Folder file (.pst) file which contains all of your Outlook folders, including the Inbox, Calendar, and Contacts. In case you are using the archiving feature, then you will also have another file for Archive folders. After locating it, just make a copy of this (these two) files, store them and use them for restoration whenever required.

But where are these files.

Yes, this is a tricky part. Follow these steps.

For Backup…

• Start Outlook Express.
• Right Click on the Outlook Today icon in your Outlook Shortcuts and select Properties.
• A Personal Folder Properties dialog box will open. Click Advanced.

• In the next dialog box, look for the path. Note it down or use Ctrl+C to copy the path to your Clipboard.
• • 
• Close Outlook and start Windows Explorer
• Go to the noted path, or if you had copied the path to your clipboard, simply use Ctrl+V in the address bar of explorer.

• In this folder you will find the outlook.pst file, which you were searching. Take a copy of this file and store at a safe location. Not on the same computer but at a different location. Your backup is complete.

For Restoration…

Simply paste the backup file at the same location. But this will overwrite the current data. A better approach will be to use Import feature for restoration.

1. Start Outlook.
2. Click on File > Import and Export.
3. Click on “Import from another program or file” > Next.

   

4. Click “Personal Folder File (.pst)” > Next.

   

5. Browse and select the PST file, which you have backed up > Next

   

6. If required, follow the same steps for Archives also.

Recently my UPS, supplying power to my PC, gone faulty and I didn’t had a replacement, while it had gone for repair. Yesterday, while I was writing a report in MS Word, the electricity got interrupted and the file I was working on, got corrupted. When the power resumed and I started back, I was not able to access that file as it was corrupted due to sudden failure of power.

This was a new thing to me, because in my earlier PC, whenever such a thing happened, I was able to recover my corrupt file, thanks to the Autorecovery feature of MS Word. I was intrigued, why it has not happened this time.

On further exploration, I found that the autorecover feature, which is set to ON by default, was OFF in my machine. So, I decided to write a post on this so that the readers of this blog may not find themselves in a situation like me.

How to set the AutoRecover feature in Word:

• Go to Tools menu, click Options.
• Click on the Save tab.
• Check the “Save AutoRecover info every” check box.
• Set the time to 5 minutes (or any time period as per your liking)
• Click on OK, and you are through.
• 

But remember, Autorecovery function is not a replacement of Save function. For that you have to use the usual procedure, or Ctrl+S.

Most of us are aware of the OpenOffice.org, which is open source software and a free alternative to the ubiquitous Microsoft Office. I have had used it and found it to be a useful deterrent against the Microsoft hegemony.

OxygenOffice Professional is an enhanced version of OpenOffice.org, which contains many extra features, templates, cliparts, samples, fonts and VBA support.

• They have just announced the latest version, which is 2.3.0.
• More than 3,400 graphics have been included, both in the form of clip art and photos.
• Several new and stylich templates and sample documents have been integrated.
• More than 90 new fonts are bundled.
• OOoWikipedia, a new feature for searching the free on-line encyclopedia Wikipedia.
• The help menu has been upgraded with more entries.

I don’t know why Microsoft is able to enjoy so much monopolistic powers, when such a features rich suite is availale free.