Importing from Personal Folders File to Exchange
In Tip16 we showed how to copy Outlook items into a .pst file for the purpose of transferring Exchange items to another computer. Now let’s see how to access this file on the other computer when the .pst is on a CD-ROM (Read Only).
Outlook will not open a Personal Folders for a .pst that is Read Only because it views a Personal Folders as a Read/Write space. In order to deal with this restriction you will have to transfer the .pst file to your hard drive, your Y: drive, or such.
Once the .pst is on a Read/Write device, say the C: drive, accessible to the “other” computer, you can establish it as a Personal Folders in Outlook on the “other” computer or you can use the Outlook function IMPORT.
The .pst (New Client on the CD-ROM) has been transferred to the C: drive–Desktop.
Since the .pst came from a Read Only device, it will still have the Read Only attribute.
Right click on New Client.pst, click on Properties, and uncheck the Read Only box. Now click on APPLY and OK.
Now you can open the transferred Personal Folders in Outlook.
Note that the Personal Folders file has the name, Export to New Client—the name given to it on the other computer. In other words, the Personal Folders file name is part of the .pst file and travels with the .pst.
Note the folder named Imported Items.
Now use the right mouse button to copy Calendar and its sub-folders to Imported Items.
You can see the calendar and subfolder in Imported Items.
Another way to transfer from the .pst uses the IMPORT function.
One way to begin importing is by opening the Outlook folder into which you plan to import. Let’s import into this folder–From CD.
Note that From CD is currently empty.
Now Select Import and Export under File on the Menu bar.
Choose Import from another program or file then click Next.
Click on Personal Folders file (.pst) and click Next.
Since the .pst, New Client, is already on the Desktop, we can just browse to it. Ignore the Options below the file name unless adding items to a folder already containing others. Click Next.
Now, select a folder for import in the hierarchy under:
Select the folder to import from:
Let’s start with Calendar. Check “Include subfolders to import Calendar and all its subfolders.”
Since we had earlier opened From CD, the selected items will be imported to this folder when we check Import items into the current folder.
Click Finish and items from Calendar in the .pst file will go into From CD. Subfolders of the .pst Calendar will be created in From CD–unless they already exist. All items will be copied.
Another way to import can be seen by going back to Import/Export.
Import items into the same folder in:
differs from what was just shown.
This pulldown list contains the names of all top-level folders from the Outlook Folder List. Now point to a folder in the Select the folder to import from (Calendar in this case). This folder will be sought in the Exchange target top-level folder (Mailbox bumc-test in this case). If found, it becomes the target for import. If not found, a folder of that name is created in that top-level folder.
All subfolder names of the Folder to be copied from are sought or created in the target Calendar and then all items are copied into appropriate folders.
The Filter button at the lower right allows you to control what items are imported. The options for Filter are identical to those for Export.
This completes our series on Personal Folders. Please call our HelpDesk at 85914 with comments or questions. Remember to visit our tip archive at the address shown here:
