Backing up the Outlook PST File

Outlook PST file backup steps:

Please remember that our email server could malfunction or completely die at any time. Taking a few minutes to back up your email can save you hours or even days in the event of a server failure.

Use the following steps to backup your email .pst file:

Outlook XP, and 2003 are very similar, with just some different verbiage.

1. Open Outlook and then click on FILE>>IMPORT AND EXPORT
2. Click on: EXPORT TO A FILE and then 3. Click NEXT.
4. Select PERSONAL FOLDER FILE (.pst) 5. Click NEXT
6. Click on the MAILBOX- YOURNAME to highlight it. 7. Put a check in the INCLUDE SUBFOLDERS box.
8. Decide where you would like to store the backup file by using the BROWSE button. See next illustration below. 9. Give your backup file a meaningful name. As you can see, I named mine *emailbackup092804.pst* and put it on the DESKTOP temporarily until I can burn it to a CD or a flash drive. 10. Click OK and then FINISH on the subsequent screens. It is important to remember where you save this file so you can then back it up to another form of media such as CDR, CDRW, USB Drive, Network Drive, etc. If you back this up to your hard drive, and your hard drive fails, you lose your backup!
11. When the next dialog box comes up, just click OK 12. Allow the computer to perform the backup. You should see the files being backed up. 13. Locate your backup .pst file and burn it or copy it to another form of media.