Missing e-mail after upgrading Outlook 2007 to 2010

[SoonerJim]

Last week I upgraded Office 2007 to 2010. I assumed that the current data file would be moved or renamed, but I cannot find it. When Outlook installed it automatically configured itself for IMAP, and I've always used POP3. Maybe that has something to do with it. At any rate, I am missing about three years' worth of e-mail. Granted, a lot of it is junk but there's that one e-mail one I'll really need that can't be found. It'll happen sooner or later. I'm wondering now if the new Outlook.pst overwrote the previous version when 2010 was installed. I've checked my most recent backup and that seems to be the case.

Any help is appreciated. Have a great day.

Jim

[ruirib]

What operating system are you using?

[SoonerJim]

Thanks for the message. Right after I did the Office upgrade I upgraded to Windows 7 from Windows Vista.

[ruirib]

The pst file is normally located at C:\Users\Username\Local Settings\Microsoft\Outlook

Don't you have the email accounts that you had prior to the upgrade?

[SoonerJim]

Well, I thought I had the e-mail until I started looking for it. I'll double check that location and the corresponding spot in the Windows.old folder.

[jscher2000]

When Outlook installed it automatically configured itself for IMAP, and I've always used POP3.

An account configured for IMAP access always has its own separate data file. However, you should have a set of local folders for everything else, including contacts and calendar. If your local folders are blank, then hopefully you can find your old data file (PST) and copy over the content. If you prefer not to use IMAP, then you can re-setup that account.

[SoonerJim]

OK, thanks for the tip. I checked System Restore, but I don't have anything before I installed Windows 7. I was hoping there might be a restore point with the old Outlook. Rats.

[ruirib]

You mean you upgraded without backing up first?

[SoonerJim]

I did not do a backup before upgrading Office, but I did before upgrading Windows. If the Office upgrade overwrote my Outlook data file, the Windows backup won't do any good. I should have backed up, made sure Office was perfect, then gone on to Windows 7.

[SoonerJim]

I think I found it: C:\Users\Jim\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Outlook\Outlo ok1.pst

I opened it and got a bunch of calendar reminders I should get.

Now I guess I need to merge the data from Outlook.pst and figure out how to redo all this as a POP3 account. Small steps, Jim, baby steps!

[SoonerJim]

Not sure why it reads Outlo ok1.pst It should be Outlook1.pst.

[ruirib]

You will need to setup your accounts as POP accounts. While doing this, you can specify the existing Outlook file as the file to be used by the new accounts. Alternatively, you can specify a new .pst file and then simply drag and drop all your stuff from the old pst into the new pst file.

[SoonerJim]

Thanks to everyone for their helpful advice.