Hello everyone, I just installed a new ECS motherboard. I would like to transfer my old e-mails, Calendar, Addresses, etc. into my new MS Outlook. I saved them all in one .pst file. However, when I use the import from another file function in the current new Outlook, I receive the following error message "The file outlook.pst is not compatible with this version of the Personal Folders information service. Contact your Administrator." 1) Does anyone have a step-by-step giude how to solve this problem? I really do not have access to the original files anymore, so opening this .pst file (136 MB) is crucial! 2) I have had problems in the past and really do not like the fact that Outlook is not web-based. Any suggestions on a suitable replacement program that will accept my .pst file? Any other suggestions on how to open it? ANY help would be appreciated, Thanks! MLL

Firstly, changing the Motherboard would not necessitate the reconfiguration of email unless you also formatted or removed the hard drive and replaced it with another one. Is this question related to your post here: http://www.computing.net/answers/ha... ?? "I would like to transfer my old e-mails, Calendar, Addresses, etc. into my new MS Outlook. I saved them all in one .pst file." By default, all of those items are already in your Mail Delivery pst file, regardless of whether or not you moved it from it's default location within your profile. Importing pst files seldom works. I'm never had a good experience with that. Assuming you copied the pst to a thumb drive or CD, copy it to your data folder (preferably NOT in your profile.) If it's copied from a CD, change the read-only attribute. Then, with Outlook opened, File, Open, Outlook Data File, and browse to the location of the file. Double-click on the filename. You should then see both files in your folder list. You can copy the data from the old file, or just leave it where it is, using two pst files. Unless of course, you're importing a pst file created with Outlook 2003 or 2007 into Outlook XP. Then, you're out of luck. "Any suggestions on a suitable replacement program that will accept my .pst file?". Nope. There isn't one. If you really don't want to use Outlook, export all the folders in the pst into files, then import into an email program that allows for import of those filetypes. Personally, I prefer Outlook, and have for over 12 years. "So won’t you give this man his wings What a shame To have to beg you to see We’re not all the same What a shame" - Shinedown

Hello Jennifer SUMN, very sorry for the late reply, just had a very busy day. Hope you don't mind this way of replying, but I wanted to share. Your information was not directly helpful. I have the following scenario: I upgraded my motherboard, cpu, and HD and did not want to install Windows new. I tried the R (repair) function on the Windows XP CD but unfortunately chose the first R instead of the second R, that screwed things up and I had to install Windows and all programs new. I had manually created a .pst file to be be imported on to my new HD/Outlook, which as you know did not work. I was unable to follow your instructions (I really need a 1,2,3 step-by-step explanantion) but it made me think, I also could not follow this article: http://support.microsoft.com/defaul... I did a search on my old HD (now the slave drive) and found an Outlook file of similar size (126 MB vs. my manually created one of 136 MB). I imported it into Outlook and it worked, so your advice helped me indirectly! My assumption is that Outlook will automatically create back-up files unless I accidentally created this file while trying to create my original .pst file and simply used the same name and location - ? You seem to have a lot of experience with Outlook, how do you back-up and transfer? Perhaps you have more insight ... Thanks again, Martin

I've worked with Outlook for 12 years ('97 was the first version I used), both when running Exchange and stand-alone. Outlook doesn't automatically backup pst files, but if it can't find the pst file in the default location, and you haven't corrected the path, it will create a new file. I use pfbackup from Microsoft to backup my pst files. "So won’t you give this man his wings What a shame To have to beg you to see We’re not all the same What a shame" - Shinedown