Backup Outlook from Exchange?

May 12, 2009 7:43 AM

How can I back up my Outlook 2003 files kept on an exchange server to a thumb drive?

I know how to find and back up .pst files on my personal computer. Is there any way I can make a personal backup of my Outlook e-mail, contacts, etc. when they're stored on an exchange server? I don't want to lose this information if I should, say, no longer have access to my work e-mail for some reason.

posted by Joleta to computers & internet (9 answers total)

Copy them to a .pst, then copy the .pst to the thumb drive.
posted by The Michael The at 7:50 AM on May 12, 2009

This link from Microsoft will have some firmer guidance in walking you through the process of generating a .PST file. Remember to simply copy the mail rather than "archive" it off of the server if you want to retain it on the Exchange server. Archiving will remove the messages off of the server and put it only in the file you specify.
posted by Burhanistan at 8:16 AM on May 12, 2009

What he said. Instructions.

Depending on how you "lose access", you could be violating laws by doing. All work email (ie - email written on company time) is typically owned by the company itself. I don't believe that anyone would care if all you did was save some personal stuff but it's something to be aware of if you're trying to download a contact database.
posted by anti social order at 8:17 AM on May 12, 2009

Using the instructions in Burhanistan's link, I get "PST (Personal Storage) usage is disabled on this computer."

From anti social's Instructions link: "Look at the Deliver new e-mail to the following location option. If the option contains the word "Mailbox" followed by an e-mail name, Outlook stores data in folders on the Exchange Server. Contact the Exchange Server administrator for more information about how backups are handled." And yep, I've got "Mailbox: Joleta" and really don't want to contact the Exchange Server administrator.

Am I out of luck on this?
posted by Joleta at 10:34 AM on May 12, 2009

You may just have to email what you want saved to an external mail account. You should be able to send all or many of your contacts as an attachment. Some goes for multiple emails. How much data are you trying to preserve? You can right-click on your Inbox or Personal Folder in question and select Properties --> Folder size to get a gauge on the size of what you want to transfer. It may take several separate emails to cover everything--you could even setup a separate Gmail account just for that purpose. Gmail also lets you archive to a harddrive so you could eventually end up at your goal with a few extra steps.

Be sure to delete the messages from your Sent Items folder (and empty the Deleted Items folder also) when you're finished, if you choose that route.
posted by Burhanistan at 10:41 AM on May 12, 2009

^^ to clarify, you can highlight multiple emails/contacts and then drag them into a new message to be sent as attachments, or you can right-click on those highlighted items and select the "Forward Items" option.
posted by Burhanistan at 10:42 AM on May 12, 2009

joleta: why don't you ask the exchange server admin?
posted by devnull at 10:50 AM on May 12, 2009

Dev - I'm guessing the 'lose access' means "i won't be working here much longer".

Joleta - That error is what happens when your IT department doesn't want you doing what you're trying to do. Most likely they are restricting you with a group policy setting and in the places I've setup email servers, bypassing security restrictions are a good way to get IT and management in your business quickly and unpleasantly.

In addition to the workarounds above - You can copy items in and out of outlook drag-and-drop style to a thumbstick, but that's a terribly slow solution. You can also setup an outlook rule to forward your mails (new and old), and send out contacts as vcards to get your personal stuff out of there. Just watch that you don't fill up your mail quota as each copy counts as a new message (see above advice about deleteing sent items).

But honestly, if you're not doing anything shady with company property, the IT guys should be able to hook up with a PST if you ask. I've done it dozens of times for people leaving.
posted by anti social order at 12:57 PM on May 12, 2009

Thanks, Anti. I guess I'll just ask. And no, I'm not leaving nor expecting to be shown the door any time soon. But I had just read an article suggesting that after getting the pink slip is the wrong time to decide it would be nice to have some of those contacts and e-mails.
posted by Joleta at 6:41 PM on May 12, 2009