Outlook gone after Windows 10 build - possible to recover structure?

May 21, 2016 9:53 AM

Can I easily recover my Outlook accounts and folder setup after Windows 10 rebuilt my computer, or must I do though piece by piece and rebuild from folders I had in a backup?

What I want is for Outlook to look just like it did the last time I logged in. Right away.

The nightmare of Windows 10 is even worse. After the most recent build (which cannot be controlled as far as I know), my computer was basically a new dumb terminal connected to One Drive with some, though not all, of my personal files hidden away. Outlook asked for a new setup.

I had three email accounts all with folder sets and an archive folder set. This is gone. Can I get the previously existing Outlook setup back by reverting to a setting or pushing buttons or voodoo? Or do I have to add data files one by one?

For what it's worth, I have an unique archive folder for registration keys and receipts and things I need to reload programs when Windows 10 eats them, an archive folder for weird animal products like hoof supplement and no-clink dog tag bags so that I have a reference for the suppliers, archive folders for various projects, etc. etc.

To rebuild is... at the very least two hours. And that's just for Outlook. And as far as I can tell I will have to get the data files that are hidden in weird places on my machine along with the missing data files that appear, at first glace, to have been backed up and open each one.

Should I just smash my computer with an axe and go live in the woods because f* this shit.

There are some questions about Windows 10 destroying a laptop on the Google. Couldn't find any about why Windows 10 decided that my existing Outlook configuration should go the way of the Thylacine. And nothing to tell me how to clone my extinct animal.

Not optimistic, yet hopeful.

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posted by Lesser Shrew to Computers & Internet (3 answers total)

If it's been less than 30 days you should be able to revert back to Windows 7 or 8.1.

This will literally restore everything back to the way it was - it did for me, anyway. (I had a similar situation on a work desktop, where as soon as I saw all the work I'd have to do to rebuild Outlook and a variety of networked devices I noped right out, back to 7 with no problems.) Then at least you have the opportunity to save stuff or collect the needed passwords & etc. before moving to 10 again.
posted by soundguy99 at 11:14 AM on May 21, 2016

is it possible that the win10 upgrade created a new user account, and that your old outlook is still in one piece within a different user account on your machine? go to settings and search for user accounts (on my machine the user accounts control panel is old-style, looking like win7). then click "manage another account" to see the list of accounts on the machine.

i was surprised how agressive win10 was when trying to tie my computer login to my microsoft.com account.
posted by bruceo at 11:32 PM on May 21, 2016 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: I did try reverting back, but my machine was largely useless because many, many things require Windows 10, according to pop-ups and even lock-outs. Only one account.

The fundamental seems to be that my laptop is just too old for current software and MS is aggressively trying to make my computer a terminal that I use to log into MS services and storage. Boo!

Thanks for helping! My .pst folders are now accessible, but it was a pain and I'm expecting more then next time a forced upgrade comes along.
posted by Lesser Shrew at 7:58 AM on May 29, 2016