# Outlook 2003 duplicate personal psts



## LizaJ (Jul 27, 2005)

Hi folks - having got it really wrong when I first opened Outlook 2003 and tried to use my Outlook 2000 pst - after 2 days I am still seeing 3 copies of my "Personal folders" - one of which seems to be the default, and the other 2 look identical, but when I try to close them, I get the message "The operation failed. An object could not be found."  (This is probably my fault the amount of moving, deleting and renaming I have done of the wretched things).

I now know what I did wrong initially (after much searching of knowledge bases) - I've uninstalled and reinstalled outlook 2003, but can't get it to think it is a fresh loading. I have cleared the forms cache (as described in another thread here) - no joy.

I'm using XP Pro SP2 and Office 2003 Professional (or will be when I get this sorted!!). 
I'm a bit nervous about doing things in the registry, but willing to try - after all I can reformat, so if there are any HKEYS I can delete to get round this, willdo.
much thanks
Liza :smile:


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## LizaJ (Jul 27, 2005)

*The fix*

Hi guys - found this in MS Support Forums - and it works!

Via the Mail icon in Control Panel delete the offending profile(s) and then (having saved your pst files elsewhere), delete the Outlook folder(s) in the relevant Local Settings, Microsoft, folder(s).

Outlook then opens as per a new start, and then you can tell it to use the old PST, and configure mail accounts to be sent to the old PST. Once this is the default PST, the duplicate which Outlook generates when it first opens can be closed by right clicking on it in the usual way.

:grin:


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## whodat (Mar 13, 2005)

interesting...nice work :sayyes:


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## Etienne (Oct 15, 2006)

I tried this, didn't work for me. I have three personal folders even though I have only one PST. Any more ideas?


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## Spocky (May 11, 2008)

Etienne said:


> I tried this, didn't work for me. I have three personal folders even though I have only one PST. Any more ideas?


I'm new here, but have the same problem. Was there ever a fix for this problem explained here?

When I check in Contol Panel, Mail,profiles, data files there is only one file. When I open Outlook I have two personal folders in the navigation panel.

Sorry to re hash an old thread but I have looked on many forums for a fix but too no avail.

Thanks.


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## hdmatthias (Dec 24, 2008)

I have 30 duplicate Outlook pst files. I think they're generated by my internet backup (mozy, carbonite). It's eating up my harddrive, and when I try to delete, "delete" won't light up as a choice.

I'm a computer novice, and afraid to screw things up. Is there a really easy, foolproof solution for removing these huge files?


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## Crosscheck (Aug 7, 2009)

Here's how I fixed it on my box:

Advanced users, just read the next paragraph. Novices, read after that.

1. With Outlook closed and Internet disconnected, drag your .pst files onto your Desktop (unless it's cluttered, then create a folder for them)
2. Kill your Outlook Profile, then re-create it
3. Setup your email accounts again
4. Delete the .pst that Outlook just created in the store folder
5. Move your .pst files back (make sure your main .pst file is named 'Outlook', or Outlook won't recognize it
6. Open Outlook. Should be fixed, unless you have some corrupt or un-mapped .pst files in there

Novices: Before attempting this method, make sure you know your passwords for all your email accounts. If you're not sure, you can try going to the webmail version of your email provider and try it out there. For instance, if you have a Gmail account, go to mail.google.com and try logging in.

*If you cannot remember your email passwords, stop reading here. *You'll only be wasting your time as this method will involve killing and rebuilding your Outlook Profile, which means that you will have to re-enter your mail settings for each account (don't cry; it only takes a minute:tongue.

*First Step: Write down (or type in Notepad or Word) settings for all your email accounts:*
1. In Outlook, Click 'Tools' -> 'E-mail Accounts'
2. Choose 'View or change existing e-mail acounts' and click 'Next'
3. Select your first email account and click 'Change'
4. Record all the info you see in these fields. Don't forget to click 'More settings' and get those too.
5. Repeat for any other accounts you have
6. Click 'Cancel' to exit out of here

*Second Step: Temporarily Kill your Internet connection.* This will prevent Outlook from automatically downloading any new email before you're finished setting everything up.
1. Click, 'Start' -> 'Control Panel'
2. Double-click 'Netwok Connections'
3. Right-click on 'Local Area Connection' or 'Wireless Network Connection'...whichever you're using and choose 'Disable'

*Third Step: Move your .pst files to a temporary location.*
1. Close Outlook if it's open
2. Right-click on a blank part of your Desktop and choose 'New' -> 'Folder' and name it 'Outlook Temp' or whatever you want
3. Open up 'My Computer' and browse to where your Outlook files are. In XP, they are typically at:
C:\Documents and Settings\<your username>\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook​4. If you don't see the '\Local settings' folder, you probably can't see your hidden files. In 'My Computer' click 'Tools' -> 'Folder Options', click the 'View' Tab, select 'Show hidden files and folders' and click 'OK'
5. Once you've located your .pst files (you might only have one), drag them over to the folder you created on your desktop

*Fourth Step: Kill and re-create your Outlook profile*
1. Again, close Outlook if it's open
2. In 'Control Panel', double-click 'Mail'
3. Click 'Show Profiles'
4. Select your profile and click 'Remove'
5. Click 'Add' and type whatever you want for your new profile (naming it as what you had before is just fine) and click 'OK'

*Fifth Step: Re-create your email accounts*
1. Still with Outlook closed, in 'Control Panel', open up 'Mail ' again
2. Click 'E-mail accounts' 
3. Select 'Add a new e-mail acount' (this will most likely already be selected)
4. Select the email type your account uses. Most likely, you will be using POP3 (you would choose this for Gmail). If you have a Hotmail account, choose HTTP.
5. Fill in the information as you copied it in the beginning (repeat for each email account you have). Again, don't forget the 'More Settings' button.

*Sixth Step: Move your .pst files back*

1. Do you still have the 'My Computer' window open to the 'Outlook' folder? If not, then browse to it again as descibed in the 'Third Step' above.
2. Delete the .pst file in there (this is the new .pst file which Outlook just created in the Outlook folder). *Do not delete any .pst file in the temporary folder you created on the desktop!*
3. Drag your .pst files back to the Outlook folder
4. Close all your windows just to clean things up and try opening Outlook. If all looks well, enable your Internet connection again by right-clicking on your network connection ('Second Step' above) and choosing 'Enable'


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