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Original poster

pst files - can't open...

15 replies

Flowertop · 27/04/2010 08:39

I have been given some files on a memory stick to open for DH and when double click on file it appears these are .pst files 1) does this mean they are saved emails and 2) I can't open them as don't have supporting software. Do you know what software I need and what is the best way to go about opening the files. Apologies for not tech at all and need some hlep pls.

OP posts:
liamsdaddy · 27/04/2010 09:22

.pst are Microsoft Outlook email files.

The easiest way would be to install a demo copy of MS Outlook (I'm not sure if the free Outlook Express will open pst's) and open it from there.

Other email clients such as Thunderbird and Eudora will open pst, but they are expecting to import from an outlook profile - so I'm not sure what they will do if you don't have outlook installed.

Original poster
Flowertop · 27/04/2010 09:29

I have gone into microsoft outlook express and tried to open my folder that way but the message

"Cannot display the folder. Microsoft Office Outlook cannot access the specified folder location. The path specified for the file G:\Personal Data\Outlook\Personal Folders(1).pst is not valid"

Any ideas why this message would come up. should my outlook express not be able to open .pst files.
thanks for help

OP posts:
liamsdaddy · 27/04/2010 10:00

Apparently a google web search that message is when Outlook gets confused and keeps trying to look on the USB drive for the pst.

I'm assuming at this point you have disconnected the USB drive. When I've imported pst's I've always copied them onto my desktop first so not come across that one.

The other potential issue is if the version of Outlook that created the pst file is newer than the Outlook Express version you have. I would not be surprised if they are version incompatibilities (since everything else MS makes seems to have version incompatibilities).

BadgersPaws · 27/04/2010 10:22

If all you need to do is to get some information out of those files then you can probably open them up in Notepad. .pst files used to be plain(ish) text so they should be readable.

Right click on the file and select "Open With", if Notepad appears then select it, if not select "Choose Program".

Notepad might then appear under "Other Programs", if not select browse and I can find Notepad in C:\WINDOWS\system32

When the file opens either save it as something new or go through it and copy and paste the bits that you're looking for.

Original poster
Flowertop · 27/04/2010 10:57

Thanks for replies so far but the notepad advice not working for me. It's just hanging when trying to open with notepad and then the message that progam not responding?

OP posts:
BadgersPaws · 27/04/2010 11:09

How big are the .pst files?

You can also try running Notepad (Start/Programs/Accessories/Notepad for me) and then selecting "File/Open", changeing "Files of type" to All and the browsing to the file.

liamsdaddy · 27/04/2010 11:27

How big are the pst files?

Notepad tends to fall over with anything more than an email or two. If it's few MB then most things will probably die trying.

Although none of the .pst's I just exported for test purposes have any human readable text in them (this was Outlook 2003)

BadgersPaws · 27/04/2010 11:53

I'm beginning to think that I'm thinking of Outlook Express and not Outlook when it comes to the mail files being readable in Notepad.

Still, worth a go.

Original poster
Flowertop · 27/04/2010 12:41

Thanks so much for all responses. Surely if you have outlook express on the pc which you use all the time you should be able to open a pst file? Or am I missing something?

OP posts:
liamsdaddy · 27/04/2010 13:13

Microsoft Outlook Express was a cut down version of Outlook with the aim of giving you enough of a taste that you buy the full version.

I suspect that your Outlook Express expects an older format of .pst files and those you have are too new (yes you can have formats that change.

The Mozilla Thunderbird FAQ page suggests to install the Outlook 2007 60-day trail temporarily and open them within that before re-exporting them to a more friendly format.

Otherwise, you will have to ask someone to resend the files in a different format.

BadgersPaws · 27/04/2010 13:30

"Microsoft Outlook Express was a cut down version of Outlook with the aim of giving you enough of a taste that you buy the full version."

The names are just branding, Outlook and Outlook Express are very different applications, one is not a cut down or demo version of the other.

That there really is no commonality other than the name and a way of handling certain things is the reason why it's not always easy to open up files from Outlook in Outlook Express.

So it's not some clever lock that's stopping the file from one opening in the other. They're difference programs, written by different people, that work in different ways and just happen to have had been given similar names by someone in marketing.

Original poster
Flowertop · 27/04/2010 17:52

Thanks. Would they both have .pst endings even though they are different programs?

OP posts:
BadgersPaws · 28/04/2010 11:56

I think that Outlook Express might actually use .DBX for it's mail files but yet it's quite possible that they could both use the same extension.

So .pst files are probably going to be Outlook Mail Files that anything other than Outlook is going to have a hard time opening (Microsoft are somewhat notorious for writing files that are very hard to read by anyone but them).

Original poster
Flowertop · 28/04/2010 13:36

Thanks for your continued patience (sp???) BP That explains it very well!

OP posts:
mranchovy · 30/04/2010 13:36

You need MailNavigator.

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