Can anyone help me with my Microsoft Outlook

[Flibbertyjibbet]

How do I copy all my in box and outbox and address book to a memory stick or other part of my pc all in one go instead of copying a million emails individually?
I am about to change Website and Email host. I've been told I need to save all my emails before changing the host or they will be lost.
I have no idea about the technicalities of this and if anyone can tell me how to just copy the whole in and out boxes and address book of my microsoft outlook work email on to a memory stick or another part of my pc I would be sooooo grateful!
Its my own website and email through my own domain name and I need to do this before 'pointing' my domain name to the new hoster.

Is it obvious from this post that I am clueless?

Pleeeeeaaaaassee someone heeeeeeeelp me I can't get anything else done today till I've done this dreaded task!

You can either export, or my preference is to create a personal folder, copy them to that personal folder. This will create a .pst file which is separate from your inbox.

Export your contacts separately.

If you've downloaded all your emails to Outlook on your PC (rather than just accessing over IMAP, say) then they shouldn't be lost. But it doesn't hurt to have a backup

Now then thankyou so much for the replies but its all still too technical and I'm not sure i understand what you're saying!!

how do I export? And is the personal folder within outlook or do you mean a folder in word or something?

Port and Stilton, yes I think all my mails are on my pc - I think they must be as I have outlook on a laptop as well,and emails I've opened on one machine stay on that machine and can't be accessed on the other.

Does that mean that if I change my server, then all the emails I've opened on my pc or laptop will stay there in the outlook express?

(Whats IMAP is it some internet web mail thingy?)

Yes, if you change your server then all the emails you've opened on your PC or laptop will stay there.

IMAP is a protocol whereby (effectively) your email stays on the server so that you can access it from your email client on multiple PCs and anything you do on one of them is available on all of them. You can do it on Gmail, for example.

To export inbox contents, File -> Import and Export -> Export to a file -> Personal Folder File -> Select the folder to export from: Inbox (or wherever the email you want to back up is... you can do it for each folder in turn (e.g. if you want to back up Sent Items as well))

Contacts I think you'd want to export as Comma Separated Values rather than Personal Folder File.

Thanks for that, i have to go and work for a client now but will get that sorted and exported this evening.

Thanks for your help ladies I couldn't have done it without you

Can anyone tell why in Microsoft Outlook my messages do not go to my main Inbox. Instead they go into an Inbox at the end of my folder list. I am using Vista (worst luck)
This folder is in my personal name that appeared after setting up my laptop.
I am confused??????????