OL2000: (CW) Creating and Viewing Archive Items from a Custom Location

This article describes how to specify a location and file name for your archive items. It also describes how you can later add the archive file to a profile so that you can retrieve the archived items.

By default the Outlook AutoArchive feature is set to run every 14 days. Additionally, each folder has AutoArchive properties, which determine when items in that folder are archived. Several Outlook folders are installed with AutoArchive turned on. These folders and their default aging periods are Calendar (6 months), Tasks (6 months), Journal (6 months), Sent Items (2 months), and Deleted Items (2 months). Inbox, Notes, and Contacts do not have AutoArchive activated automatically.

When you archive folders, you are moving the items from their existing folder into an archive type of personal folder file (PST). By default, Outlook saves archived items in the following location:



The file Archive.pst is just like any other PST in that it retains the same file structure as your original folders and you can add or remove an Archive.pst file from your Outlook profile.

You can change the file name (Archive.pst) and location so your Outlook items are archived in another location of your choosing.

Setting Outlook to Use a Custom Archive Location

Follow these steps to change the location and file name of your archived items:

1. On the Tools Menu, click Options.
2. Click the Other tab, and then click AutoArchive.
3. In the Default Archive File box, type the path and file name for the location where you want items archived. Be sure to use the .pst extension in the file name.
   
   Note the "AutoArchive every <n> days at startup" check box, where <n> is the number of days. This determines how often AutoArchive occurs.
4. Click OK twice.

The next time Outlook successfully archives items, it creates the archive file that you named in step 3 above. This new file contains all of your archived items in the same folder structure.

Because the archive file is a PST file, you can view archived items either by importing them, by using the Export And Import Wizard, or by adding the archive personal folder file as a service in your profile.

If you choose to import the items, they move back to their original location.

For more information about importing a PST file, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: If you choose to add the archive personal folder file to your profile, you simply view the items from the archive folder.

Adding an Archive File to Your Profile

To add an archive file to your profile so you can view the archived items, follow these steps.

NOTE: Keeping archived items in your profile defeats the purpose of using the archiving feature. You should use these steps to view or copy archived items and then remove the archive file from your profile.

1. On the Tools menu, click Services. On the Services tab, click Add.
2. In the Available Information Services list, click Personal Folders, and then click OK.
3. In the "Create/Open Personal Folders File" dialog box, navigate to and click to select the custom archive PST file you created in the "Setting Outlook to Use a Custom Archive Location" section of this article. Click Open.
4. In the Name box, type Archive, and then click OK.
   
   This step adds Archive to your list of profile services.
5. Click OK.
6. On the View menu, click Folder List, to display the Folder list.
   
   In your folder list, you should see an Archive folder with your archived items in the appropriate subfolder.

For more information about Archiving, click Microsoft Outlook Help on the Help menu, type "Archive" in the Office Assistant or the Answer Wizard, and then click Search to view the topics returned.