One of the big problems with Outlook is that the file in which it stores all your data, the PST file, just gets bigger and bigger until one day you find your computer has ground to a halt.
The reason your computer grinds to a halt is because the Outlook.PST file ends up getting bigger than the RAM/memory you have in your computer.
So when you start Outlook it loads this file, that won't fit, into memory and then immediately puts what it can't fit back onto the hard disk. Can you see where this is heading?
Yep, Outlook gets into a "thrash" situation whereby your PST file is a) filling all the computer's memory and b) constantly being shuffled on and off the hard disk as you need parts of it.
As a result you should keep your PST file to a maximum size that is half the amount of RAM you have. This is especially true for older versions of Outlook and older computers (XP, Vista). The smaller the better really.
In older versions of Outlook, regardless of the above rule, you should keep the data file less than 1GB in size. Above that and Outlook itself starts to have a hard time.
So, you are here. There's the rock and here's the hard place. What can you do?
If you Google this you'll find numerous suggestions on how to back up your PST files. To keep things simple here I'll suggest you use Microsoft's own PST backup tool that can be found here --->
NB: Instructions for installation and use are also found at that web site.
So, assuming you now have PST backups done, the next thing you need to do is reduce the size of your main PST file.
This is where the pain starts (or continues as the case may be). Every time you try to do something with the overly large PST file it will be loaded into memory by Outlook and slow everything down.
Strategy #1 is: Create an offline Archive (folder/PST file)
This is described quite simply and clearly here --->
What this does is create a PST file that ISN'T loaded into memory until you need it, as opposed to the default/main PST file which is loaded on starting Outlook.
WARNING: The archive process can take a long time to run (certainly the first time) and you should be careful to MOVE and NOT delete old emails during the process.
Once your archive process is set up I suggest you set it to run automatically once a day. The reason for this is that it is easier to find an email in the archive if you know it is there. If you set the archive to process items older than 3 months but only run it every 2 weeks there's a large area of vagueness there.. However, if the process runs daily, the email you receive 1 month and one day ago will be in the archive - there's no two week "maybe it is, maybe it isn't" period.
After running your first big archive you must also Compact the PST file. This process is very simple and described here in detail --->
If your PST is not too huge this procedure will probably suit you well. If it isn't then we have to ramp it up a notch.
Strategy #2 is: Cut your PST file into bits
Stupidly older versions of Outlook can create PST files too big for itself to handle. Yep. Mad huh?
Anyway, in these cases you need to find your PST and cut it into manageable bits and re-attach them to Outlook.
Again there are any number of these tools if you Google for them. And again I'll point to the Microsoft one as a default and safe-ish starting point.
This method is one I don't like and one I suggest you leave to experts and/or extreme circumstances.
It has side effects and may damage some of the data in the PST.
For good measure you must also Compact all PST files.
Strategy #3: Creating a new empty PST file (and [maybe] importing the bits you want from the old one)
Within Outlook itself you can create new PST files and move data to it in a variety of ways.
If your problem data file is still attached to Outlook, then, if you can put of with the frustration, you can simply cut and paste (or copy) what you wan to keep to your new "empty" PST file.
In this BLOG post (http://ihatemypc.blogspot.com.au/2011/12/managing-email-overload.html), I described how you can drag-and-drop your Outlook emails into ordinary folders in My Documents (or anywhere else for that matter). There are quite a few advantages of doing this and moving to this strategy sooner rather than later if you can i.e. before your PST file gets too big - but I am guessing that isn't why you are here right?
As previously mentioned though, as long as the old PST file attached and being accessed Outlook will behave like a pig. So don't expect performance improvements until you detach the original problem PST file.
See "How to manage PST files" here http://support.microsoft.com/kb/196492
Also, simple instructions on the PST creation process can be found here http://www.utdallas.edu/ir/how-to/pstfile.htm
See "How to Point Outlook to Your New Personal Folders File" here http://support.microsoft.com/kb/291636
If you are finding the whole copy/cut and paste process too painful you can detach the old PST file once you've created your new one and set it as the default.
You can then use Outlook's Import process to bring in the data you want from the old file.
NOTE: This doesn't provide much in the way of filtering options i.e. leaving behind what you don't want, so just be aware that you could end up creating yourself another huge file like the one you already have. Some help on importing data can be found here http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/outlook-help/import-a-file-HP003073738.aspx
NOTE: It is worth pointing out that you'll need to copy appointments in the calendar, tasks, notes and anything else you previously used in the original PST file to the new one or they will disappear when it is detached. Remember, Outlook is more than just email and (nearly) everything you use in it is stored in the PST file.
Strategy #4: forget Outlook altogether and move to something else
This is by far my personal favourite.
I've done it. I ditched Outlook ages ago now and have not had anywhere near the dramas I used to.
Some things have changed and there have been some conveniences I've had to modify but on the whole I am far better off now.
where am I? I am in Google Apps which has email, tasks and great calendars.
Be sure you get the right version. I am on a free version with limited data but my email data can still get to 7GB in size without any cost.
You'll have to do your own math on whether the paid version is good value for you, but I'd suggest if you are having an IT guy around on a semi regular basis to fix your Outlook dramas then moving to Google Apps will probably pay for itself quite quickly.
The main downside with Google apps is that it is cloud based i.e. if you aren't online you aren't functional (mostly).
Having said that, you can use any computer anywhere to see your email etc. and I use my iPhone as a synchronized device and see and do everything I need from there AS WELL AS from my PC.
If you are just using Outlook for email then using the Thunderbird email client from Mozilla is a great option. though, I'd still probably opt for a web mail email client these days and Gmail (without Google Apps) is as good as you get.
Thunderbird, Google Apps and Gmail have extensive documentation on getting your old emails into their systems so I won't go into it here.
Of course, every IT person will have an opinion on this and maybe even some more tips and tricks on sorting out this problem.
One thing is for sure, there's no quick fix and if you are paying for someone else to sort this out it can quickly cost you a lot of money. If you are planning on tackling it yourself then do it outside of work hours and when you aren't using the computer for anything else.
Trust me, you'll need to set these things going and just walk away. You'll need to wait for things to finish more than once during this process. We aren't talking minutes either. Be prepared for a few hours or so at least.
Lastly, there are lots of tools out there on the web that profess to sole all these problems for you in a variety of miraculous ways. Remember, if it looks too good to be true it probably is. If it asks for your credit card number it definitely is. If you must try one of these tools then read all the reviews and carefully and independently check that they deliver as promised. Don't take their word for it.
Good luck.
David Moore
Addendum: During all this you are likely to find that you Outlook PST is broken in other ways. You'll need this http://support.microsoft.com/kb/272227 (FixIt it and SCANPST from Microsoft)
The reason your computer grinds to a halt is because the Outlook.PST file ends up getting bigger than the RAM/memory you have in your computer.
Yep, Outlook gets into a "thrash" situation whereby your PST file is a) filling all the computer's memory and b) constantly being shuffled on and off the hard disk as you need parts of it.
As a result you should keep your PST file to a maximum size that is half the amount of RAM you have. This is especially true for older versions of Outlook and older computers (XP, Vista). The smaller the better really.
In older versions of Outlook, regardless of the above rule, you should keep the data file less than 1GB in size. Above that and Outlook itself starts to have a hard time.
So, you are here. There's the rock and here's the hard place. What can you do?
Well, before you start playing with these things, the first thing to do is backup all your PST files (because you can actually have more than one in use at a time with Outlook).
If you Google this you'll find numerous suggestions on how to back up your PST files. To keep things simple here I'll suggest you use Microsoft's own PST backup tool that can be found here --->
NB: Instructions for installation and use are also found at that web site.
So, assuming you now have PST backups done, the next thing you need to do is reduce the size of your main PST file.
This is where the pain starts (or continues as the case may be). Every time you try to do something with the overly large PST file it will be loaded into memory by Outlook and slow everything down.
Strategy #1 is: Create an offline Archive (folder/PST file)
This is described quite simply and clearly here --->
What this does is create a PST file that ISN'T loaded into memory until you need it, as opposed to the default/main PST file which is loaded on starting Outlook.
WARNING: The archive process can take a long time to run (certainly the first time) and you should be careful to MOVE and NOT delete old emails during the process.
Once your archive process is set up I suggest you set it to run automatically once a day. The reason for this is that it is easier to find an email in the archive if you know it is there. If you set the archive to process items older than 3 months but only run it every 2 weeks there's a large area of vagueness there.. However, if the process runs daily, the email you receive 1 month and one day ago will be in the archive - there's no two week "maybe it is, maybe it isn't" period.
After running your first big archive you must also Compact the PST file. This process is very simple and described here in detail --->
If your PST is not too huge this procedure will probably suit you well. If it isn't then we have to ramp it up a notch.
Strategy #2 is: Cut your PST file into bits
Stupidly older versions of Outlook can create PST files too big for itself to handle. Yep. Mad huh?
Anyway, in these cases you need to find your PST and cut it into manageable bits and re-attach them to Outlook.
Again there are any number of these tools if you Google for them. And again I'll point to the Microsoft one as a default and safe-ish starting point.
This method is one I don't like and one I suggest you leave to experts and/or extreme circumstances.
It has side effects and may damage some of the data in the PST.
For good measure you must also Compact all PST files.
Strategy #3: Creating a new empty PST file (and [maybe] importing the bits you want from the old one)
If your problem data file is still attached to Outlook, then, if you can put of with the frustration, you can simply cut and paste (or copy) what you wan to keep to your new "empty" PST file.
In this BLOG post (http://ihatemypc.blogspot.com.au/2011/12/managing-email-overload.html), I described how you can drag-and-drop your Outlook emails into ordinary folders in My Documents (or anywhere else for that matter). There are quite a few advantages of doing this and moving to this strategy sooner rather than later if you can i.e. before your PST file gets too big - but I am guessing that isn't why you are here right?
As previously mentioned though, as long as the old PST file attached and being accessed Outlook will behave like a pig. So don't expect performance improvements until you detach the original problem PST file.
See "How to manage PST files" here http://support.microsoft.com/kb/196492
Also, simple instructions on the PST creation process can be found here http://www.utdallas.edu/ir/how-to/pstfile.htm
See "How to Point Outlook to Your New Personal Folders File" here http://support.microsoft.com/kb/291636
If you are finding the whole copy/cut and paste process too painful you can detach the old PST file once you've created your new one and set it as the default.
You can then use Outlook's Import process to bring in the data you want from the old file.
NOTE: This doesn't provide much in the way of filtering options i.e. leaving behind what you don't want, so just be aware that you could end up creating yourself another huge file like the one you already have. Some help on importing data can be found here http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/outlook-help/import-a-file-HP003073738.aspx
NOTE: It is worth pointing out that you'll need to copy appointments in the calendar, tasks, notes and anything else you previously used in the original PST file to the new one or they will disappear when it is detached. Remember, Outlook is more than just email and (nearly) everything you use in it is stored in the PST file.
Strategy #4: forget Outlook altogether and move to something else
I've done it. I ditched Outlook ages ago now and have not had anywhere near the dramas I used to.
Some things have changed and there have been some conveniences I've had to modify but on the whole I am far better off now.
where am I? I am in Google Apps which has email, tasks and great calendars.
Be sure you get the right version. I am on a free version with limited data but my email data can still get to 7GB in size without any cost.
You'll have to do your own math on whether the paid version is good value for you, but I'd suggest if you are having an IT guy around on a semi regular basis to fix your Outlook dramas then moving to Google Apps will probably pay for itself quite quickly.
The main downside with Google apps is that it is cloud based i.e. if you aren't online you aren't functional (mostly).
Having said that, you can use any computer anywhere to see your email etc. and I use my iPhone as a synchronized device and see and do everything I need from there AS WELL AS from my PC.
If you are just using Outlook for email then using the Thunderbird email client from Mozilla is a great option. though, I'd still probably opt for a web mail email client these days and Gmail (without Google Apps) is as good as you get.
Thunderbird, Google Apps and Gmail have extensive documentation on getting your old emails into their systems so I won't go into it here.
Of course, every IT person will have an opinion on this and maybe even some more tips and tricks on sorting out this problem.
One thing is for sure, there's no quick fix and if you are paying for someone else to sort this out it can quickly cost you a lot of money. If you are planning on tackling it yourself then do it outside of work hours and when you aren't using the computer for anything else.
Trust me, you'll need to set these things going and just walk away. You'll need to wait for things to finish more than once during this process. We aren't talking minutes either. Be prepared for a few hours or so at least.
Lastly, there are lots of tools out there on the web that profess to sole all these problems for you in a variety of miraculous ways. Remember, if it looks too good to be true it probably is. If it asks for your credit card number it definitely is. If you must try one of these tools then read all the reviews and carefully and independently check that they deliver as promised. Don't take their word for it.
Good luck.
David Moore
Addendum: During all this you are likely to find that you Outlook PST is broken in other ways. You'll need this http://support.microsoft.com/kb/272227 (FixIt it and SCANPST from Microsoft)
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