Backing Up Your Outlook Email

We have talked about backing your Microsoft Outlook file on many occasions, both through this blog as well as in our Frequently Asked Questions Section. However, it remains one of the most asked questions by people enquiring about Carbonite as well as those who have just had a PC crash and looking to get their data back.

So how does Carbonite handle your Outlook and Outlook Express files.

When you first start your Carbonite Backup 30 day trial, you will in most cases have select the default setting and allowed Carbonite to select most of the files in your C: to backup. The great thing about this is that it saves you from having to scroll through to find which files you want and which files you don’t want. Carbonite simply selects them all (with a few exceptions the most important one being if the file is over 4GB).

In most cases this will also cover your Outlook files as they will in most cases be held on your C: drive.  What we always say to customers enquiring about Carbonite is that if the file is important to you then you should check that Carbonite has actually selected it for backup. And this step is really quite easy.

There are two places that you can check. The first is actually on your own computer, ie through your Windows Explorer (or File Manager), the second is via the Carbonite Backup Drive. This is the Carbonite Icon sitting on your desktop (blue lock on a grey box). The file will be stored in the same directory in both locations.

To search for the file, simply look in the following directory if you are using Vista: C:\Users\Arthur\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Outlook Note that the “Arthur” will be different on your computer as it will be you or the User on your own PC.

There are two files that you need to backup. The first is Outlook.pst and the second one is Archive.pst.

To back them up, simply right click on the file and select Carbonite > Back this up

In Windows XP, Microsoft Outlook data files are stored in C:\Documents and Settings\{your_user_name}\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook\ and for Windows 7 you should use C:\Users\{your_user_name}\App Data\Local\Microsoft\Outlook\

It is really very easy to do. There are however, a few additional things to consider. If you keep your Outlook open all day (as most people do) then Carbonite will only back it up once every 24 hours as this is how Carbonite backs up “Open” files.  What this means is that Carbonite will not be backing your Outlook files up constantly throughout the day, just once every 24 hours.

This same rule applies to all open files on your PC selected for backup eg MYOB or other software databases.

The second thing to be mindful of is what is actually in your Outlook folders. To save yourself wasting bandwidth unnecessarily, you should ensure that any videos or large attachments are not held in your inbox (unless you actually want them).  You will need to check your In, Sent and Deleted folders and clear out the junk emails. You should do this as a matter of course every month anyway.

So, to save yourself from unnecessary heartache when your PC eventually fails, be sure that your Outlook files are actually selected for backup by Carbonite. It only takes a minute to check.  Carbonite will in most cases have done it anyway, but it’s better to safe than sorry.