Simplest way to backup email pst file over 1GB to CD.

[Mucho]

I want to backup my Outlook Email PST files that is over 1GB to CD and update every month or so. What is the simplest way to do this?

 

[kranky]

Did you try zipping the pst file?

 

[Mucho]

The main reason I did not want to ZIP it is because, I need to have quick access to them should the need occur.

 

[spyordie007]

have you compacted it yet in Outlook? I'm not using any PSTs but I thought I remembered a feature that allowed you to compact and/or compress it. I imagine between the two you could get it to fit on a CD. I'm not sure if Outlook Express has this feature or not.

-Spy

 

[kranky]

If compacting it doesn't make it small enough to fit on a CD, zipping would be better than any other alternative. If you don't zip it you'll need to use a program that splits a file into smaller pieces, then you'd have to burn both pieces on to separate CDs, then when you want to access it you'd have to glue the pieces back together before you could use it.

Zipping/unzipping would be faster than that.

 

[VBboy]

Originally posted by: kranky
If compacting it doesn't make it small enough to fit on a CD, zipping would be better than any other alternative. If you don't zip it you'll need to use a program that splits a file into smaller pieces, then you'd have to burn both pieces on to separate CDs, then when you want to access it you'd have to glue the pieces back together before you could use it.

Zipping/unzipping would be faster than that.

That's a great explanation.

Also, to make the compression process faster, you can choose lesser compression. The resulting file will be a little larger than it would be with best compression, but the compression will take less time. It will have no effect on the decompression, though.

Alternatively, delete some messages and make the Pst files naturally smaller.

 

[kranky]

Do you have a lot of attachments stored in with your emails? I'm trying to figure out how you could have 1GB of email. I have email in Outlook going back to 1998 and I only have 300MB.

If attachments are what's taking up the space, consider saving the attachments to another location, then edit the email to remind you what the attachment was and where you moved it to. I add a line to the bottom of the email like this:

[ removed attachment to H:\secd\proposal0208.doc ]

 

[VBboy]

Originally posted by: kranky
Do you have a lot of attachments stored in with your emails? I'm trying to figure out how you could have 1GB of email. I have email in Outlook going back to 1998 and I only have 300MB.

If attachments are what's taking up the space, consider saving the attachments to another location, then edit the email to remind you what the attachment was and where you moved it to. I add a line to the bottom of the email like this:

[ removed attachment to H:\secd\proposal0208.doc ]

Does Outlook store attachments inside that PST file?! That would be a terrible programming approach. Most E-mail readers store attachments as separate files, thus making them easy to manage...

 

[Useful0ne]

When you copy the pst file to a CD it will set the archive bit on it. In order to open the pst file you will need to copy it to your hard drive and right click it, then uncheck read only. You could make another pst and split it in two in order to address the size issue.

U-1

 

[VBboy]

Originally posted by: Useful0ne
When you copy the pst file to a CD it will set the archive bit on it. In order to open the pst file you will need to copy it to your hard drive and right click it, then uncheck read only. You could make another pst and split it in two in order to address the size issue.

U-1

It's not the archive bit, it's the Read-Only bit that gets set. You can write to Archive-marked files with no problem... But not to read-only files.

 

[Confused]

I'd use WinRar, and split it into 700mb files, then just keep them on a couple of CDRWs, then just copy it back to the HDD if you need to get back to it.



Confused

 

[VBboy]

Originally posted by: Confused
I'd use WinRar, and split it into 700mb files, then just keep them on a couple of CDRWs, then just copy it back to the HDD if you need to get back to it.



Confused

He won't have to split the file. It will compress exceptionally well. I bet it would go down to 50-100 MB unless Outlook already compacted/compressed it...

 

[Looney]

Originally posted by: VBboy

Originally posted by: Confused
I'd use WinRar, and split it into 700mb files, then just keep them on a couple of CDRWs, then just copy it back to the HDD if you need to get back to it.



Confused

He won't have to split the file. It will compress exceptionally well. I bet it would go down to 50-100 MB unless Outlook already compacted/compressed it...

That's assuming it's all text. 1GB of emails, i would imagine it would be a lot of attachments.

 

[Spac3d]

Originally posted by: Moralpanic

Originally posted by: VBboy

Originally posted by: Confused
I'd use WinRar, and split it into 700mb files, then just keep them on a couple of CDRWs, then just copy it back to the HDD if you need to get back to it.



Confused

He won't have to split the file. It will compress exceptionally well. I bet it would go down to 50-100 MB unless Outlook already compacted/compressed it...

That's assuming it's all text. 1GB of emails, i would imagine it would be a lot of attachments.

Well either way, I think WinRAR would be the best way to split it up evenly.

 

[Mucho]

Thanks for all the replies. BTW, these are not my personal pst files these are my company?s Customer Support archive. I used RAR to split them in two and burned onto two CDs.

 

[glugglug]

Just rar compress it and unless the mail is all compressed attachments to begin with, it will EASILY fit in a couple hundred MB or less.

Better compression ends up FASTER than lighter compression because even best compression is faster than the CD media and this goes along with your need to access it quickly too because the smaller best compression rar will copy off the CD onto your HD faster.