Windows 10: Lost all my contacts, e-mails, etc in Outlook 2016

Yesterday I successfully moved all my Documents, Pictures, Music and Videos Folders from my overloaded SSD to a 1Tb HD drive. However, the process of moving all this data over has caused my Outlook 2016 app to lose all my contacts, e-mails, etc.
It has been suggested that I need to find where Outlook stores the .ost & .pst files and connect them to the moved files.
Does anyone know where the .ost & .pst files are stored in Outlook 2016 and how to fix the connection problem?
Thanks for your help.

:)

 

Windows 10 Mail App - Sync issues when set to "anytime" in account settings

OK, further update... Buying MS Office 365 and using Outlook 2016 solved my e-mail inbox issue. However, the calendar and contacts in Outlook won't sync with Google calendar and contacts. Argh... I thought Outlook 2016 was supposed to allow synchronization
of mail, calendars, and contacts all in one place. I guess now I will need to use the Windows 10 calendar and contacts apps to keep my calendar and contacts synchronized across multiple devices. I wonder how that will work for meeting invites via e-mail.
Outlook 2016 seems to work fine to keep my 6 mo inbox synchronized, but I found that I can't seem to see gmail "all mail" as a folder in Outlook 2016. I guess this is OK for me. I will just have to handle future gmail archive or search-all-mail actions using
the web interface. Awkward, but probably workable.

Anyone have a better solution???

 

How to access contacts in Windows 10 Mail App?

I'm using the Version 1511 also. That said, I just discovered there is no contact information in my People's app and none in my Outlook 2016 app. However, my Outlook.com has contact information. Is there a way to import contact information from Outlook.com
into People or Outlook 2016?

UPDATE! UPDATE!!

By Jove, I think I got it! All of my contacts and their information is in my Google Voice account. So, I added my Google e-mail account to People, and, WHAM!, contact information appeared in People and Mail. So, yes, I can type a couple letters of a contacts
first name, and the e-mail address now appears.

However, the magic didn't extent to Outlook 2016. I think I'll have to get out and walk there. WRONG AGAIN!! I can use People to start an e-mail in Outlook 2016, Mail, or other e-mail clients. However, I think I will have to flesh out the Address Book
in Outlook 2016 use the ol' keyboard. Nope, WRONG AGAIN!!! Actually, the mouse is the major player. Building a contacts list for Outlook 2016 begins by snitching contacts from received e -mails using not-too-intuitive tools.

I seem to recall having done most of the above when setting up Windows 8.0 et al in a time long, long ago.

In another issue today, I had to download and install new printer drivers to get my Panasonic KX-MB2000 printer to work with Windows 10.

Outlook 2016 doesn’t work normally, in my opinion, in the Tablet mode. When launched, the app only appears in the Taskbar, and if the user clicks on the X in the upper-right corner of any one of the displays, the whole app is closed. So, one must
open and close displays via the Taskbar. The Mail app doesn’t misbehave as its big brother does in the Tablet mode. Outlook 2016 works normally in the Desktop mode.

 

Hi Foxhaven.

Re location of files. Yours were likely under documents.

https://support.office.com/en-us/art...b-0d1892e2aacc

You really don't have to be concerned about ost files. they are offline copies of your server files assuming you are using IMAP or EAS.

Do you know if you were using POP, IMAp or EAS.

I'm just looking up how you can point to new location. I move mine a long time ago and I use 2013.

Can I ask how you moved your data files. Using our tutorials they should have been found.

Ken


Edit 2: Link to moving file

https://support.office.com/en-us/art...1-61E6E3589088

 

Hi Ken,
Thanks for your prompt reply. I am using a POP account.
Yes, I moved my files following directions from the tutorial posted on this site.
I will try your helpful directions and let you know what happened.
Thanks

 

Ouch on POP. So there is no OST file as it is not used with POP accounts.

Interesting that moving the files following the tutorial caused the break. Windows should have just pointed any request to the new location.

Did you have any difficulties moving default locations?


Ken

 

Hi Ken,
Sorry for this slow response but I have been out of town for about a week. Looking at your response, it seems that you suggest that I should have used an IMAP account for my e-mail.
If I delete the POP account & switch to an IMAP account, do you know what happens to the e-mails, contacts, calendar, tasks from the POP account that are now on my various devices, desktop, laptop, tablet, phone. Will they disappear or stay on the devices? Is there a way to merge all that info onto one device?
Thanks again for any help you may have for me.

 

I can't say as I don't know enough about each set up or what you are using on each.

Can I ask who provides your mail service, not your email address, just the domain.

I can tell you that when I have several address books to consolidate for a client I use gmail. That is I export from each "thing" and import into gmail. I do this as I like the way gmail handles duplicates. Once they are all in and massaged I have a clean list on gmail that I can export out and use in whatever app by importing.

You said phone and tablet, are you Android, iOS or both.

If you are using POP on all these devices is all your stored mail on every device? If all these devices are POP do you delete the same mail item from every device? How long to you keep mail on POP server or do you keep it all for ever.

 

My mail service is provided by Teksavvy. (TekSavvy - Residential). Both my desktop and laptop run Windows.
My phone and tablet are Android devices.
Although I keep a lot of e-mails from the organizations that I am associated with, I am mostly interested in keeping the stuff that is on my desktop and the emails and files that I generated on my laptop while the old desktop was out of commission.
I also have a G-mail account which I use mostly for backup.
The use of gmail to consolidate all this info sounds interesting but how exactly is that done?

 

Okay if you have a Gmail address your phone and android are built sync. The issue remains contacts (not sure about calendar) which won't naturally sync with Outlook 20xx. There use to be a connector but one of them dropped it. There maybe a app you can use. I tried Companion Link but eventually move my wife to Outlook.com.

If you are prepared to abandon Outlook 20xx and just use a browser on Gmail that makes it easy. Then your outlook would just be an Archive. The other way, you could get an Outlook.com (Microsoft account) which natural syncs all but requires a couple of extra steps to get right on android. (Depending on version.) ( I will tell you I have had mixed results with outlook.com on android, one I never did get working nicely.)

Are you using Outlook 20xx on both laptop and desktop and are both using POP?

Exactly how is it done re contacts?

First in Outlook 2016 you have to use the export facility. You click file, Open and Export, Import Export, Export to a file, Comma Separate file (csv), find your Outlook Contact file and export it. You can have a look at it in excel when done. Don't save.

Then in gmail, click contacts and way down on left is import. It may tell you it has to use the old contact screens, they are migrating functionality, and you follow through on importing. It's likely the duplication process will immediately kick in and ask if you want process.

It might be an idea to backup your gmail contacts through their export facility before you import.

Now as to your phone / tablet, not sure where your contacts are. Yes they are in contacts but it is likely they are already being sync'ed through gmail. Change one on tablet, see if the change occurred in gmail and on phone. Some phones let you store on sim card so that is another adventure. First lets see if phone and tablet are syncing.

I know that some of these answers are questions. Before proceeding you have to make some decisions. Wish this was just a quick do this and that but I haven't found that solution. Other members may have a magic solution and we will both see something new.