Archiving and backing up PST files is not the only way to ensure safety of Outlook data. Copying email messages to folders and backing up them are other efficient ways of protecting valuable email data. Searching through these email folders works much faster during a recovery process as our article explains.
While the Personal Storage File or PST file offers a very efficient way of storing and searching for items, it is not very easy to archive items using the file. Many experts therefore recommend that users simply create email folders in their ‘My Documents’ folder and regularly copy emails to this folder. They can delete these emails or other Outlook items that they have copied from the main PST file. This trims the size of the PST file while you can safely store all the email messages and other Outlook items in the folder that you have created. This also helps tremendously in PST recovery since instead of having to fix entire PST files, you can just search for the one message or item that you would like restored.
There are some things to watch out for though, if you are going to be using the folder system to archive Outlook email messages and other items. Typically, when you copy an email message from Outlook to a particular folder, Windows creates a file with a filename that is the same as the Subject Line of the email. Even if you wish to copy multiple email messages that have the same Subject Line, it is not a problem since Windows appends a unique numeral to each one of those email messages. The problem arises when you are copying an email message with an identical Subject Line later. In which case, Windows will confirm that you may be replacing an already existing file. Make sure that you are renaming the email message before copying it.
Windows will have no problem in giving email messages unique filenames and the user will have no problem in identifying the correct email during a PST recovery if you are going to be copying entire folders on a quarterly or monthly basis. Since all the Outlook email messages will be copied in one go, Windows can identify files with identical Subject Lines and give them unique names. Another big advantage of storing Outlook messages and items in this manner is that searching for them is proving to be extremely easy with the advent of tools such as Windows Desktop search, Google Desktop search, Yahoo Desktop Search and of course, the default Windows Search. Using ever-present search boxes, you can very quickly search for a file by typing in just a keyword or two.
Finally, it is very easy to take backups and carry out PST recovery if messages are stored in folders in this manner. One no longer has to worry about the maximum size of PST files or incompatibilities. Include the email folders in your regular backups and all your email is protected.
The problem arises when the active PST file becomes corrupt due to external or internal factors. The only effective way of fixing a seriously damaged PST file may be to use specialized software such as DataNumen Outlook Repair from DataNumen. Using sophisticated scan and search technologies, it can recover almost all items from corrupt PST files ensuring very little loss of data.