How to restore MS Office Outlook 2007 folders back in Outlook

Stop emails - Problem solved.

Earle,

It sounds like you do not have file extensions showing.  In Windows explorer, go to Organise, Folder & search options, View tab - clear the checkbox next to Hide extensions for know file types.  This is a safe way of operating normally [i.e. not just for this task].

1.5  You should now be able to see the outlook.pst & archive.pst files [and remember that I'm only referring to them because the screenshot of your search results showed that they were there].

1.7  The folder is empty because you were unable to complete para 1.5

Try*3

I had all the files restored to their original home by a local computer firm.

It's been more than two months going back and forth and simply too stressful on me.The $70.00 was a small price to gain back my sanity.

Thank you so much for your time and patience.

Regards,

Earle

Earle,

Exactly what are you doing that brings up that cautionary notice? Please give me it step-by-step as nothing in para 1.8 should lead to that happening.

Are you [as expected, para 1.8] opening the Outlook application then using it to open the outlook.pst data file or are you trying to open the outlook.pst directly from Windows explorer?

Additional - It seems to me that you are trying to double-click on the file outlook.pst.  You should never do this.  Open the application using the same shortcut you have always used - it could be in your Start menu and / or your TaskBar.

Earle,

To open the Outlook application, use the shortcut to the Outlook application that is in your Start menu - you have used it before or you could never have had the Outlook application running.  Then, as explained in para 1.8, wait for it to complain that it cannot find its pst file[s]. In the dialog that opens, browse to C:\Users\Earle\My Documents\PIM, select Outlook.pst and click onOpen.  Outlook will now open the same file as it was using before and will go on doing so every time it opens from now on.

It is the Outlook application that then opens the pst file not you.  pst files are not like normal files, you cannot just double-click on them to open them using their associated application as you can with doc or xls files.

Try*3

A  Caution box opened and stated You are attempting to open a file of type Microsoft Office Outlook Personal Folders (.pst)

These files are used by the operating system and by various programs. Editing or modifying them could damage your system.

If you still want to open the file, click Open with. Otherwise, click cancel.

What should I do?

Earle,

To open the Outlook application, use the shortcut to the Outlook application that is in your Start menu - you have used it before or you could never have had the Outlook application running.  Then, as explained in para 1.8, wait for it to complain that it cannot find its pst file[s]. In the dialog that opens, browse to C:\Users\Earle\My Documents\PIM, select Outlook.pst and click onOpen.  Outlook will now open the same file as it was using before and will go on doing so every time it opens from now on.

It is the Outlook application that then opens the pst file not you.  pst files are not like normal files, you cannot just double-click on them to open them using their associated application as you can with doc or xls files.