I note a number of threads discussing transfer of outlook pst data which all assume the ability to export. My situation is that my XP PC running Office 2010 Pro crashed and i have replace it with a Windows 7 PC. I had not exported the data but I had saved the XP pst file. I attempted to use it with my new default email account. It appeared to be successful the files all transferred and the addresses came across too after a long pause. Then i noted that the Receive/Send icon had disappeared from the ribbon. i had to delete all the email accounts using the control panel and start again. Can anyone advise how i can retrieve my address book?

You should be able to open the PST file from Outlook. Then once open you can make it the default data store, direct your e-mails to it and then close the new one the installation has made.

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Graham Mayor - MS MVP (Word) (2002-2019)
Visit my web site for more programming tips and ready made processes www.gmayor.com

Thank you for your advice. In the end i imported the address book and calendar from the old XP pst file into the Win 7 pst file. I couldn't figure out how to make the old pst the default data store. I have created 2 accounts and was surprised to find that each account has it's own pst file. This doesn't strike me as particularly useful and would prefer that both accounts use the same data source. Can this be done?

This is the default condition. If you connect via POP mail to your accounts, you can direct all the mail to one file from File > Account Settings > Change Folder.
You can set the default to the same file from File > Account Settings > Data Files.
When you have both working, you can close the unused file.

__________________
Graham Mayor - MS MVP (Word) (2002-2019)
Visit my web site for more programming tips and ready made processes www.gmayor.com