I have using Office 2010 with Windows 7 since January of this year. About once a month my pst files simply vanish and are nowhere to be found on my hard drive. My emails, contacts, calendar, etc. are all gone every time.

I thought I could get around the problem by making a backup folder in a different location (on my hard drive) and regularly copying the pst file there. When I got home from work a couple hours ago everything was fine. After dinner when I started up Outlook the file was gone again - including in the copy in the backup folder I had created.

I have deleted and recreated my account a couple times but the problem keeps reoccurring. Can anyone suggest what is happening and how I can stop it?

The only thing that I can think of is that an Antivirus or security software may be deleting the files. A .PST file is basically a container file, and some AV software will delete or quarantine an entire container file if it finds it is unable to fix an individual item within the file.

I'm guessing you've probably checked your recycle bin and any quarantine (if you have AV). Have you noticed any other strange behavior in your computer that might coincide with the files' disappearance?

-SW

The last "backup" copy was in the quarantine file (I can tell from path it shows). I have been able to restore the file and now have to figure out how to keep the AV software from deleting it again.

When I did the restore there was a message that it can't be disinfected, but I restored it anyway. Hopefully I haven't just caused more problems...

Kaneto - I figured out how to exclude the folder with the pst file and now will have to do some sleuthing to figure out what is making the AV software think the file has a problem. Thanks for helping me out.