Large PST file optimization

A

aphex187

Gawd
Joined
Jun 24, 2001
Messages
566
I have a client with a large (14GB) PST file running Outlook 2003 containing about 10 years worth of mail.

He refuses to use auto archive (he doesn't want his mail split up, even if it keeps his folders intact) but I've been able to at least use the compress function to make the file a little smaller, but it hasn't really helped performance wise.

I know I'm going to at least upgrade him to Outlook 2010 but I don't know how much of a performance gain I'll see. At least with newer versions of outlook you can still access the PST while its being checked for consistency (O2K3 just makes you wait and at 14GB he waits about 20 minutes).

At this point I'm wondering if I should just replace his HDD with an SSD or if you guys have any ideas what else I can do to allow for quicker access to his Outlook data.

Thanks.
 
Is he on an exchange server? If so, look into some kind of archiving solution like Mail Meter
 
i would tell him no wauy to do it.

you need to create seperate PST files by year for example and then keep the folder structure, it is what i do for my sent items

i have

Sent items

-2010
-2009
-2008
-2007

each one is a separate .pst file, it is the only way to make things smaller and lessen the chance of losing everything.

if he hits 20G's who knows what will happen.
 
Hardware is simply a band-aid in this scenario, and has no impact on whether the PST will burst at the seams. Upgrading to Outlook 2010 may up the threshold, but still not address the root cause.

MrGuvernment's suggestion is solid. Your client needs to split the PST or risk losing it all.
 
Eventually you have to archive data or outlook will not run and you'll risk losing it all. The user needs to be aware of this. I wouldn't upgrade anything for someone like that. Give them an ultimatum and leave it at that.
 
I'm inclined to agree with Mr. Natural. Sometimes you just have to cut your losses and drill it into people's heads you have to do what the software requires you to do. Is he even backing up his 14GB PST file? :eek:
 
Mister Natural said:
Eventually you have to archive data or outlook will not run and you'll risk losing it all. The user needs to be aware of this. I wouldn't upgrade anything for someone like that. Give them an ultimatum and leave it at that.
Click to expand...

Shot off an email saying "Archive or GTFO."

Actually, since the PC is already about 6 years old I'm going to be replacing it, putting Office 2010 on the new one and will be setting his auto-archive at 2 years. I'm still putting an SSD in the new PC so that searches are pretty much instant.

I have to admit that I've been babying this PST for years and literally find myself worrying about it too much. Incremental image backups are made every night for this machine but that gigantic file haunts me.
 
You might also explain to him that if he keeps the archived pst files open in Outlook 2010, they will be indexed for easy searching. I think most end users do not even realize that Outlook 2007 and newer have a great search feature.
 
I used to have few clients like that. You have to be honest with them, large PST files do get corrupt on occasion, especially on Outlook 2003.

You really need to split up the PST's. It's your job to communicate with him and let him know that his PST is too big and could get corrupt at anytime. You MUST split it up because Outlook can't handle files that large efficiently.
 
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