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Home > How profile redirection in Windows Vista affects Outlook data files |
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There are a few potential discrepancies regarding where various Microsoft Outlook data files are located in Windows Vista compared to where they were housed in Windows XP. In this tip, Microsoft Exchange expert Brien Posey explains these inconsistencies. He will also advise how user profile redirection works in Windows Vista and how it affects Outlook data files. Most of Microsoft Outlook's customization files are located in the user's profile directory. Figure 1 shows the most familiar files.
The user profile directory also contains several other types of Outlook data files. Where they reside in Windows Vista, however, may surprise you.
The user profile directory is located in a different location in Vista than it was in Windows XP. In Windows XP, for example, it could be found in: \Documents and Settings\user name\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook. Microsoft restructured the file system's user profile section when it released Windows Vista and retained some legacy folders for backward compatibility. Windows Vista stores all user profile folders beneath a folder named Users, instead of beneath the Documents and Settings folder. While the Documents and Settings folder still exists, it isn't technically a folder. Instead, it's actually a shortcut to the Users folder. Previously, some Microsoft Outlook data files were stored in the \Users\user name\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook folder. Figure 2 shows the Application Data folder, which isn't really a folder at all. It's a shortcut to the AppData folder -- Vista's version of the Application Data folder. This folder is hidden by default.
Everything within the Application Data folder is redirected, including the Microsoft\Outlook folder. The \Users\user name\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook folder actually maps to the \Users\user name\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Outlook folder. If you look at Figure 3, you can see that both of these "folders" have the same content.
Tthe AppData folder contains three sub folders: Local, LocalLow and Roaming. All Microsoft Outlook data files that we've discussed so far reside in the Roaming folder. This is also true if the roaming profiles are not being used. Microsoft does this to inform Windows which parts of the application data should be included in a roaming profile (if roaming profiles were to be used), and which parts of the application data must remain with the local machine. The \Local folder contains its own \Microsoft\Outlook sub folders. This is where the remaining Outlook data files are stored. About the author: Brien M. Posey, MCSE, is a five-time recipient of Microsoft's Most Valuable Professional (MVP) award for his work with Exchange Server, Windows Server, Internet Information Services (IIS), and File Systems and Storage. Brien has served as CIO for a nationwide chain of hospitals and was once responsible for the Department of Information Management at Fort Knox. As a freelance technical writer, Brien has written for Microsoft, TechTarget, CNET, ZDNet, MSD2D, Relevant Technologies and other technology companies. You can visit Brien's personal website at www.brienposey.com. Do you have comments on this tip? Let us know. Please let others know how useful this tip was via the rating scale below. Do you know a helpful Exchange Server, Microsoft Outlook or SharePoint tip, timesaver or workaround? Email the editors to talk about writing for SearchExchange.com.
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