FAQs

Please see the announcement on the Home Page.

A list of customer’s frequently asked questions. OTA refers to Outlook True Archive throughout.

Is there a quick introduction on the basics of Outlook True Archive?

Yes. Follow this link to see a Flash tutorial of about 65 seconds – you will be up and running after that! (395k, opens a new window and uses Flash.)

How can I create a new PST (and what is it)?

Click on the ‘*’ button beside the list of destination archives. A .PST file is a store for your mail and other items created by Outlook. The identical file format is used by Outlook True Archive to hold the emails, calendar items, etc. you have selected to archive.

Tutorial video: To see a short demonstration of how to create a new PST file, click here. (120k, opens a new window and uses Flash.)

Where does Outlook True Archive store my archived mails?

Outlook True Archive will archive your emails in the archive file in the ‘Destination’ section of the main Outlook True Archive screen. (See Screenshots and select “Create archive”.)

How can I access my archived mails?

After you archive your emails to a PST file, you can easily open them in Outlook in the same way as your non-archived mails.

I have archived my mails but I do not see a way to select them in Outlook.

In Outlook, select “View” and ensure “Navigation Pane” is selected.

Tutorial video To see a short demonstration of how to view your archived items in Outlook, click here. (110k, opens a new window and uses Flash.)

How can I tell OTA to always backup email more than 1 year old?

Click on the “Configure” button. Select the appropriate period for the “Archive mail older than” setting. Each time you start OTA it will automatically calculate the appropriate end date for the period you set.

Why is my unread mail not being archived?

Make sure you have selected “Include unread messages” in the “Content Filter” area before starting the task.”

Does OTA preserve the folder structure of Outlook?

Yes. OTA will try to recreate your folder structure in the destination PST.

Can I make a copy of my email rather than archive it?

Yes. Select “Copy Messages” in the Task dropdown list.

Some users have reported they have used this option, while they learned about the many options available in Outlook True Archive. (Easier to delete a copied mail than recover a mail deleted by accident.)

Can I archive mail based on a keyword search?

Yes. Click on the “More” button in the “Content Filter” area and enter the keywords in the “Body Contains” field.

Can I just archive mail that has large attachments?

Yes. In the “Content Filter” area select an appropriate attachment size for the “Attachments” setting.

How large can a PST file be / is there a limit on PST file size?

Microsoft has set three types of limits on the size of a PST file:

1. For Microsoft Outlook 2002 and earlier the maximum PST file size is 2 Gigabytes (GB). PST files are in the ANSI format.
2. For Microsoft Outlook 2003 and later, the maximum default PST file size is 20GB. PST files are stored in the Unicode format.
3. For the (very) brave and technical, you can choose to override the 20Gb PST file limit, according to Microsoft. Click here for more information. (Link opens new browser window / tab.)

Remember: Your file system also applies a limit, so if you still use FAT16 or FAT32 or (as opposed to NTFS) on the storage device holding or archiving your PST (or OST), be mindful of the maximum file size your storage device operating system allows.

Microsoft’s limits (described above) will apply when moving/copying emails during an archive or copy task in Outlook True Archive. If your archive PST file has reached the maximum file size the best option is to create another archive PST file and use the new (empty) file as your new destination PST in Outlook True Archive.

Background: Read more about Microsoft’s file size limits by clicking here.

How do I just archive mails with high importance?

Yes. In the “Content Filter” area click the “More” button and in the “Importance” dropdown select “High”.

Will OTA ignore folders that I have marked as “Do not archive” in Outlook?

No. OTA cannot currently determine which folders you may have excluded from archiving in Outlook. Instead deselect the appropriate folders in the folder tree and make sure that OTA is set to remember your selections.

Will OTA remember the folders I have selected?

Yes. By default OTA automatically selects all folders within a PST for backup. You can change this by clicking the “Configure” button and selecting the appropriate setting for “Folder selection”

Can I export my mail in EML (or another) file format?

Yes. First make sure that EML is selected as the export format. To do this click the “Configure” button and then select the “Folder Export” tab. Make sure “EML” is selected for the “Export format” setting and then close the Configuration dialogue. Select “[Disk Folder]” as the destination archive, then select the folder on your disk in which to save the EML files.

Tutorial video To see a short demonstration of how to export to a disk folder in various formats, click here. (460k, opens a new window and uses Flash.)

If I export messages to a disk folder will attachments be preserved?

Yes, if you export in EML or MSG format, then attachments will be preserved.

What are the different Archive tasks?

In the Task dropdown menu there are four different options you can select:

• Archive Messages will simply move the messages to the destination location you have selected.
• Copy Messages will create a copy of the selected messages in the destination location whilst keeping the original copy in your source PST.
• Delete Messages will remove the selected mails from your PST file. For more options on deleting mails, click on the ‘Configure’ button, select the ‘Advanced’ tab and click on the ‘Delete Task’ drop down menu.
• Update Timestamp will change the “Last Modified” timestamp of the selected mails to the current time and date. This is an advanced task and should only be performed if you are sure that you need to change the timestamp. For more information see “Microsoft Outlook and the Last Modified timestamp”

Can I use Outlook True Archive to archive items in my OST file?

Outlook True Archive may be used to archive, copy and delete items in your OST file. However it must be noted that using Outlook True Archive to perform date/timestamp changes on items in your OST file is not currently supported.

Can I use OTA to archive items in my Exchange mailbox?

Outlook True Archive may be used to archive, copy and delete items in your Exchange mailbox. However you cannot use Outlook True Archive to perform date/timestamp changes on items in your Exchange mailbox.

Which versions of Outlook does Outlook True Archive support?

Based on our testing and feedback from customers, Outlook True Archive has worked with all versions of Outlook (since Office 2003) encountered so far, so long as they are the 32-bit version.

Outlook True Archive is a Windows program and as such will not work on an Apple Mac nor Linux operating system (OS).

How do I enter my registered name / license key?

Tutorial video To see a short demonstration of how to enter your registered name and license key, click here. (165k, opens a new window and uses Flash.)

OTA displays an activation error – is there an alternative way to activate the software?

This can arise where something is blocking the activation request such as anti-virus software or rules in a router or firewall. Manual activation is possible, as follows:

1. Start Outlook True Archive
2. Click on the grey “Configure” icon at the top right hand side to open the ‘Configuration’ screen
3. Hold down the [Control] key and click on the license tab
4. Enter your Registered Name and License key details and the click the ‘Manual Activation’ button.
5. A new page will open, select ‘Activate using a web browser on this computer’ and click ‘Next’.
6. Click on the URL link on the next page and a web page with the Installation ID pre-populated will open.
7. Click ‘Submit’ and you are given an ‘Activation Code’.
8. Now go back to the manual activation dialogue, click ‘Next’ and copy the activation code into the available fields (you can copy the whole code at once).
9. Now click on ‘Activate’, (take a note of the installation ID and Activation Code for your records), and then on ‘Done’

There is a separate page for many other questions related to activation – click here.