# Problem: File History not backing up Outlook.pst properly?



## BtF8i4 (Apr 20, 2010)

I back up my Outlook.pst file to an external hard drive, but when I try to recover for various dates in Windows File History, it just shows an Outlook.pst file with a few kilobytes in a white shaded out form, not like my archive.pst, etc. which gets backed up and looks like a regular yellow and white Outlook.pst file. I simultaneously back up ALL the same files (automated) to the cloud and to an attached SD card with Crashplan and when recovery is attempted, they all appear to have backed up properly. I'm using Outlook 2010.


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## DaveA (Nov 16, 1999)

How and with what program are you backing up your PST file with?


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## BtF8i4 (Apr 20, 2010)

I am backing up with "File History", the Windows 10 backup found in Windows 10.


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## Triple6 (Dec 26, 2002)

I don't believe File History can back up PST files as they are either constantly changing and it would constantly be updating it's copy. You'll need to backup the PST file using a PST backup utility, a simple copy and paste, or another backup utility that does backups at a single point and time. 

FYI, PST files and POP accounts are awful.


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## BtF8i4 (Apr 20, 2010)

Can you recommend a good PST file back up utility? Or would the pre-windows 10 Built-in file back-up utility suffice? I don't know how the Crashplan Back up program is able to backup the outlook.pst successfully to the cloud and to my SD card while Windows file history can't to an external hard drive - do you? The same principle of a "moving target" for the file in question should apply. Also, I know that POP / PST is not the best way to have my email set up in Outlook, but if I use IMAP I'm afraid of deleting an email accidentally and having it disappear from the server as well.


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## Triple6 (Dec 26, 2002)

File History is constantly monitoring files for changing, PST files are constantly changing, CrashPlan takes a single snapshot at a specific interval or time.

PST backup for Outlook, you can configure how often it runs an it backups up when you close Outlook: https://outlookbackupaddin.codeplex.com/


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