[AbeSurd]

My Outlook 2007 outlook.pst file is about 1.12gb. Ever since I upgraded from Outlook 2002 to Outlook 2007 (about 2 months ago) I have had problems backing up this file.

I try to backup the outlook.pst file the same way I used to backup Outlook 2002 - by periodically copying the outlook.pst file to a USB external hard drive.

I close Outlook and wait a minute or two. (These days I even close all applications.) Then I try the copy.

But ever since I upgraded, I always get an error message (a Windows error message?): words to the effect that part of the file is in use and therefore it can't be copied.

The only way I can copy the file is first to reboot my computer. Then it copies fine.

I suspect this is something to do with the outlook.pst.tmp file that is created whenever I open Outlook 2007. (I never saw such a tmp file with Outlook 2002.) OCCASIONALLY when I simply quit Outlook 2007, this tmp file disappears shortly afterwards. Most of the time it doesn't seem to. It is my guess that this is the source of the problem because after a reboot - assuming I don't open Outlook - there is no tmp file.

I run Windows XP.

Thank you for any help you can offer.

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Have you tried opening the task manager and making sure WINWORD.EXE and OUTLOOK.EXE are not running before you try to copy the .pst file?

[geekhelp4u]

Have you tried opening the task manager and making sure WINWORD.EXE and OUTLOOK.EXE are not running before you try to copy the .pst file?