Preserving data: full format proposed..

The folder C:\Users\Your_Username\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Outlook contains the PST-files that store you emails, calendar, contacts and tasks, plus additional settings files (I assume you are using Office 2007 or 2010).

Copy the content of this folder to another drive / partition. After Outlook is re-installed on fresh Windows setup, copy and replace these files back to their correct location.

Kari

Good luck!

BTW, you know RoboCopy? I use it to make a daily copy of my Outlook folder. My emails, contacts and calendar are really important to me, I wouldn't not like to lose them.

Kari

Just copy the files back to C:\Users\Your_Username\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Outlook. Outlook most be closed when you do this.

BugMeister said:

- but where did all of my folders go - are they somewhere amid that appdata save I did, and can I still retrieve them..??

I can not understand! Did you do as I advised here? If yes, your PST and other Outlook files are there where you stored (copied) them. Just move them back to AppData\Local\Microsoft\Outlook.

Kari

From the pst files with same name, the last (and bigger) one is what you want.

If outlook does not automatically read pst's, you can do this:

This is how you import a PST file, if you are using Outlook 2003 or 2007:

Microsoft said:

How to import .pst file data into Outlook

You can use the backup copy of your .pst file to restore your Outlook data if the original .pst file is damaged or lost. Everything that is saved in the .pst file is returned to Outlook.

Follow these steps to restore, or import, your data into Outlook:
If the .pst file that you want to import is stored on a removable device, such as a floppy disk, a portable hard disk drive, a CD-ROM, a magnetic tape cassette, or any other storage medium, insert or connect the storage device, and then copy the .pst file to the hard disk drive of the computer.

When you copy the .pst file, make sure that the Read-Only attribute is not selected. If this attribute is selected, you might receive the following error message:
The specified device, file, or path could not be accessed. It may have been deleted, it may be in use, you may be experiencing network problems, or you may not have sufficient permission to access it. Close any application using this file and try again.

If you receive this error message, clear the Read-Only attribute, and then copy the file again.

• Open Outlook.
• On the File menu, click Import And Export. If the command is not available, rest the pointer over the chevrons at the bottom of the menu, and then click Import and Export.
• Click Import from another program or file, and then click Next.
• Click Personal Folder File (.pst), and then click Next.
• Type the path and the name of the .pst file that you want to import, and then click Next.
• Select the folder that you want to import. To import everything in the .pst file, select the top of the hierarchy.
• Click Finish.

If you are using Outlook 2010, do this:

• Open File menu
• Click Open
• Click Open Outlook Data File
• Browse to folder where the .pst file is located
• Click Open

Kari

EDIT:
VERY IMPORTANT!

I've just noticed I have a very serious typo in my first answer to you, a typo that can cause loss of stored emails. I told I assume you are using Outlook 2007 or 2010, when it should have been 2007 or 2003!

From your screenshot I can see your PST's are there, it's a relief, but I want to warn others reading this thread:

Outlook 2003 and 2007 store the PST files where I told. But 2010 Beta stores only the PST files of IMAP accounts in that folder; the PST's of POP accounts are stored in C:\Users\Your_Username\Documents\Outlook Files.

If you have Outlook 2010, to backup all your Outlook information, settings and mails you need to copy both of the mentioned folders:

• C:\Users\Your_Username\Documents\Outlook Files
  
• location of PST files for POP accounts