How do I recover colored flag assignments in Outlook 2007?

Hi, mousepad30.

By "flags" I assume you mean the colors associated with categories.  If so, then those are stored in a hidden folder in the information store where mail is delivered.  There is no simple means of copying these to a new information store.  Frankly, it's a lot easier to use a script to create the categories which you can then use at any time to re-create them.  I can provide the script if you're interested.

Hi BlueDevilFan,

To clarify, I imported my old data file (PST) and was able to retrieve the categories.  I had categories such as "Red - Urgent", "Blue - Follow up in 2 Days", "Yellow - Send Payment", etc.  The problem is that the category assignments I had made to 100's of emails are all flagged neutral with no distinct labels anymore.  

Again, I was able to recreate the master category list; such as "Red - Urgent", "Blue - Follow up", but I need to retrieve the existing assignments I made on previous emails.  

The information must be stored somewhere on my old drive.

Chris

HI, Chris.

I understood that.  As I explained, they're in the hidden folder.  Le mt explain how categories work in 2007.  It's a matching process.  First, you create a category and assign it a color.  That information is stored as an entry in the hidden folder.  Second, you assign an item to a category.  That stores the assigned category's text in the Categories property of the item.  When Outlook displays the item it does a lookup, matching the text in the Categories property of the item to the list of items in the hidden folder.  If a match is found, then the colored flag appears.  

Retrieving the categories would require you to open your old PST file, then employ a tool capable of reading the hidden folder and copying the items over.  There may be a tool out there that does this, but I don't know of one.  It is far simpler to re-create the category to color assignments using a script.  The beauty of a script is that you can re-create your categories at a moments notice with nothing more than a double-click of a mouse.

Hi BlueDevilFan,

Thanks for your patience... with this script will I have a way of viewing the 100's of email category assignments I have made previously?

Chris

Unfortunately, no.  The only way to do that would be to read that hidden folder.  The script is just an easier way to rebuild the categories.  Going the script route you will need to make two comma separated lists: one of the category text, the other of the matching colors.  Something like this

Business,Personal,Project 1,Project 2
4,17,23,9

The colors are given as numbers.  The script then reads the two lists and rebuilds the categories.  The alternative to a script solution is to use the category dialog-box and re-create them manually.  It may seem that there's not much difference, but consider the impact if this were to happen again.  Without a script you'd be faced with creating the categories manually a second time.  But, with the script you simply double-click the script file and voila.

Thanks for your advice BlueDevilFan.  At this time, my Master Category List is only 10 items long and already restored via importing my old PST file.  

The big issue I am trying to resolve is re-sorting all the emails I have.  I may try booting from my old drive to see if I can at least find out which emails were labeled.  

For future reference, is there a more stable and exportable way of categorizing emails?  Apparently, PST files do not store these records.

To quote Homer Simpson, "Doh!"  Apparently my brain is asleep today.  I went back and re-read what you said and see that I didn't understand.  Apologies.  You've already re-created the categories, you're saying that the categories are missing from the items.  Right?  If so, then that's a problem.  The category tags for individual items are stored in an item property called Categories.  They would be pulled in during an import along with all of the rest of an item's properties.  If they aren't there, then either the import didn't work properly or the items are damaged.  If you re-connect the old PST file do you see the categories on the items in it?

No problem, I am glad we are on the same page now :)

After re-connecting the old PST only calendar events and my Master Category List are restored.  Hundreds of email messages are flagged, but appear un-categorized.

I never got a chance to do a proper import/export in Outlook, because my original computer died suddenly.  I literally pulled the .xml, .pst, and other data files directly from:

E:\Documents and Settings\christopher\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook
E:\Documents and Settings\christopher\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook

I dropped the old files directly into the fresh install directory under C:\

No problem, I am glad we are on the same page now :)

After re-connecting the old PST only calendar events and my Master Category List are restored.  Hundreds of email messages are flagged, but appear un-categorized.

I never got a chance to do a proper import/export in Outlook, because my original computer died suddenly.  I literally pulled the .xml, .pst, and other data files directly from:

E:\Documents and Settings\christopher\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook
E:\Documents and Settings\christopher\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook

I dropped the old files directly into the fresh install directory under C:\

"Hundreds of email messages are flagged, but appear un-categorized."

Sorry, but I'm not clear on what you mean.  When you say "flagged" are you talking about follow-up flags?  Could you take a screen-shot of an item and upload it here so I can see what you're talking about?

I pulled these images off the internet, but they will suffice.  

This is what my categories used to look like:
http://www.carsonified.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/03/flags.png
http://www.projectwoman.com/uploaded_images/followup-706992.jpg
(Notice the green and purple categorized emails in the to-do bar)

This is what my screen looks like now:
http://www.dotnetcurry.com/images/Outlook/flag_list.jpg
(Emails are flagged for follow up; but no individual categories)

If you open one of the items, do you see the category name(s) at the top of the item?

Chris,

Glad you have a solution.  Since you solved this yourself you should request that the question be closed and your points refunded.