Automatically back up contacts, calendar, and rules

Normally Outlook 365 Exchange keeps a backup and I do not know why it did not here.

Backup the OST file manually as you can convert that to a PST file and recover data from it.

Rules are stored in your Outlook Profile. Control Panel, Mail, Profiles and Copy the profile to a safe place to make a backup.

As Office 365 has developed to become an incredibly powerful tool to keeps a backup. Some of the leading third-party applications for managing data and its backup in Office 365 are CodeTwo, Cloudfinder, BitTitan MigrationWiz, and BinaryTree.

See the below mentioned steps to back up emails, contacts, calendar!!
Firstly add Office 365 email account to Outlook and it will automatically sync with Office 365 and all emails, contacts, calendar of Office 365 will appear in Outlook also after that use the "Import/Export" option of Outlook.

Manual Steps to backup OST file
a). Go to the Outlook >> file tab >> Open & Export.
b). Hit the "Import/Export" tab from the listed option
c). Choose Export to a file, and then click on Next.
d). Hit the Outlook data file (.ost) and Next.
e). Choose the location to save the backup of the file.
f). Finally click on "Finish".

See the below mentioned steps to backup OST file.
https://support.office.com/en-us/article/export-or-backup-email-contacts-and-calendar-to-an-outlook-pst-file-14252b52-3075-4e9

Third party tool to backup OST file is OST Recovery tool
Install and run OST Recovery tool to recover OST emails, contacts, calendar.
Hope it might help you !

I'm sure that some Exchange server at Yahoo did have a backup but there didn't seem to be any way the technician could recover from it.

I had a back up of the ost file that my local back up made.  The Microsoft tech said that he could not reattach that file.  It is hard to believe that the only way to recover an ost file is to convert it to a pst and then import it back.  It is also hard to believe that there is no way to automatically back up my profile.  So he downloaded a demo version of one of the ost-pst converters and imported from that.  Of course since it was a demo, it only imported some contacts and some of my calendar.

So, even technically having a back up did me no good at all.

Is it possible to reconnect outlook to an old ost file?

He also left me with two calendars.  How do I fix that?  I have no idea which calendar gets updated when I accept a meeting.

I would have been better off not trying to get help from O365 support.  I went to them with an install problem and left with lost data and a messed up Outlook.  These people are seriously dangerous.  How can people who do nothing but support O365 be so incompetent?

Is it possible to reconnect outlook to an old ost file?  <-- You need to convert it to a PST file first and load it back into Exchange

But that doesn't restore my profile.  It is also not part of office.  I am required to buy additional software since the free versions only recover a small amount of data.  And when the incompetent tech did exactly that, I ended up with a second calendar.  I do not need to reimport my email.  That was never lost.  It was my CALENDAR, CONTACTS, and RULES!!!!!

I have recovered enough of my calendar and contacts using the "free" converter that the MS tech installed to be almost whole again and I made new rules.

I know you are trying to be helpful but I think what you are telling me is that there is no Microsoft solution to this problem.  If my Outlook profile gets deleted because Outlook is uninstalled, I'm SOL.  There is no recovery, no backup anywhere that I can recover from.  I seem to have an Exchange account so in theory, this data was backed up somewhere but I can't get to it from Outlook.

Too bad the technician didn't bother to mention this.  He didn't even tell me that he was deleting Office.  He just did it.  I could at least have exported my contacts and calendars before he uninstalled Office but he either didn't know or didn't care about the damage he was doing.

You have to back up the Profile separately as a I mentioned above.

I do not know what happened at the host Exchange system and that is past. I am trying to assist you going forward.

Just to clarify some things for future reference

#1- If this involves a Yahoo account, it has nothing to do with Exchange as would be applicable in a general sense. A Yahoo account would be configured using either POP3 or Imap. Since you indicate that this involves an .ost file, means it was configured as an Imap account.

#2 - Contact/calendar items are always "stored locally" for both POP3 and Imap accounts. The problem with an IMAP account in OL'2013/'2016 is that contact/calendar folders have the added description "Thiis Computer Only". When an email account is removed (or profile deleted) the .ost file is either deleted outright or the .ost file becomes "orphaned" since it can only be accessed using the Outlook profile/email account used to create it. (admittedly not one of the best Outlook design choices for '2013/'2016)

#3 - If you have access to the .ost file, you will need to use a 3rd party OST2PST conversion program at which point you will be able to retrieve the data

#4 - Going forward, in order to prevent loss of contact/calendar data when using an IMAP account, there are two options

a) Option #1 is described in the following

How to Protect Outlook '2013/'2016 Imap Contact/Calendar Data
https://www.contactgenie.info/how-to-protect-outlook-this-computer-only-data

b) Option #2 - use an Outlook.com account

If you don't already have an Outlook.com account, create a free one and configure it in Outlook. Once done, from within Outlook, go to File --> Account Settings --> Data files tab --> set the .ost file for the account as the default for the profile at which point it will contain the default contact/calendar folders for the profile. Setting the data file as the default is separate from setting the default email account and there's no need to use Outlook.com for email. This protects your contact/calendar data since it is stored on the server level which get sync'd automatically any time when the account is configured and/or the .ost file is lost and needs to be re-created

#5 - Rules

These are stored in the email folder but since carbonite doesn't backup .ost files, you lost that data. FWIW, while I consider the contact/calendar in IMAP accounts to be a "major design flaw" - just for the record, Carbonite is equally complicit in the problem IMHO opinion

Suggest you run your own regular backup for rules so that carbonite can backup the data

How to Export and Import Rules in Outlook
https://www.howtogeek.com/240673/how-to-export-and-import-rules-in-outlook/

Karl,  Thanks for the ideas.  I've been a bit wrapped up in a crisis so it'll be a couple more days before I can drill into this.

Shoot me now.

I sent an email.   Outlook was working fine.  I did other stuff using Chrome and MS Access.  20 minutes later I went to send another email and ALL MY CONTACTS AND CALENDARS ARE GONE AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! MS wanted to apply an update so I let it since O365 AND Win 10 become unstable if the mother ship wants to update something and you don't let it.  I was hoping that after I applied the update, all would be well with the world.
Actually, if I had a gun, I would point it at Redmond.  What the hell are they doing????  

I've rebooted twice.  Repaired Office once.  I tried to import the .csv file I exported from the converted .pst file and Outlook couldn't read it.  I tried to import the card files but I'm not doing them ONE AT A TIME.  Who designed this piece of s***?  I've had problems in the past but never like this.  I tried to import from last week's .pst file but it imported all the MAIL and NONE of the contacts or calendars.  So all the clean up I did on my mail is for naught Outlook has been attempting to synchronize my inbox for hours.

Do NOT install 1802 if you can avoid it.

If your contacts were contained in an .ost file with the added words "This Computer Only" in the contact/calendar folder names just means that Outlook created a new OST file for whatever reason (couldn't find it, couldn't access the original etc etc) and re-sync'd with the server.

Can't add any more to this then what's in my previous reply so until things get addressed as outlined, you're going to remain susceptible to this issue.

In terms of "importing from last week's .pst file" - just means that this PST file didn't contain contact/calendar folders which are maintained in the default data file for the Outlook profile. Really need to provide some detailed info about how Outlook is configured in terms of email accounts and data files (Account Settings --> Email tab --> for list of accounts and type (i.e. POP, IMAP etc) and Data Files tab --> for list of data files in your profile along with which one is set as the default for the profile.

How would I know how Outlook is configured?  Yahoo hosts my .att email.  When att stopped doing business in my area, they turned over the account to Yahoo who offers no support whatsoever.  They just host the account.  The account is IMAP/SMTP.  I have the .ost file from before the debacle last week and it was converted by one of the utilities suggested to a .pst.  That is what the MS support person eventually imported the contacts and some of the calendar from.

I know how the contacts and calendar got deleted last week.  Office was completely uninstalled and that orphaned the .ost file.  Today, Outlook was open but I was working with MS Access and chrome. when my contacts and calendar disappeared.  All I know is that some updated wanted to install so I let it (this was AFTER I noticed the contacts were gone).

I also have contacts saved as a .csv file that was created by Outlook but Outlook can't read the file it created so I can't import them back in.  It tells me that either the file is the wrong format or I don't have permission to do the import.  I am the administrator so I'm not sure how I could not have permission to import the file.

My mail is fine.  Again - it is only the contacts and calendar that were lost.

Is it possible to rename the old .ost file to be the name of the one that is currently being used?  Would that bring back the old stuff?

How would I know how Outlook is configured?

If it doesn't prompt you to set up an email account  it's configured

Today, Outlook was open but I was working with MS Access and chrome. when my contacts and calendar disappeared.

As has already been stated, if Outlook can't find or access the .ost file - it WILL create a new one and sync with the server and IF your contacts/calendar are stored in folders labeled as "This Computer Only"  that data will be lost. Have already provide the approach to prevent that from occurring. Unless and until you deal with that, you will be subject to the same issue happening in the future - it unfortunately is that simple and straight-forward.

I also have contacts saved as a .csv file that was created by Outlook but Outlook can't read the file it created so I can't import them back in.  It tells me that either the file is the wrong format or I don't have permission to do the import.

1) Does the csv file open in Excel without any prompts?
2) What is the "list separator" character for your region - comma or semi-colon?
3) Where is the CSV file stored on your computer? If it's in the root directory of "C" - then you won't be able to access the file.

Is it possible to rename the old .ost file to be the name of the one that is currently being used?  Would that bring back the old stuff?

Short answer: No

Only advice I can provide is to deal with the issue of permanently protecting your contact/calendar data. Will be the first to state that using "This Computer Only" folders wasn't the brightest/best design choice but won't change anything.

As has already been stated, if Outlook can't find or access the .ost file - it WILL create a new one and sync with the server and IF your contacts/calendar are stored in folders labeled as "This Computer Only"  that data will be lost.

Yes, I understand that but Outlook was open  when this happened so should have known where the file was and looking at the name of the data file it is currently using, it hasn't changed so I don't think it created a new one.  

1) Does the csv file open in Excel without any prompts?  - Yes
2) What is the "list separator" character for your region - comma or semi-colon? - Comma
3) Where is the CSV file stored on your computer? If it's in the root directory of "C" - then you won't be able to access the file. I would never store a file in the root directory.

Will be the first to state that using "This Computer Only" folders wasn't the brightest/best design choice but won't change anything.

I did not choose the "this computer only folder".  That is what happened when the technician from MICROSOFT SUPPORT (or lack there of) imported the data from the converted .pst file.  He has no clue how to integrate the data into the existing folder.  Whether the data was in "this computer only" folders or not doesn't seem to have any impact.  I don't have a way to get the data back.  At the moment, the contacts are in Access and I'm working on figuring out if I can put them back using Access.

Have you had any luck getting data (contacts) recovered from Exchange?  If not, they are probably gone.

Thanks for asking but No.  Outlook is no longer reliable.  If you don't use cloud services, you are hosed.  That's the kind of customer service that makes people use Google.

So far I have been completely unsuccessful in setting up email in O365, not that I will ever use it but I was hoping if I set it up, it would be a way to maintain a backup.  I set it up months ago using the same credentials as my local version but O365 doesn't see my yahoo account.

OM,
The OST file is huge.  You can only back it up to a PST.  I don't need to back up my mail, the mail server takes care of that.  It is Contacts, Calendar, and Rules that are the problem and exporting to a PST does not solve the problem.

It is really stupid that Outlook cannot link to an existing OST file.  If that is where it keeps everything, that would have solved the problem.  The OST file was never deleted.  There is just no way to get what I need out of it.

Outlook Sucks.  That's my opinion and I'm sticking with it.  Any piece of software in 2018 that provides no means of recovery and automatic backup isn't worthy of being installed on any computer I own.  I can't even make a Windows task to do this since the OST file is huge and I don't need to back up the entire file anyway and even if I did back it up, I can't connect to an old one so there is no point.    It is decisions like this that make Google docs much more attractive much as I hate web apps.  At least I don't have to pay to be annoyed by poorly designed software.  Outlook used to be one of my favorite applications.  Now, it is a constant battle.  Every new version removes some feature I used and adds more stupid stuff I will never use.

Thanks anyway.

It looks like you will not get your lost data back at this point.


Outlook used to be one of my favorite applications   <-- Me too, and I keep my email (contacts and calendar) well backed up now.

I can back up my contacts and calendar.  I just have no way to automate it so I have to remember to do it.  And I don't seem to be able to import the files I created by exporting from Outlook so the backups are decorative tut essentially useless.

I did notice that I can send from my O365 Outlook app but it doesn't see any mail and I can't find any settings that even tell me what it thinks it is connected to so I can't cancel this account and start again from scratch.

I write to Microsoft at least once every year.  The gist of the message is:

Stop making Windows and Office more Mac Like.  If I wanted a Mac, I would buy one!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is a case of the Outlook app protecting me from myself and giving me absolutely no way to resolve any issue because it is supposed to work like some stupid Apple product which handles all the details so stupid users don't have to know anything.

I can back up my contacts and calendar.  I just have no way to automate it so I have to remember to do it.  

To be honest, in reviewing this full thread, am having trouble following exactly what the state of the union is so will stick to some specifics.

In terms of automating Outlook backups - going to provide two options which you can explore

#1 - SafePST from the 4Team folks

#2 - At the risk of self-promotion - ContactGenie QuickPort  (which can import and export any contact folder to a variety of file formats (csv, Excel, Access) along with being able to be run via commad-line using any task scheduler)

Additional info - ContactGenie Import Overview - https://www.contactgenie.com/import_overview.htm

In terms of dealing with .ost files for IMAP accounts - the way to permanently protect data in "This Computer Only" folders is to not store any data in them. Instead, create a new PST file in the profile and set it is as the "default data file" for the profile which is where the default contact/calendar folders are stored. Topic is covered in

(if contact/calendar data only needs to be stored on one computer)
How to Protect Outlook '2013/'2016 Imap Contact/Calendar Data
https://www.contactgenie.info/how-to-protect-outlook-this-computer-only-data

(if you want to share contact/calendar data across devices)
How to share Outlook contact/calender data using POP3 and Imap accounts
https://www.contactgenie.info/how-to-share-contacts-pop-imap-accounts

And I don't seem to be able to import the files I created by exporting from Outlook so the backups are decorative tut essentially useless.

Starting with Outlook '2013 - you can only export/import from CSV and PST files. Not clear why you can't import data from either of these two sources - something is missing from the description.  I just went through the Outlook export/import process (to/from a CSV file) just to make sure nothing has changed recently and everything worked exactly as expected.

Outlook Sucks.  That's my opinion and I'm sticking with it.

Going to make a comment that I know you're not going to like but will make it anyhow. Experience is such that when the opening premise is that "something doesn't work - I hate it etc etc" - pretty safe bet that it turns into a self-fulling prophecy and that comes from addressing hundreds (if not 000's) of issues over the years. I can definitely appreciate the sentiment but things generally get resolved easily by taking a few minutes to learn how things work - not that I think the change to IMAP accounts using "This Computer Only" folders was the smartest design decision ever made as I already stated previously.

Thanks for trying but nothing I read gives me the warm fuzzies that Outlook will somehow know where to store my contacts and calendar if I create some new pst file or how to recover it if necessary.  There already are pst files in the folder.  And nothing addressed the rules which are a PITA to keep rebuilding.

I guess I'm used to working with development environments where I know what is going to be stored where and I can give my customers the ability to make decisions regarding where data files are located. And I would NEVER even consider storing customer contact information with the transaction detail or task list as Outlook does.  To a relational database person, it makes no sense to merge data that has different formats and different rules in a single file.  Outlook is built to be "magic" and the interface is completely unclear on how to solve this problem.  Not to mention the fact that I couldn't even import a .csv that was created on a different PC from the save version of Outlook.

Recovery also still seems to require purchasing some third party product to work with the pst.

I think I asked before but I'm willing to pay for someone to fix this for me so that:
1. contacts, calendar, and rules are backed up automatically ( I do have Carbonite for cloud backup).  I can't really change from IMAP to POP3 so we're stuck with OST files.
2. I can successfully recover from a loss.  As long as I stick with IMAP, the mail server handles backing up the mail.
3. I can sync with Outlook.Com

Thanks for trying but nothing I read gives me the warm fuzzies that Outlook will somehow know where to store my contacts and calendar if I create some new pst file or how to recover it if necessary.
................................
I think I asked before but I'm willing to pay for someone to fix this for me so that:
1. contacts, calendar, and rules are backed up automatically ( I do have Carbonite for cloud backup).  I can't really change from IMAP to POP3 so we're stuck with OST files.
2. I can successfully recover from a loss.  As long as I stick with IMAP, the mail server handles backing up the mail.
3. I can sync with Outlook.Com

As for "warm fuzzies" about where Outlook stores contacts, has been the same for all versions of Outlook since its existence - absolutely nothing has changed in any version of Outlook in terms of the logic related to "default contact/calendar" folders.  

#1a - There is one "default contact/calendar" folder per Outlook profile and that is stored in the "default data file". That means that any contacts you save from let's say an email message, will be saved to the "default contact folder".
#1b - <IF> on the other hand, you open a specific contact folder and create a new contact item - it will be saved to that specific contact folder.
#1c - Same logic applies to calendar items

As for being "stuck with OST files" - absolutely nothing in the alternative suggestions required changing from an IMAP account. What were provided was where the default contact/calendar folders are stored - be it in a PST file or in an Outlook.com OST file. All this does is make it very easy to recover your contact/calendar data as opposed to maintaining them in an .OST file associated with an IMAP account.

Unfortunately, rules are stored in the data file associated with the email account so the automated solution for that would be something along the lines of the SafePSTBackup program already referenced.

As for "paying for someone to fix ..................." - the "fix" is provided in both my previous and current responses in terms of how Outlook works when it comes to IMAP and what steps can be followed to mitigate the issue.