Your Outlook Needs to Go on a Diet!!!

It's too fat. Sorry to say that, but you got to trim your PST (personal storage file) down! Supposedly Outlook 2007 resolved the 2 GB limit for a PST file, but really it didn't. If your Outlook PST grows to 2 gb it will malfunction. You won't be able to send and receive. You could lose data. There are things that you can do now to prevent that from happening. It takes just a little effort, but you can manage your PST size so that it stays in optimal shape.

To check and see if your PST is too "fat" go to File, Folder, Properties for Inbox and click on Folder size. If it's approaching 2,000,000 kb you are heading for serious PST health issues and need to put your PST on a diet. Why put off checking the size? You can take a moment now to check your Outlook PST size. ;)

1. Delete away. Anything you really don't need delete it.
2. Archive. Archive anything over 6 months old. You can still get to the emails, but the messages are cut out of the PST reducing the size of the PST. Shave them away often. :)
3. Compress your PST once per quarter. It's kind of like defragging your PST. Also do this if you have recently archived for the first time. Your Outlook will still think it's fat and malfunction. It's like the lady who lost 100 lbs and then went shopping in the women's department. Somebody had to tell her go shopping in the misses department now!  Your PST will think it is still fat until you compress it. Go to Tools, Account Settings, Data Files, and choose your personal folders. Then click on Compact Now.

I recommend making a new archive folder every year so that your archive folders don't get too fat either. I hope that helps.