Having issues with auto-archive in Microsoft Outlook?
Microsoft has a GREAT qArticle to help:Â http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/outlook-help/introduction-to-autoarchive-in-outlook-HA010242061.aspx
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Reproduced Here:
Your Microsoft Outlook mailbox grows as you create and receive items. To manage the space in your mailbox or on the mail server you are using, you can move old items that are important, but rarely used, to an archive location. This storage process occurs automatically with AutoArchive, but you can customize most of the default settings.
NOTE Items in your mailbox might be subject to your organization's retention policies or messaging records management. When applied to a Microsoft Exchange account, these policies take precedence over AutoArchive settings.
AutoArchive is on by default and runs automatically at scheduled intervals, clearing out old and expired items (items that have reached the end of their aging periods) from folders.
Archiving is also a good way to back up and save Outlook items in another location. AutoArchive will do this for you automatically, or you can choose to manually archive items.
AutoArchive moves items from their original location in Outlook to an archive file folder when they expire, that is, when they pass their aging period. You can also set options for items to be deleted when they expire. The archive file is a special type of data file.
Outlook creates the archive file automatically in the following location:
C:\Users\yourusername\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Outlook\Archive.pst
C:\Documents and Settings\yourusername \Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook\Archive.pst
If you don't see the Local Settings or Local folders, they might be hidden.
How do I display hidden folders?
Archived items can be accessed from Archive Folders in your Outlook Folder List, which is located in the Navigation Pane. If you want, you can have separate archive files for individual folders.
When you open Archive Folders, you will see that Outlook copied folder structure of the archived items. If there is a parent folder above the folder you chose to archive, the parent folder is created in the archive file, but items within the parent folder are not archived. In this way, an identical folder structure exists between the archive file and your mailbox. Folders are left in place after being archived, even if they are empty. You work with the items the same way you work with items in your main mailbox. If you decide you want archived items moved back into your main mailbox, you can import all the items from the archive file into their original folders or into other folders you specify, or you can manually move or copy individual items.
There are two sets of AutoArchive settings: global settings and per-folder settings. The global settings — called default settings — determine whether AutoArchive runs at all and what it does by default with the items in any Outlook folder (exceptContacts, which is not affected by AutoArchive). The per-folder settings override the default settings so you can AutoArchive individual folders differently. If you don't specify AutoArchive settings for a specific folder, the folder will not be archived. Default settings and per-folder settings apply to the current mailbox only. If you want, you can also manually archive items.
NOTE In the AutoArchive dialog box, "folders" refers to your main Outlook feature areas, such as the Calendar folder and Task folder, and individual e-mail folders. This is because your Calendar and Task items are saved in their respectiveCalendar and Task folders.
Windows 7 and Windows Vista: C:\Users\user\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Outlook\Archive.pst.
Windows XP: C:\Documents and Settings\user \Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook\Archive.pst.
If you want to set another destination for the archived items, you can browse to and set a different location. Items will be moved to this location after their aging period.
NOTE Items archived in a custom location will not be deleted unless you open the folders and delete them manually.
NOTE In addition to the AutoArchive settings, items in your mailbox may also be subject to retention policies that your company enforces. Retention policies encourage users to retain documents and items for only a fixed period of time as defined by company policy. These policies take precedence over AutoArchive settings.
The default aging periods for folders are:
NOTE Folders you create that contain the same type of items as Inbox, Calendar,Tasks, Notes, or Journal are subject to the six-month aging period, too.
The way Microsoft Outlook determines the age of an item varies based on the item type.
E-mail message The received date or the last modification date/time, whichever is later.
Calendar item The appointment, event, or meeting date or the last modification date/time, whichever is later. Recurring items are not AutoArchived.
Task The completion date or the last modification date/time. Tasks that are not marked complete are not AutoArchived. Tasks assigned to others are archived only if marked complete.
Note The last modification date/time.
Journal entry The date the journal entry was created or the last modification date/time.
Contacts Not archived.