By default, Outlook’s AutoArchive moves your old items to the Outlook folder buried in the Local Settings directory of your profile. This makes it very easy to forget to copy out when you need to reload your computer (or someone else’s) or change systems. I recommend changing the location to the My Documents folder (Documents if you’re using Vista), since it is very likely you will need to copy this directory when you are preparing for the reload/new system.
1. Open Outlook.
2. From the menu, click Tools and select Options.
3. In the Options window, select the Other tab.
4. Go to the AutoArchive section and click the AutoArchive button.
5. Make sure the Run AutoArchive every checkbox is checked and that the settings are to your liking.
6. Go to the Default folder settings for archiving section. Under Move old items to, click the Browse button. (if you have been using AutoArchive, make a note of the location of the existing archive.pst file. When you have completed this tutorial, copy the existing archive.pst to your My Documents folder).
7. In the Find Personal Folders window, select My Documents (XP) or Documents (Vista) from the left side.
8. Click OK to close the Find Personal Folders window.
9. Click OK to close the AutoArchive window.
10. Click OK to close the Options window.
