[Editors note: I stop at this point and move the messages or folders that I want in the new PST when I decide I no longer need to access them regularly. The following steps also work great with Run Rules Now, especially when you use conditions in the rule to control which messages are moved.]

Next, create rules to send all emails to the new folder:

12. Choose Tools->Rules Wizard.

13. Click New.

14. Select "Check Messages When They Arrive." Don't check any of the boxes, but click on Next. Outlook should ask "This rule will be applied to every message you receive. Is this OK?" to which you choose Yes.

15. Click "move it to the specified folder" and then click on the lower window to browse for the inbox folder that was created earlier in the new PST.

16. Click on Next. Note any exceptions to this rule you want, such as for messages you want accessible from any workstation. Click Next.

17. Name the rule and then choose Finish.

18. Repeat these steps to copy all the emails you post to your new Sent-Emails folder in the 2003_Emails group.

[Editors note: The "after sending" rules copy sent items, or you can make a "when they arrive" rule for the sent folder and run it manually once a month or so.]

You can save your personal folder file (2003_Emails) onto a CD, but if you need to access it later, you'll need to copy the PST back to your local drive and remove the read-only flag, as Outlook needs read-write access. Using Outlook 2002 or older, your PST size is limited to 2GB.

Diane Poremsky is the president of CDOLive LLC and a Microsoft Outlook MVP. She's coauthor of Word 2002: The Complete Reference (Osborne, 2001) and Beginning Visual Basic 6 Application Development (for Wrox Press). For questions or suggestions for future columns, write her at outlook@cdolive.com.