Outlook pst file size management

['putertutor]

I know that Outlook 2010 has an initial size limitation of 50gb, and if memory serves me correctly its like 20gb in Outlook 2007. But at what point does performance start to suffer? This is not exchange, but just pop or imap single user Outlook. Is there a point at which you generally, as a rule of thumb, start to manage that file size? Or do you just wait for problems to appear?

 

[Martyn]

I'm interested in this as well. I have a client with a Synology backup to Amazon S3 which has been failing recently. It seems there is a limit in file size of 5GB and it has been failing on an Outlook.pst file. This is the reply I got from Synology support:

The maximum backup file size for Amazon S3 is 5 GB.

Sorry to piggy back on your thread but i'm just giving another angle of why pst files shouldn't get large. This is using pop/imap as well.

 

[YeOldeStonecat]

The answer is not so much in the literal size of the file....but in a lot of factors on the computer
*How much memory is in the computer. Inadequate memory means that the HDD will be doing tons of hits reading that massive PST. More memory means Outlook can load more of that file into RAM and then not bother the HDD as much.
*How healthy/fast the hard drive is...obviously a large PST on a slow HDD or a HDD with some "issues" will start to give lots of issues. While an equally large PST on a nice healthy fast HDD won't give any issues.
*What antivirus program is wrapping its hands around that PST/OST. Some have much more of an impact than others. Or many you've excluded your PST/OST from being scanned...and things really speed up (obviously only do this if your mail server has AV protection)
*How "healthy" the computer is...otherwise.

I've seen older computers have issues with a 3 gig PST..and I've seen healthy computers do just fine with 20 gig PSTs.

 

[MobileTechie]

I'm interested in this as well. I have a client with a Synology backup to Amazon S3 which has been failing recently. It seems there is a limit in file size of 5GB and it has been failing on an Outlook.pst file. This is the reply I got from Synology support:

The maximum backup file size for Amazon S3 is 5 GB.

Sorry to piggy back on your thread but i'm just giving another angle of why pst files shouldn't get large. This is using pop/imap as well.

This sort of thing is what has stopped me going with that sort of backup. My other concerns is whether the backup is sophisticated enough not to upload the entire 5gb file each and every night. Does it?

 

[JustInspired]

I have similar concerns with a client that is on Google Apps email which comes with a MAPI sync application that works with their Outlook 2007.
The local version of the file is now over 20 Gigabytes and Outlook is creaking like an old woman when loading up and when browsing sub folders etc.
This thing is getting bigger by the day.

The machine is not too old, running Vista Business with 4GB of RAM.

Not sure how this can be archived (split up) if the data is on Google's servers.

Anyone else had to deal with massive Google Apps email files?

 

[OfficeTechs]

I may be missing something here but in all these scenarios you can just use the Outlook archive feature to archive to a new PST file. Then use Outlook to compact the PST file if necessary.

Think of the PST file like a database, if your PST file is 20Gb and your machine has 4Gb then do you really expect that after Windows and other apps has taken its chunk for it to perform great?

Its a disk intensive exercise compounded by the paging to the swap file because you're running out of physical memory.

 

[nlinecomputers]

The solutions to these problems is mail archiving programs. Outlook isn't designed to hold old mail and even it's built in archive just moves email from one PST to another.

A true mail archive program can purge the PST file and give you an searchable, index to handle the mail.

I sell MailStore which is a fabulous product to handle this. There is even a free version for home users.

 

[callthatgirl]

From my experience, PST's start to have issues after 2 gigs, so when I get in a system with a 2+ size PST, I tell the client to slim it back, Outlook just likes to be thinner, not heavier. IMAP especially, it gets heavy and slower to synch it seems.

Also keeping it at 2 gigs is faster to back up, faster to fix and move if need be. I dunno, just my range I use.

 

[Patriot Computers]

From my experience, PST's start to have issues after 2 gigs, so when I get in a system with a 2+ size PST, I tell the client to slim it back, Outlook just likes to be thinner, not heavier. IMAP especially, it gets heavy and slower to synch it seems.

Also keeping it at 2 gigs is faster to back up, faster to fix and move if need be. I dunno, just my range I use.

I've been told the same thing 1.8GB - 2GB before things start acting up