OL2000: Error Opening a Shortcut to an Item in a PST (197873)

SYMPTOMS

When opening a shortcut to an item in a Personal Folders (PST) file, in a Microsoft Outlook Contact record, you may receive one of the following error messages:

The file <PST> could not be found.

-OR-

The item could no longer be found. It may have been deleted or moved.

CAUSE

You moved the PST file or deleted the item after creating the shortcut and the shortcut still points to the original PST location and item.

This problem often occurs with birthday and anniversary shortcuts in a contact. The birthday and anniversary shortcuts point to the recurring event in the calendar. If the shortcut cannot find the calendar because the personal folders file containing the calendar is no longer available, you receive the first error message listed in the "Symptoms" section. If the recurring event has been deleted from the calendar, you receive the second error message.

RESOLUTION

Rebuild the shortcut based on the current location of the file. To do this, follow these steps:

Open a new or existing contact record.
On the Details tab, click to select a Birthday or Anniversary date.
Click Save And Close.

When reopening this Contact, notice that Outlook has inserted a shortcut in the large message window near the bottom of the Contact window. When double-clicked, this shortcut will take you to the event in the Calendar folder.

NOTE: If you should move the PST file from its current location, or delete the item, clicking the shortcut will produce one of the error messages. In this event, delete the original shortcut and rebuild it using the steps above.

MORE INFORMATION

If you move the item to another location in the same personal folders file, the shortcut will attempt to find the item and you do not receive the error messages. Instead, the item opens when you double-click the shortcut.