You cannot locate the identity files for Outlook Express 5.0 for Mac or for Entourage 2001 for Mac (870966)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Entourage 2001 for Mac
  • Microsoft Outlook Express 5.0 for Macintosh

SYMPTOMS

When you start Microsoft Entourage 2001 for Mac or Microsoft Outlook Express 5.0, the setup assistant wizard for that program starts, and then prompts you to set up a new identity and e-mail account.

CAUSE

This problem occurs because Microsoft Outlook Express or Microsoft Entourage cannot locate the mail data for your identity. This problem occurs for one of the following reasons:
  • You updated the Mac OS.
  • The mail data has been moved or erased.
  • Outlook Express or Entourage is now looking in a new location for that data.
  • You installed a new operating system that may have changed the location for that data.
The following is the default location for the mail data in Mac OS 9.1 and later versions and for Outlook Express 5.04:

Macintosh HD:Documents:Microsoft User Data:Identities

The following is the default location for the mail data in Mac OS 9.1 and later versions and for Entourage 2001 for Mac:

Macintosh HD:Documents:Microsoft User Data:Office 2001 Identities

RESOLUTION

To locate and restore your various identities for Outlook Express 5 or Entourage 2001 for Mac, follow these steps.

Note These steps assume that you have created a new identity for Outlook Express 5 or Entourage 2001 for Mac. If you have not, use the methods that are described in the following Microsoft Knowledge base articles to create a new identity:

268443 Overview of identities in Entourage

280525 Overview of identities in Outlook Express for Macintosh


  1. Start Outlook Express 5.0 or Entourage 2001 for Mac.
  2. Click Switch Identity on the File menu.
  3. Click, and then rename the new identity that is in the Identities list to "Find Me" (without the quotation marks).
  4. Quit Outlook Express 5.0 or Entourage 2001 for Mac.
  5. Use the Find File program, or Sherlock, to search the hard disk drive for files that start with "Find Me" (without the quotation marks).
  6. When you locate the Find Me folder, select the folder, and then note the folder's location that is listed because this is the identities folder where you want to put all the identities that you find.
  7. Search your available hard disk drives for other identity folders. Outlook Express uses the Identities folder and Entourage 2001 for Mac uses the Office 2001 Identities folder.

    If you search for files that end with the word "Identities" (without the quotation marks), you may find every folder that you can recover. When you find an identities folder, open the folder, and then drag the identities folder to the identity folder that you found in step 6.
  8. Start Outlook Express 5.0 or Entourage 2001 for Mac.
  9. Click Switch Identity on the File menu.

    Each identity that you moved to the new identities folder will be listed. Switch to each identity in turn to verify that all their data is present.
Modification Type:MajorLast Reviewed:8/24/2004
Keywords:kbemail kbaccounts kbprb KB870966 kbAudEndUser
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