Personal Folders is your main OL data File - it cannot be closed/deleted
within OL
This data file, by default outlook.pst contains all your data ie mail,
calendar, tasks, appointments, contacts etc

Archive Folders are created when you Archive, they contain data created
using the rules set for the Archive functions

You can close Archive folders

I would check your archive settings, for each folder under Personal Folders,
and see which archive file is being used.
I would suggest that certain folders are being archived to different archive
folders.
If you delete an Archive Folder & archive then runs if the settings are such
that archive folder will be recreated.

Perhaps designate a single Archive file ( by default Archive.pst)
Then copy any data from the other Archive folders to this one, then remove
those not required

Both Calendar in Archive & Contacts in Archive are simply views of the
Archive file

See this site for further info on OL & FAQ's
http://www.howto-outlook.com/howto/backupandrestore.htm


"Ian F." wrote in message
...
"DL" address@invalid wrote in message
...

What is meant by 'archive folders all over the place'?
Contacts list flakey?

It's difficult to explain - which is why I made such a hash of doing so!

I have four archived mail files, three of which are empty but can't be
deleted without returning. This is doubly odd since I don't even use OL
for e-mail.

I have a file called "Personal Folders" which can't be closed or deleted.

I have no idea where my diary entries are stored, although they appear OK
in the Calendar view. Under "My Calendars" I have three folders - one
called Calendar (which is the usable one) and two called 'Calendar in
Archive folders', one of which is empty and the other having a few random
entries in it.

I have two folders in Contacts - one called that and one called Contact in
Archive Folders. They both appear to have the same contents.

Even though I select a certain format in "File As" for new contacts, they
do not appear in the selected form - all contacts appear as first
name/surname, but alphabetically by surname - e.g. I select an entry to
appear as 'Smith, John' but it appears as 'John Smith' under 'S'.

My phone software cannot sync my calendar details to my phone - a real
annoyance. It may, of course, be the phone software that's at fault but I
have checked on several forums for my phone (Samsung D84) and haven't seen
any similar reports.

Hope this is clearer.

Ian