John Mc wrote:

I use the laptop only occasionally. If, in the future, I want to
replace this Contacts folder and transfer all my current emails from
the desktop, would I just rename (or delete) the old Outlook.pst file
on the laptop and then simply transfer (by CD) my then-current
Outlook.pst file from the desktop to the laptop?

No! Never manipulate a PST that is currently defined in a mail profile.
You will corrupt the profile. If you wish to replace an existing PST with
another as the default location for data, you will need to add the new PST
to the mail profile, make it the delivery location, then remove the existing
PST. If you wish to replace just a portion of the data in one PST with that
in another (for example, just the contacts), add the second PST to the
profile, then delete the data in the appropriate folder of the original PST,
then copy the contents of the corresponding folder in the new PST to the
folder in the original PST. You might also want to see if any sync tools
seem appropriate to you. See http://www.slipstick.com/outlook/sync.asp

And would this
automatically replace the Contacts folder in the address book, or
would I have to repeat the processes you've given me?

It wouldn't be automatic. First, it's always a bad idea to overwrite one
PST with another. If the overwritten PST was part of a mail profile, you'll
have just corrupted the profile. On top of that, nothing's magical about a
PST's location. Simply placing a PST in a particular file system folder
doesn't tell Outlook anything. It doesn't care what folder a PST's in.
You'd still have to tell Outlook where to find the PST and whether or not to
use the Contacts folders it contains in the resolutionj of addresses by
enabling them as address books, which makes them available through the
Outlook Address Book service.
--
Brian Tillman [MVP-Outlook]