How to avoid creating duplicates after importing Outlook data stored in a .pst file?

[KillrBuckeye]

How to avoid creating duplicates after importing Outlook data stored in a .pst file?

I'm sure many of you do this all the time: reinstall Windows or restore an image of a Windows partition, then update your Outlook data (email messages, contacts, calendar, etc.) by importing a .pst file that you recently exported. Well, I have done this a few times, but sometimes after I import the .pst files, when I go to send/receive messages, it downloads everything that's still on my mail server, even if these items already exist in my .pst file. I can end up with hundreds or thousands of duplicate messages. (I keep messages on server for 10 days or until deleted from "Deleted Items" folder).

How can I prevent this from happening? Is there a process I can follow? Should I first do a "send/receive" to get all the stuff from the mail server, and then do the import operation? Will it give me the option to delete duplicates or something? I can't recall what the options are. Any help would be appreciated.

 

[redduc900]

This article may be of some help to you...

Reconnect your old Outlook data file
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/assistance/HA010771141033.aspx

 

[junwenteh]

This article may be of some help to you...

Reconnect your old Outlook data file
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/assistance/HA010771141033.aspx

The instructions on the page mention nothing about the hundreds and thousands of duplicates. Somebody please help stop the duplicated old emails from pouring in!