Fix, Organize and synchronize Outlook contacts and Iphone Contacts

[ronaldjamesh]

Hello, I have multiple issues regarding address books and contacts. I am currently trying to organize multiple address books on my Win 2000 desktop(outlook express) my laptop XP (outlook 2007) and my IPhone 3G. They are a mess because of old cell phone backups combined with address book entries. I now have multiple entries for numerous contacts etc.
After organizing all these contacts/address books I would like to import to my new Win 7 desktop (outlook 2010 beta) and retire my Win 2000 desktop. These are all stand alone computers that are not networked other than through a router to share broadband access.
I tried searching for software to help combine and organize all three of these but had no luck.
I then tried manually updating all my contacts on my laptop and Iphone but I ran into a glich of sorts. After making the changes on my Iphone and doing a ITunes sync, some of the contacts disappeared. Right now I am not sure how many, but I noticed a few of the ones I use alot are gone on both my laptop and Iphone.
I do not subscribe to or use the "mobile me" feature.
I have spent quite a bit of time searching the net without finding a solution.
Any help you can provide would be much appreciated!
Thank You!
Ron

 

[EAFiedler]

Hi ronaldjamesh

Both Outlook Express and Outlook e-mail addresses and Contacts can be Exported into .csv files.
This will give you two separate .csv files, one from Outlook Express and one from Outlook.

You can then copy and paste the information from the Outlook Express generated .csv file into the .csv file created by Outlook, giving you a "Master" list. This list could also serve as your backup list.
These lists can then be sorted so that duplicates can be removed or merged with any new information that may have been entered under a duplicate contact name.

I don't use an ITunes or IPhone, so I don't know how those lists are generated or how their address fields are setup.


Hopefully, that will get you started in organizing your Contacts.
If you need further clarification, let us know.

 

[ronaldjamesh]

Thanks! I will start with that. I am assuming then that the csv file will Import into Office 2010 contacts?

 

[EAFiedler]

I have yet to try Office 2010, though, I cannot think of any reason why that function would change.

It will do no harm to test it.
Import the Outlook 2007 .csv file into Outlook 2010 first. If you are not happy with the results, simply delete the contents of the Contacts folder.

If you encounter any problems we can go from there.
Since you have several different mediums you are using, it would be great if you could let us know how it goes and your experience in Exporting into the IPhone and ITunes

 

[ronaldjamesh]

I will give everything a try sometime this week and let you know how it works out. Still not sure why the Iphone contacts are disappearing. I did find some info at Apple support that I will try as well. Thanks!

 

[ronaldjamesh]

I gave your suggestion a try. Yes they can both be exported as csv files but according to my wife the Excel wiz when merged it comes out a mess. She tried copy and pasting but the categories are no where near the same. Not sure it will save me any time.
Sure would be nice if there was a software available to help organize these. Thanks!

 

[EAFiedler]

Yes, Outlook Express and Outlook both have different fields or column headers. Outlook Express has about 29 fields that you can select and choose to Export, Outlook has many, many more fields.
Using a wizard to merge the two .csv files really doesn't make sense as the column headers would need to have the same names in each of the .csv files.

The Outlook Express .csv file would need to have some of its fields renamed and columns reordered so that it resembled the Outlook .csv file. Preparation before the merge would be necessary.

As for saving you time, sorry wasn't thinking in that direction, just making a suggestion that would also give you a backup.

 

[ronaldjamesh]

I appreciate your suggestions. Problem is I have limited knowledge of Excel and not a lot of spare time. I will give it a shot to see if I can get it to work. Thanks again! Ron