I'm using Outlook 2010 in Terminal Services 2008 R2. I'm getting an error when trying to add another data file. We recently did an Office 2007 to 2010 upgrade on the Terminal Server. Seems that all .PST files we had mapped before are working, but we cannot add an additional one. The error we get when clicking the ADD... button is: "The specified device, file, or path cannot be accessed. It may have been deleted, it may be in use, you may be experiencing network problems, or you may not have sufficient permission to access it. Close any application using this file and try again." Only option is OK.

• Changed type Jennifer Zhan Monday, March 28, 2011 2:18 AM

Hi,

Make sure that the Read-Only attribute is not selected. If this attribute is selected, you might receive the following error message:

>>The specified device, file, or path could not be accessed. It may have been deleted, it may be in use, you may be experiencing network problems, or you may not have sufficient permission to access it. Close any application using this file and try again.<<

If you receive this error message, clear the Read-Only attribute, and then copy the file again.
1. Open Outlook.
2. On the File menu, click Import And Export. If the command is not available, rest the pointer over the chevrons at the bottom of the menu, and then click Import and Export.
3. Click Import from another program or file, and then click Next.
4. Click Personal Folder File (.pst), and then click Next.
5. Type the path and the name of the .pst file that you want to import, and then click Next.
6. Select the folder that you want to import. To import everything in the .pst file, select the top of the hierarchy.
7. Click Finish.

• Marked as answer by Jennifer Zhan Thursday, March 31, 2011 6:04 AM

Hi Jennifer,

I'm getting the same issue.

Your answer would work if we acutally got that far, the file permissions aren't the block yet.

As, the message above immediately presents itself when clicking on the ADD button.

It never let's us select the PST file.

 

Thank you,

 

Paul

I am having the same problem.

http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_other-security/0x80070043-adding-pst/20277fec-6f05-49f5-9821-63a86eafe458

I'm having this problem as well. I cannot change the attributes of the PST from within Outlook. Read Only is not checked.

The computers in question are both Windows 7 SP1 (64 bit). Each has at least two PSts already connected (PSTs are stored on a Windows Server 2003 (SP2) server. At some point in the recent past, their PST files were moved from an old server to this new one. In each case, th users kept most of their PST files but lost connection to one file. When I go to reconnect to that file, I click on file, then account settings, account settings, then the datafiles tab. On the datafiles tab, I click 'Add' and immediately get an error message:"An Unknown Error Occurred. 0x80070043."

Google tells me that this is an error based on not being able to find a network drive.

Is there a registry key or similar device that tracks the full path where this should start looking? I did just change the server. If Windows looks at the drive letter it should be led directly to the new server, but if there is a full path hidden somewhere I could see where this error might occur.

Thank you for your help.

(edit) as a workaround, I have imported the PST into a subfolder in an existing PST. It's not elegant but it does allow my users to check their old archives for the info that they need to do their jobs.

• Edited by Matt GM Monday, May 14, 2012 6:12 PM misspelling and addendum

Jennifer,

While your response would be useful if we could get to that point that would be great.  However, it isn't a read only issue, or permissions on the folder or even user rights on Windows 7.  I've done those and that didn't do anything.  I've also created a new Outlook Profile for the user and that didn't work either.

Either there is a corruption of Office or a Corruption on the user's account.  The odd thing is that it is happening to two different people on two different machines at the same time. 

I had the exact same problem and did somehow manage to fix it. Neither creating a new e-mail profile nor removing the Outlook settings for the current user did anything. Fixing the Explorer registry settings for the current user did.

Indeed the error 0x80070043 occurs before any (file) dialog is shown so no use checking rights on files folders. What I did was search the registry key HKEY_CURRENT_USER for any stale entries referring to a folder on our server that should no longer be active for this user. In addition I checked the folder settings in both 'HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Shell Folders' and 'HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User Shell Folders'. I'm fairly sure this was the step that fixed the problem. I guess Outlook is trying to open the default location for (new) PST files and runs into an unavailable network connection. I was unable to reproduce the problem by settings these entries to an invalid value though.

The problem occurred when trying to move a user from a terminal server to a local workstation. In the process I removed the policy that did some folder redirection for start menu and documents folder. Somehow the policy was indeed lifted but the related registry entries were not correctly restored/repaired.

• Proposed as answer by Wil.J Thursday, July 18, 2013 9:58 PM

I spent some more time on this issue and was able to track down the actual registry value causing the problem. It is the value 'Personal' in 'HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User Shell Folders'.

Steps to reproduce this error:
- Use regedit to set REG_EXPAND_SZ value 'Personal' in 'HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User Shell Folders' to '\\%COMPUTERNAME%\homeshare\username\data'
- Open mail settings (Mail 32-bit) from control panel
- Click 'Data files' button
- Click 'Add' button
- Observe message 'An unknown occurred, error code: 0x80070043'

A few remarks:
- The problem seems to be specific to Outlook 2010. I was unable to reproduce it with Outlook 2007.
- If you feel the 'Personal' registry value points to a correct location you may try to create an 'Outlook' folder in that location.
- On my Windows 7 Pro systems the default value for 'Personal' entry is '%USERPROFILE%\Documents'.

• Proposed as answer by WCG IT Dept Thursday, October 18, 2012 2:14 PM

Thanks Snafit.

I am using Outlook 2010 in a Windows 7 VM using Parallels Desktop on a Mac, and using your fix I can now successfully access my PST folders on the Mac file system. 

I just changed to key to %USERPROFILE%\Desktop 

thanks

Craig

Jennifer,

You posted what you thought was an answer (quoting someone else's solution on a similar post) and despite everyone here saying that you have misunderstood the issue and that your answer does not apply, you marked your own post as the answer, a clear abuse of your moderator privelges. Please be aware that I have reported your post as an abuse of your priveleges to microsoft. I hope they take your priveleges away.

I see you have 2,645 points. I wonder how many of those are because as a moderator you marked your own unhelpful posts as answers.

-Josh

• Edited by WCG IT Dept Thursday, October 18, 2012 2:16 PM

I have fixed this issue by changind the 'Personal' value on the Registry.
Same path informed by Snafit.

I had the exact same problem and did somehow manage to fix it. Neither creating a new e-mail profile nor removing the Outlook settings for the current user did anything. Fixing the Explorer registry settings for the current user did.

Indeed the error 0x80070043 occurs before any (file) dialog is shown so no use checking rights on files folders. What I did was search the registry key HKEY_CURRENT_USER for any stale entries referring to a folder on our server that should no longer be active for this user. In addition I checked the folder settings in both 'HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Shell Folders' and 'HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User Shell Folders'. I'm fairly sure this was the step that fixed the problem. I guess Outlook is trying to open the default location for (new) PST files and runs into an unavailable network connection. I was unable to reproduce the problem by settings these entries to an invalid value though.

The problem occurred when trying to move a user from a terminal server to a local workstation. In the process I removed the policy that did some folder redirection for start menu and documents folder. Somehow the policy was indeed lifted but the related registry entries were not correctly restored/repaired.

Exact same issue. couldn't add any new pst file.  checked the above listed reg keys and they do point to our old sbs 2003 server.  changed path, restart outlook and everything worked.  THANKS!!!

Thank you so much Snafit, this is exactly right.  Had the same issue - migrating a user from a TS environment to a local workstation and the paths were stuck in those registry entries.  Fixing the reg entries fixed the problem immediately.

This worked for me.

Thank You.

Thanks Snafit for post this.

I had the same problem and it was indeed the same registry key and the Personal folder location was pointing to a non-existing folder or a folder that the user didn't have access to. Changing this fixed the issue for me.

Greatly appreciated, thanks.

• Edited by superfishnz Sunday, February 16, 2014 9:30 PM

Great solution post Snafit, you deserve a pat on the back!

I am from Nepal and am working as IT Consultant for few USAID projects. I was having problem in one of my users' machine with Outlook 2010, not being able to add a new profile and also open any pst file. The user didn't also know how the "documents" pointed to a J drive, his pen drive, it took me 2 days to find your valuable post and this did the trick.

Cheers,

Binaya!

Thanks Snafit 

Appreciate 

This registry entries fixed for me too 

Regard

Thank you very much!  This was the source of the problem.