Outlook had not used a PAB file for years. A PAB file is not in play.
The first thing you need to do is examine your folder hierarchy correctly.
Use Folder List view for that, not "All Mail." Of course you won't see
Contacts Folders in the All Mail view. Contacts is not a mail folder.
Examine the contents of these separate Personal Folders. Are they identical?
Can you R click and close either of them?
--
Russ Valentine
[MVP-Outlook]
"JMS" wrote in message
...
I’m trying to eliminate some redundancy with my system Outlook’s file
definitions. The screen shows that there are two Personal Folders while
occasionally I’m not able to bring up my Contacts Address Book unless I
select a redundant file name. To my knowledge, there is only one location
where the appropriate files are (under //...Local Settings/Application
Data/Microsoft/Outlook/ *.PST or *.PAB).

I had hoped to insert a screen shot here in JPEG format, but this system
does not allow for that and I'm hesitant to provide my server's URL where
such can be downloadeda by someone. Yet the screen shot that I’ve captured
and wanted to insert here would have provided some clues about what’s
going
on. = =

Essentially from launching Outlook and the Outlook Today default screen
that
I configured, the "All Mail Folders" group in the left-screen navigation
bar
appears as:

+Personal Folders
+Archive Folders
+Personal Folers

PLEASE NOTE that I see and can bring up a CONTACTS folder on the lower
left
hand side of Outlook Today, but there is no contact folder within any of
the
above referenced links with + signs.

Please help in resolving this issue toward eliminating occasional
“workarounds" and the possibility that somehow my install is referencing
other *.pst or *.pab files on my system. I JUST NEED to know how to tell
Outlook to look only one (1) place, and then remove redundant file
definitions without fear of losing all of my contacts.

I hope I've done my best when trying to describe these issues.
--
Many thanks... JMS