Mike wrote:

We are using XP w/microsoft office small business 2003.
Before lunch i needed to call a general so I clicked on the Contacts
section on the outlook toolbar.

What "Contacts" section on the toolbar? DO you mean the COntacts view of
the Navigation pane?

After our conversation I emailed
the details using outlook's mail. after I sent the email I clicked
on the contacts and they were gone.

The Contacts folder? The Contacts View of the Navigation pane? Exactly
what did you click?

I have searched the trash in outlook, my desktop machine, a searched
for a pst file and had no success. I went to file open new folder
and selected outlook data file and choe outlook with no sucess.

First, all Outlook data is kept in the same place. All your mail, contacts,
calendar, tasks, journal, and so on are all in the same place. Unless you
specifically deleted the contents of the Contacts folder, if you lose some,
you lose all. You can't have lost the Contacts folder without losing
everything else. Besides, the Contacts folder (or any default folder)
cannot be deleted. The contents can, but not the folders themselves.

The PST is, by default, contained in a hidden folder,
%UserProfile%\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook . Unless
you enable viewing or searching hidden files and folders, you won't see the
PST.

Can you see any of your other Outlook data? What Navigation pane view are
you using? In exactly which folder are you looking for you Contacts data?
--
Brian Tillman