the past few weeks, i've noticed the names in my autocomplete disappear
everytime i shutdown outlook. I've read through some sites and read about
corrupted .nk2 files. Did a search on my computer for them and they do not
exists. Is this a file that can be generated by hand or do I need to speak
with our helpdesk to get a fix in place.

SRJ wrote:

the past few weeks, i've noticed the names in my autocomplete
disappear everytime i shutdown outlook. I've read through some sites
and read about corrupted .nk2 files. Did a search on my computer for
them and they do not exists.

Your NK2 file exists. It's in %AppData%\Microsoft\Outlook, a hidden folder.
If you are seeing your autocompletion data vanish each time you close
Outlook, it's a sign of a damaged mail profile. You'll need to create a new
one and reconnect your NK2 file to the new profile. See these sites:
http://www.howto-outlook.com/faq/newprofile.htm
http://www.ingressor.com/autocompletetips.htm
--
Brian Tillman [MVP-Outlook]