Outllook 2010 and disappearing categories

I've just upgraded to outlook 2010, and since the upgrade every time I reboot my laptop my custom categories disappear and are replaced by the "red / green / blue" default categories. It looks like the changes I'm making to the master list of categories are not being saved (somehow).

Has anyone else seen this? Any tips or suggestions I might pass on to my technical support person?

We've tried repairing outlook and office 2010 (didn't work), his planned next step is to reinstall it... and after that he's drawing a blank.

I didn't realize how much I'd miss my categories until they were gone!

Help!!!

Browsing through the microsoft community forums I think I've found the solution. (I'm tentative because we've thought we've fixed it before, only to find my custom categories disappear again).

For some reason, other users with similar (but not identical) symptoms to mine have found that creating and changes categories from the contacts section of outlook "sticks", whereas changing them elsewhere (mail, tasks, calendar) does not.

I've rebooted a couple of times and they appear to still be there, so my fingers are firmly crossed....

Update on 12/24
Seems like its worked, still got categories. My early Christmas present!!

Santa stole my early present (see previous post). All the magical trick did is save my colors but not make the custom categories available in the master list.

I am once again category-less :(

Any suggestions?

Try this:

Right click on the data file (the top-most folder on the left hand folder panel -- your inbox is inside the data file).

Select "Data File Properties"

Click on "Upgrade to Color Categories"

Click "Yes"

Hope this helps.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by TomW

Try this:

Right click on the data file (the top-most folder on the left hand folder panel -- your inbox is inside the data file).

Select "Data File Properties"

Click on "Upgrade to Color Categories"

Click "Yes"

Hope this helps.

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... I had all but given up on finding a solution and resolved myself to wait until my laptop is upgraded... I just happend to glance back in here today and lo.... Tom, I think you've got it!!! I'll wait until I've rebooted to be sure, but this is the most promising it's looked thus far

THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!
:D

... late update... it all disappears again when I reboot, but on the happy side, at least this is a relatively quick way to recreate them each time I log on.