J
Jeff Vandervoort
Here's how to bring Outlook 2003 to its knees:
1. Configure Outlook 2003 to use Cached Exchange Mode. Use the default
location for the OST file, and roaming profiles.
2. Allow a user to log on at a dozen or so computers.
3. Have the user get married, take her husband's last name, and request that
her user name be changed to reflect this.
4. Watch the fun that ensues every time she tries to run Outlook 2003 on a
computer she didn't log onto while single, when Outlook looks for her OST
file in C:\Documents and Settings\<MaidenName>\Local Settings\Application
Data\Microsoft\Outlook\Outlook.ost.
The only practical fix was to disable Cached Exchange Mode for this user.
This will be a problem every time a user gets married and requests a change
of username. Or when a user name changes for any other reason, like a typo
during initial setup. Or if Documents and Settings is on C: on single-boot
computers but D: on some multi-boot computers. Or if...
Microsoft, if you're lurking, please fix Outlook so it can optionally (or by
default) calculate the location of %USERPROFILE%\Local Settings\Application
Data\Microsoft\Outlook folder at runtime to locate the OST file instead of
storing the full path.
Also, Outlook treats %USERPROFILE% as a literal instead of evaluating it, so
you can't use environment variables in CIW as part of the path to the OST as
a workaround for this problem. Please fix that, too.
1. Configure Outlook 2003 to use Cached Exchange Mode. Use the default
location for the OST file, and roaming profiles.
2. Allow a user to log on at a dozen or so computers.
3. Have the user get married, take her husband's last name, and request that
her user name be changed to reflect this.
4. Watch the fun that ensues every time she tries to run Outlook 2003 on a
computer she didn't log onto while single, when Outlook looks for her OST
file in C:\Documents and Settings\<MaidenName>\Local Settings\Application
Data\Microsoft\Outlook\Outlook.ost.
The only practical fix was to disable Cached Exchange Mode for this user.
This will be a problem every time a user gets married and requests a change
of username. Or when a user name changes for any other reason, like a typo
during initial setup. Or if Documents and Settings is on C: on single-boot
computers but D: on some multi-boot computers. Or if...
Microsoft, if you're lurking, please fix Outlook so it can optionally (or by
default) calculate the location of %USERPROFILE%\Local Settings\Application
Data\Microsoft\Outlook folder at runtime to locate the OST file instead of
storing the full path.
Also, Outlook treats %USERPROFILE% as a literal instead of evaluating it, so
you can't use environment variables in CIW as part of the path to the OST as
a workaround for this problem. Please fix that, too.