Outlook 2003 IMAP Compatability

[Cory Broome]

I'm running Outlook 2003 with my email server setup to use IMAP. Microsoft
claims this program is fully IMAP compatible, however, all of my sent items
must be stored in a PST and I have not found a way to even run the program
without a PST on my local computer. Which defeats the purpose of IMAP
because if I log in at home I cannot see messages I have sent from work
unless I VPN and map networked drives but this is not always available as a
service. In Outlook 2k you could specify whether to keep your sent items,
drafts, etc. on the local system or in an IMAP folder. I cannot find that
option in 2k3.

Does anyone know how to keep sent items out of the PST in Outlook 2k3 and
how to run the Outlook program without a PST involved?

Thanks,
Cory

 

[Brian Tillman]

I'm running Outlook 2003 with my email server setup to use IMAP. Microsoft
claims this program is fully IMAP compatible, however, all
of my sent items must be stored in a PST and I have not found a way
to even run the program without a PST on my local computer.

An IMAP message store cannot be the default delivery location. You need a
PST, as you found out.

Which
defeats the purpose of IMAP because if I log in at home I cannot see
messages I have sent from work unless I VPN and map networked drives
but this is not always available as a service.

The way around this is to create a rule that executes when you send a
message. Click the Rules and Alerts button, then New Rule>Start from a
blank rule>Next. Click Next again (i.e., don't choose any conditions so
that the rule acts on all messages) and then Yes. Select "Move it to the
specified folder". Click "specified folder" in the lower box and browse to
the IMAP store's Sent Items folder. (If it doesn't have one, select the
IMAP store root and click New and give it the name you want. Click OK.)
Click OK. Click Next, then Next again. Name your rule and click Finish.
Note that this will be a client-side rule, requiring Outlook to be open when
you run it, so I'm not sure you'll be able to use the "right-click>Send
To>Mail Recipient" option of an item in Windows Explorer, nor the Mail>Send
a Link or Send Page option in IE if Outlook isn't running.