Z
Zakhary
BACKGROUND (REAL DETAILS BELOW):
My at-home network is "parented" by a router. I have been able to set all
of my documents between my desktop and laptop to use the same location - at
the below location on the desktop - through a home network that I established.
C:\Documents and Settings\%username%\My Documents
By selecting to allow these files to be available offline, I am able to use
(read) the files and save (write) to this folder while on my laptop even when
I am away from the network. This is accomplised by being able to
"synchronize" the files and folders once a network connection is established.
It is analagous to how your Palm Handheld works with your computer calander
- you can use them seperaely, and then HotSync.
THE REAL DETAILS:
I am interested in having the same luxery when it comes to Outlook mail and
calendar. I want to be able to receive my mail from anywhere when I am using
my laptop and have the newly/revised sent, received, calander, and contact
files synchronized with my desktop computer when I arrive home and a network
synchronization takes place. I was able to set the default .pst file
(C:\Documents and Settings\%username%\Application
Data\Microsoft\Outlook\Outlook.pst) to be shared and made available offline.
After making that setting change to the file, I was able to set-up Outlook on
my laptop computer to use that folder for .pst use. I was also able to do
the same with the archive file, archive.pst. However, two problems occur.
1) When the desktop has Outlook on, I am not able to use this file or even
open Outlook on the laptop. While on the one hand, you may say "duh, you
can't use a file in two places at once," this on the other hand is
perplexing. With Word Documents, etc., by having it set to work Offline, I
am able to access those files still, just not able to save them immediately.
Is there a way to make this happen with Outlook?
BTW, I am aware that by setting the mail settings on every computer to leave
a copy on the server for x days, I can always access new mail. However, I
want this available with all Outlook information (calander, sent items, draft
items, etc.)
2) If I am not connected to the network, that folder's offline properties
do not seem to work in the manner that they do for documents. In fact, I
can't really even use Outlook until I make changes so that the file saved to
is a local file. I can't even send/receive mail even though I have internet
connectivity that is just at another location.
3) The times that I am connected to my at-home network AND have my
desktop's Outlook closed, I still encounter a problem. Although that file is
usable and Outlook is functional, there seems to always be created two
duplicates of every email. By default, the laptop automatically shows all
the information that is in the Outlook.pst file; it's just like when I am at
my desktop. However, once I click "Send/Receive" on my laptop, I receive
both new mail AND duplicates of all that other mail in the "Inbox" folder
that was shown at opening. Similarly, once I go to my desktop and hit that
"Send/Receive" button, the "new mail" that was loaded to my laptop is loaded
twice to my desktop in the same way.
Is there a way around these problems so that I can have what I want?
I am using Outlook 2003 and have Windows XP Professional on both computers.
Thanks,
Zakhary
My at-home network is "parented" by a router. I have been able to set all
of my documents between my desktop and laptop to use the same location - at
the below location on the desktop - through a home network that I established.
C:\Documents and Settings\%username%\My Documents
By selecting to allow these files to be available offline, I am able to use
(read) the files and save (write) to this folder while on my laptop even when
I am away from the network. This is accomplised by being able to
"synchronize" the files and folders once a network connection is established.
It is analagous to how your Palm Handheld works with your computer calander
- you can use them seperaely, and then HotSync.
THE REAL DETAILS:
I am interested in having the same luxery when it comes to Outlook mail and
calendar. I want to be able to receive my mail from anywhere when I am using
my laptop and have the newly/revised sent, received, calander, and contact
files synchronized with my desktop computer when I arrive home and a network
synchronization takes place. I was able to set the default .pst file
(C:\Documents and Settings\%username%\Application
Data\Microsoft\Outlook\Outlook.pst) to be shared and made available offline.
After making that setting change to the file, I was able to set-up Outlook on
my laptop computer to use that folder for .pst use. I was also able to do
the same with the archive file, archive.pst. However, two problems occur.
1) When the desktop has Outlook on, I am not able to use this file or even
open Outlook on the laptop. While on the one hand, you may say "duh, you
can't use a file in two places at once," this on the other hand is
perplexing. With Word Documents, etc., by having it set to work Offline, I
am able to access those files still, just not able to save them immediately.
Is there a way to make this happen with Outlook?
BTW, I am aware that by setting the mail settings on every computer to leave
a copy on the server for x days, I can always access new mail. However, I
want this available with all Outlook information (calander, sent items, draft
items, etc.)
2) If I am not connected to the network, that folder's offline properties
do not seem to work in the manner that they do for documents. In fact, I
can't really even use Outlook until I make changes so that the file saved to
is a local file. I can't even send/receive mail even though I have internet
connectivity that is just at another location.
3) The times that I am connected to my at-home network AND have my
desktop's Outlook closed, I still encounter a problem. Although that file is
usable and Outlook is functional, there seems to always be created two
duplicates of every email. By default, the laptop automatically shows all
the information that is in the Outlook.pst file; it's just like when I am at
my desktop. However, once I click "Send/Receive" on my laptop, I receive
both new mail AND duplicates of all that other mail in the "Inbox" folder
that was shown at opening. Similarly, once I go to my desktop and hit that
"Send/Receive" button, the "new mail" that was loaded to my laptop is loaded
twice to my desktop in the same way.
Is there a way around these problems so that I can have what I want?
I am using Outlook 2003 and have Windows XP Professional on both computers.
Thanks,
Zakhary