HELP: Outlook downloads 3,4, now 5 copies of each email

[Andrew Wan]

I make Outlook 2000 use a Outlook.pst file on a separate hard disk instead
of the usual C:\Documents & Settings\ folder.

Everything is fine. I also TICK "Leave copy of message on server" so I
always have a backup copy.

Now when i format my PC and reinstall Windows & Outlook, I point to my
D:\Outlook.pst and it starts using it. Then all of a sudden it starts
downloading ALL my emails again. If I format my PC once again and reinstall
Windows & Outlook, then Outlook starts downloading ALL my emails TWICE
(there's 2 copies of each email downloaded, plus the copy I already got
locally, that makes 3 copies!!!).

Is there any way to make Outlook 2000 intelligent and it knows NOT to
download emails if I got them already? I really don't want to untick the
"Leave message on server" just incase I lost the PST file.

 

[Brian Tillman]

I make Outlook 2000 use a Outlook.pst file on a separate hard disk
instead of the usual C:\Documents & Settings\ folder.

Everything is fine. I also TICK "Leave copy of message on server" so I
always have a backup copy.

Now when i format my PC and reinstall Windows & Outlook, I point to my
D:\Outlook.pst and it starts using it. Then all of a sudden it starts
downloading ALL my emails again. If I format my PC once again and
reinstall Windows & Outlook, then Outlook starts downloading ALL my
emails TWICE (there's 2 copies of each email downloaded, plus the
copy I already got locally, that makes 3 copies!!!).

Is there any way to make Outlook 2000 intelligent and it knows NOT to
download emails if I got them already? I really don't want to untick
the "Leave message on server" just incase I lost the PST file.

The information Outlook uses to determine if a message is new and needs to
be downloaded is reset whenever you create a new mail profile and
reformatting your PC certainly forces you to create a new mail profile.

One way to address the issue is to use webmail to create a new folder on
your mail server and move your older messages to that folder, out of the
server's Inbox. If they're not in the server's Inbox, Outlook can't
download them to its own Inbox.

If you want to be certain you won't lose the PST, make frequent copies of it
(with Outlook closed, of course).

 

[Andrew Wan]

Thanks man!

Should the "OLDREAD" folder be a sub-folder of Inbox, or a root folder same
level as Inbox?

 

[Brian Tillman]

Should the "OLDREAD" folder be a sub-folder of Inbox, or a root
folder same level as Inbox?

Depends on what your web mail interface allows, I suppose. Were I doing it,
however, I'd make it at the same level as the server's Inbox. Remember,
this is a server-side folder, not an Outlook folder.