Outlook 2000 and Roaming Profiles(Windows XP)

  • Thread starter Thread starter A M Ginsberg
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A M Ginsberg

I need to set up Outlook on a Network without Microsot Exchange for users
with roaming profiles.

So the .PST file needs to go on <HomeDirectory>\Application
Data\Microsoft\Outlook on the Server

How can I configure things so that as each user logs and sets up Outlook
this will happen rather than creating
C:\Documents and Settings\<User>\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook and then
having to go through the rigmarole of setting up another .PST file in the
right place
 
MS does not support accessing PST files from a network drive - you will
likely run into problems with this.
 
I should've written, MS does not *recommend* this config - my fingers were
typing without the benefit of my brain!

How many users do you have on your network?
 
It is a (primary) school with 60 low volume users.
The ISP is the local education authority which provides an IMAP server
The .PST file HAS to be on the school server - there is no way that you can
guarantee pupils will use the same
computer each time.

Microsoft may say they do not recommend it - but in fact there are KB
articles which in fact tell you how to move your PST file to another
location - including a network drive.
In fact it works quite fine - you need to keep it out of the Profile so that
it is not transferred back and forth.

The problem is that it is a pain to first have Outlook generate a PST file
on the C drive and then have to create another one on the network -
especially since the pupils who are first introduced to Email are 8 years
old!!!!
 
As I said Microsoft do not expressly forbid the use of network shares

Extract from Outlook Help
"To see where default store and additional data files are kept on different
versions of Microsoft Windows, see the "Outlook file locations" topic. Keep
these points in mind:

a.. You can save, copy, and move a data file (other than the file used as
your default information store) to another location on your hard disk, to a
floppy disk, or to a share on the network. But remember that you must have
read/write permissions to open Personal Folders files (.pst) from a network
share.
b.. If you need to access any data file that is stored on a network share
or on another computer, close any program that might be using that file. A
data file can be accessed by only one user or program at a time."
c..
I am sure I need to create a .PRF file or something like that - there is
also a Registry setting which supposedly lets you force the location of the
PST - but that caused Outlook to crash spectacularly
 
Just note that it can cause lots of problems and you may experience latency
and data corruption. I do not do this myself.
 
What about putting in Exchange server? With that many users, it seems like
it would be a good idea. Either that or have them use webmail of some sort.
MS may tell you how to move a PST file to a network drive, but remember,
just because you *can* doesn't mean you *should*...
 
Although there are 60 users there are only 18 computers and each pupil only
spends about an hour a week on the computer. Time is not an issue.
We could not afford Exchange Server.
We could use Web Mail - this is in fact the ISP's recommended use.

I have actually set it up OK for about 10 of the users but as I said it is a
real pain to do the set up.
 
----- A M Ginsberg wrote: -----


Microsoft may say they do not recommend it - but in fact there are KB
articles which in fact tell you how to move your PST file to another
location - including a network drive.
In fact it works quite fine - you need to keep it out of the Profile so that
it is not transferred back and forth.


I would like to know what KB article??
 
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