Outlook 2003 Message Store 3GB Size Limit

[Richard Kaplan]

I am using Outlook 2003 to access my email on Exchange Server 2003.

In Outlook I am now getting a message saying my message store is too
large so I cannot download more items in cached mode. My mailbox is
3GB in size.

I am able to access my mailbox however in non-cached mode or via OWA
or via an IMAP client.

So it appears that the Outlook 2003 cached mode has a size limit much
smaller than the 16GB limit of my Exchange mailbox.

I thought about using AutoArchive to fix this but I think that would
remove messages from my Exchange server - correct?

Is there any way to increase the message store size in Outlook 2003 to
match the 16GB size on Exchange?

Alternatively is there a way to have Outlook 2003 cache only certain
folders which I use often and not cache the others?

And finally - if I give up and just use the non-cached mode, how do I
delete the 3GB message store on my computer which would no longer be
of use since I will be accessing it only via the server?

 

[John]

I am using Outlook 2003 to access my email on Exchange Server 2003.

In Outlook I am now getting a message saying my message store is too
large so I cannot download more items in cached mode. My mailbox is
3GB in size.

So it appears that the Outlook 2003 cached mode has a size limit much
smaller than the 16GB limit of my Exchange mailbox.

Unicode offline folder (OST) file is limited up to 20GB. Otherwise, it's
limited to 2GB. Make sure yours is in unicode format.

I thought about using AutoArchive to fix this but I think that would
remove messages from my Exchange server - correct?
Sure

Is there any way to increase the message store size in Outlook 2003 to
match the 16GB size on Exchange?

Once again, OST (cached mode) in unicode format limit is 20GB. Not sure why
your Outlook complains about it. Try deleting the offline folder (OST) file
and recreating it.

Alternatively is there a way to have Outlook 2003 cache only certain
folders which I use often and not cache the others?

IIRC there should be an option (sync/not sync) when you right click a
folder. I may be wrong.

And finally - if I give up and just use the non-cached mode, how do I
delete the 3GB message store on my computer which would no longer be
of use since I will be accessing it only via the server?

Search for the OST file and delete it. Default location is at the following
(assuming WinXP):
C:\Documents and Settings\USERNAME\Local Settings\Application
Data\Microsoft\Outlook

 

[Richard Kaplan]

Unicode offline folder (OST) file is limited up to 20GB. Otherwise, it's
limited to 2GB. Make sure yours is in unicode format.

That may well be the case. My data file is set as a .PST file and the
size of the .PST file is listed as 1.97GB.

How do I change to a unicode OST fle?

 

[Brian Tillman]

That may well be the case. My data file is set as a .PST file and the
size of the .PST file is listed as 1.97GB.

Are you saying that your delivery location is a PST and that the PST is an
ANSI (Outlook 2002 and earlier) PST? Your delivery location should be the
Exchange mailbox.

How do I change to a unicode OST fle?

Right-click the root of your Exchange mailbox and choose Properties. Click
Advanced. Select the Advanced tab. Toward the bottom you'll see a "Mailbox
Mode" area. If it does not say "Outlook is running in Unicode mode",
uncheck "Use Cached Exchange mode" just above, click OK, then OK, then close
Outlook. Delete the OST. Restart Outlook, go back to the above dialoge and
reenable Cached Exchange mode. Outlook should connect to the Exchange
server in Unicode mode.

 

[Richard Kaplan]

Right-click the root of your Exchange mailbox and choose Properties. Click
Advanced. Select the Advanced tab. Toward the bottom you'll see a "Mailbox
Mode" area. If it does not say "Outlook is running in Unicode mode",
uncheck "Use Cached Exchange mode" just above, click OK, then OK, then close
Outlook. Delete the OST. Restart Outlook, go back to the above dialoge and
reenable Cached Exchange mode. Outlook should connect to the Exchange
server in Unicode mode.

Thank you. I will try that.

Somewhere when this mailbox was created in Outbox I saw a dialogue box
which said that due to my server policy it was using either non-
Unicode or PST format (I forget the details) rather than a Unicode
OST. Is that possible and if so how do I change this setting in
Exchange 2003? Or can I override the Exchange 2003 settings based on
what I do in Outlook to set up the mailbox file?

 

[John]

Thank you. I will try that.

Somewhere when this mailbox was created in Outbox I saw a dialogue box
which said that due to my server policy it was using either non-
Unicode or PST format (I forget the details) rather than a Unicode
OST. Is that possible and if so how do I change this setting in
Exchange 2003? Or can I override the Exchange 2003 settings based on
what I do in Outlook to set up the mailbox file?

You are confusing me with the details. OST and PST are 2 different things.
OST is an offline folder. It gets automatically created when you enable
cached Exchange mode. Your first post does not mention anything about a
personal folder (PST). Instead, you said something about offline folder.
That's OST. If this is the case, you can follow the above direction to
delete and recreate your OST file in unicode format (if it's not already in
unicode format).

 

[Richard Kaplan]

You are confusing me with the details. OST and PST are 2 different things.
OST is an offline folder. It gets automatically created when you enable
cached Exchange mode. Your first post does not mention anything about a
personal folder (PST). Instead, you said something about offline folder.
That's OST. If this is the case, you can follow the above direction to
delete and recreate your OST file in unicode format (if it's not already in
unicode format).

OK I will try that. I don't quite understand though how this will be
any
different from the first time the OST file was created. Where in the
instructions
is the step which sets Outlook to use the unicode format instead of
non-unicode
format?

 

[John]

Thank you. I will try that.

Somewhere when this mailbox was created in Outbox I saw a dialogue box
which said that due to my server policy it was using either non-
Unicode or PST format (I forget the details) rather than a Unicode
OST. Is that possible and if so how do I change this setting in
Exchange 2003? Or can I override the Exchange 2003 settings based on
what I do in Outlook to set up the mailbox file?

Btw, you also mentioned 16GB Exchange db limit on your first post. In case
you didn't know it, Exchange 2003 with SP2 store (database) limit has been
bumped up to 75GB.

 

[John]

OK I will try that. I don't quite understand though how this will be
any
different from the first time the OST file was created. Where in the
instructions
is the step which sets Outlook to use the unicode format instead of
non-unicode
format?

By default, Exchange 2003 creates a unicode OST when you enable cached
Exchange mode. Perhaps the problem isn't OST file format but (an OST) file
corruption or something. By recreating a new OST file, you may fix the
problem.

 

[Brian Tillman]

Somewhere when this mailbox was created in Outbox I saw a dialogue box
which said that due to my server policy it was using either non-
Unicode or PST format (I forget the details) rather than a Unicode
OST. Is that possible and if so how do I change this setting in
Exchange 2003? Or can I override the Exchange 2003 settings based on
what I do in Outlook to set up the mailbox file?

I don't know if that can be set by policy, but it wouldn't surprise me. I
don't know what anyone would, however. You can ask in
microsoft.public.exchange.admin.

 

[Richard Kaplan]

By default, Exchange 2003 creates a unicode OST when you enable cached
Exchange mode. Perhaps the problem isn't OST file format but (an OST) file
corruption or something. By recreating a new OST file, you may fix the
problem.

It is clear under Properties that Outlook is using non-unicode
format. How
is this distinction to use unicode or non-unicode format made?

 

[Brian Tillman]

It is clear under Properties that Outlook is using non-unicode
format. How
is this distinction to use unicode or non-unicode format made?

If there is a setting, I believe it would be a server-side setting but with
Exchange 2003, it should be enabled by default. A brief Google of the
exchange.admin group seems to indicate that it should always be enabled,
except that mailboxes migrated from Exchange 5.5 may have issued with
Unicode being enabled by default. Other than that, all the postings I found
describe the exact method I already posted (i.e., turn off Cached Exchange
mode, delete OST, turn on Cached Exchange mode, allow Outlook to create a
new OST) as being the correct way to create a Unicode OST.

 

[Richard Kaplan]

Richard Kaplan <[email protected]> wrote:

If there is a setting, I believe it would be a server-side setting but with
Exchange 2003, it should be enabled by default. A brief Google of the
exchange.admin group seems to indicate that it should always be enabled,
except that mailboxes migrated from Exchange 5.5 may have issued with
Unicode being enabled by default. Other than that, all the postings I found
describe the exact method I already posted (i.e., turn off Cached Exchange
mode, delete OST, turn on Cached Exchange mode, allow Outlook to create a
new OST) as being the correct way to create a Unicode OST.

OK I will try that - thank you very much for your help.