outlook syncing across machines

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Guest

Hi, I run Outlook 2003 on two machines, one of which is on Win XP Home, the other on Win XP Professional. I would like to sync my outlook mail, contacts and calendar across these two machines. I do not run Exchange server etc. Is there a simple way I can do this in two scenarios

a) I link the machines on a home networ
b) the two machines are not linked at al

thanks in advance
 
Can't one simply leave the .pst folder on one computer and access it from
the other? I'm looking for a solution as well. I have three machines in a
home network; WIN95, WIN98SE, and Windows XP Home Edition (a very recent
edition). There's only me here but all machines are usually running
throughout the day (several levelas to the house).

Although the WIN98SE is a portable, it's seldom used as such. It's in a
replicator and used as a desktop. This machine has my .pst file and
calendar. I have Outlook2000 on the XP as well (the WIN95 is not a candidate
for this task). I'm curious about what would happen if I configured Outlook
2000 on the XP (it's loaded but not configured yet) then simply "point" to
the .pst file that's on the portable. Would both machines be able to use the
same .pst file? I haven't found a way to be in two places at once yet so
there won't be two attempts to access the file concurrently.
 
Has anyone (not selling software) figured out this synching thing yet? I also have two XP Pro desktops on a home wireless network and would like to share one .pst file (or have the two files synced automatically). Is it really that difficult? Do I really need to buy 3rd party software to get this done? I've looked around at today's and yesterday's posts on this board and there are three separate people trying to get an answer. Is there someone from Microsoft out there who can provide a definitive answer??? Thanks.
 
Hello Maid,

no, there is no free software because it is very difficult.

Microsoft itself canceld the only free synchronization tool netfolders
because it was too buggy.

Nowadays Microsoft is a customer of mine and uses my synchronization
software.

Thomas Wetzel
www.synchpst.com
Synchronize or backup your Outlook
 
maid marian said:
Has anyone (not selling software) figured out this synching thing
yet? I also have two XP Pro desktops on a home wireless network and
would like to share one .pst file (or have the two files synced
automatically). Is it really that difficult?
Click to expand...

No, it's not. In a home network, just place the PST file in a network-wide
share and all Outlooks will be able to open it (but not simultaneously).
--
Brian Tillman
Smiths Aerospace
3290 Patterson Ave. SE, MS 1B3
Grand Rapids, MI 49512-1991
Brian.Tillman is the name, smiths-aerospace.com is the domain.

I don't speak for Smiths, and Smiths doesn't speak for me.
 
Brian

Thanks for the message. I've been trying to do that with no success. I posted the following message separately a little earlier today but got no replies. Can you help?? Thanks

******************
I'm trying to sync two home PCs to one .pst file. I can see what I think is the .pst file I need when Search for it using Windows Explorere in the following directory

c:\documents and settings\my name\local settings\application data\microsoft\outloo

(To see it when I search I need to enable the "Show Hidden Files" function.

My problem is that when I go back to Windows Explorer to try to move this file to a shared directory where hopefully both computers will be able to run off of it, the "local settings" subdirectory does not show up

Can someone tell me what I need to do to access and move this file?? Thanks

Also, has anyone out there successfully synched two PCs to one .pst file using a wireless home network?
**********************

Also, Brian, have you done this successfully yourself?? Thanks
 
Thomas:

Thanks for your ideas. However, they don't provide a satisfactory solution for me. I tried using the windows Briefcase, but that's a pain in the neck. Call me cheap, but I think if I have paid for Outlook on two of my machines, I have a right to demand that Microsoft come up with a way to sync across them!!! I don't want to pay for any more software!

Surely syncing can't be that tough!! Anyone else out there with ideas?
 
maid marian said:
Brian:

Thanks for the message. I've been trying to do that with no success.
I posted the following message separately a little earlier today but
got no replies. Can you help?? Thanks.

*******************
I'm trying to sync two home PCs to one .pst file. I can see what I
think is the .pst file I need when Search for it using Windows
Explorere in the following directory:

c:\documents and settings\my name\local settings\application
data\microsoft\outlook
Click to expand...

That's the usual, unshared place.
My problem is that when I go back to Windows Explorer to try to move
this file to a shared directory where hopefully both computers will
be able to run off of it, the "local settings" subdirectory does not
show up.
Click to expand...

It doesn't have to.
Can someone tell me what I need to do to access and move this file??
Click to expand...

Double-click "My Computer". Double-click "Shared Documents" Under "Shared
Documents", create another folder, like "Outlook". Double-click "Outlook".
Now, double-click "My Computer" again (don't close the "Outlook" window),
then "Local Disk (C)", then "Documents and Settings", then "Local Settings",
then "Application Data", then "Microsoft", then "Outlook". You should find
your PST there (if you've enabled viewing hidden files and folders).
Right-click and drag it to the "Outlook" window you previously opened.
Choose "copy". Your PST has now been copied to a shared folder. *** Open
Outlook. (The following is based on OL2002. I don't have OL2003 yet, but
it should be similar.) Click File>Open>Outlook Data File>Personal Folders
File and browse to "C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Documents\Outlook".
You should find the PST file you just copied there. Choose it and click
Open. You'll now have two "Personal Folders". Click Tools>E-mail
Accounts>View or change existing e-mail accounts>Next. In the "Deliver new
e-mail to the following location" drop-down, choose your shared PST. Click
"Finish". Click File>Data File Management and locate the unshared copy of
your PST. Select it and click "Remove". You're now using the shared PST
exclusively. Exit Outlook and log out.

Log in as the other user. Perform everything following the "***" above.
Now both users should be using the same PST.
Also, has anyone out there successfully synched two PCs to one .pst
file using a wireless home network?? ***********************

Also, Brian, have you done this successfully yourself??
Click to expand...

I've not tried storing a PST on a network share, but it should work. Create
a share on one of your machines and place a PST in it. (I have one canned
"Home Common".) Map the PST into Outlook as above. On another PC in your
network, map a drive to the share on the other computer. Open Outlook and
map the PST on that drive into Outlook. Now both PCs should be using the
same PST. The disadvantages to this are 1) if the PC serving the share is
off, the other PC won't be able to access mail, 2) only one PC at a time can
run Outlook, and 3) it's not supported.
--
Brian Tillman
Smiths Aerospace
3290 Patterson Ave. SE, MS 1B3
Grand Rapids, MI 49512-1991
Brian.Tillman is the name, smiths-aerospace.com is the domain.

I don't speak for Smiths, and Smiths doesn't speak for me.
 
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