Shared Contacts on Network

[CWIL]

I have Outlook 2000 running on my server (Server 2003). All employees use
the same contact list that is running on my server. Here's how: I export
server contact list to my network shared drive as a .pst.
(Export-Export to a file-Personel Folder File .pst-Contacts
(highlighted)-Save Exported file as E:/outlook.pst (shared drive).

On each workstation (running Vista & XP & both Outlook 2000 & Outlook 2007),
I import the .pst file from the network shared drive. (import-outlook-import
from another program or file-.pst-(browse to file on server)-replace
duplicates-contacts (do not include subfolders)-import into same folder in
personal folders).

If a contact is deleted on the server and removed from the deleted items
folder prior to exporting the file, and also deleted from the workstation
prior to importing the shared .pst file, why does the "deleted contact"
re-appear on the workstations contact list after I import?

 

[Vince Averello]

Not that I recommend your method but have you tried compacting the network
PST to make sure everything is really gone?

 

[CWIL]

I have permanently deleted the files. They are nowhere to be found on the
server. What method would you recommend. I am not familiar with
Outlook...never used it until we got our new phone system and was told the
phone directory needed to be created in Outlook contacts and shared with all
of the workstations.

 

[Vince Averello]

If you open the PST on your network in your copy of Outlook, right click on
it in your Outlook folder tree, choose Properties > Advanced > Compact now

That's the first thing to try.

 

[CWIL]

I compacted my .pst file on my network. Then I imported to my workstation,
and the deleted contact reappeared again.

 

[CWIL]

OK....I figured it out. Thank you so much for your assistance. For future
updates, do you recommend a different way of going about this?

Thanks Again!

 

[Vince Averello]

Usually for sharing I'd recommend an Exchange Server with a Public Folder
with the contacts but I don't know what sort of budget & staff you're
working with.

 

[CWIL]

We are not running Exchange Server. I am only dealing with a 6 workstations
network. Thanks again for all of your help.

 

[Brian Tillman [MVP - Outlook]]

OK....I figured it out. Thank you so much for your assistance.

Please post the solution for the edification of all.

 

[CWIL]

My solution:
When I first attempted the compact feature I actually did the compact on my
Outlook folder instead of the .pst file. When I realized what I did, I
completed the compact on the .pst file and all is working fine.

 

[L Sangree]

We are using Exchange Server 2003 and Outlook 2007 with 9 users. We have a
company-wide consolidated address list in Public Folder because we couldn't
think of any other way to do it. We have a few issues, though, which seem to
be common to many people. Any insights or less cumbersome work-arounds?

1) Public contact folders cannot be synced with a Windows Mobile device
using ActiveSync. ONLY your personal contacts folder can be synced. Don't
have it in our budget for an expensive third-party add-on.

2) Thought we could export key contact information to a different file that
could be synced. Not as seamless, but at least info would be available.

3) Public contact folders cannot be exported directly. We have to move all
public folder contacts to someone's personal list and export from there to a
file. Too cumbersome to do on a regular basis. So far it is the only way we
have found to export all info for the old-fashioned mailing list.

Isn't there any way to have one consolidated contact list for a company that
is as easy to manage and sync as a personal contact list?

"Sharing" contact lists isn't particularly efficient as you might have to
search several people's shared contacts to find the one you are looking for.
Shared contacts can't be synced either.