AutoArchive dilemma not good for Corporate Deployments

[Glenn]

Hello,

The dilemma can't easily convert Office 97-2002
archive.pst to Office 2003 archive.pst. We have kept
mailbox size under 400 MB and many of our users are from
the Outlook 97 daze.

Breaking known corporate behavior in a major corporation
escalates support costs and confusion.

Why isn't there an automated deployment tool to convert
old pst files to unicode?

Glenn

 

[Sue Mosher [MVP-Outlook]]

What exactly is the dilemma here?

 

[Jason]

Hello,

The dilemma can't easily convert Office 97-2002
archive.pst to Office 2003 archive.pst. We have kept
mailbox size under 400 MB and many of our users are from
the Outlook 97 daze.

Breaking known corporate behavior in a major corporation
escalates support costs and confusion.

Why isn't there an automated deployment tool to convert
old pst files to unicode?

Glenn

Hmm
Interesting. I thought all things for Outlook has already been done tens times over.
If you really want something custom written I might be able to help.
Also for excellent central Outlook Client management check out
Outlook Profiler
http://goff.nu/products/windows/profiler/index.html

 

[glenn]

You know something I don't? If not then:
Why isn't there a utility to convert the 97-2002
archive.pst to unicode? As it sits now there are several
choices none good.
1.) Rename the old 97-2002 archive.pst and use the new
unicode archieve.pst. This creates confusion with users
and they will have to be trained ($) to open the renamed
old archieve.pst to access the old messages. Even
spending money on training there are uses in big corps
who will forget or not attend the training whereas they
call(Many of our users are dial-in from around the world
($)) the corporate help desk ($) on howto. If your just a
small office it isn't a big deal for a major corporation
it is a quantum task.
2.) Per one google group post the individual opened the
old 97-2002 archive.pst and moved it into the new unicode
archive.pst. If this works Alright for a small office but
when you have 15,000 users a slow ($) process one-by-one.

Glenn

 

[Sue Mosher [MVP-Outlook]]

You left out #3: Continue using the existing archive.pst file. This meets
your goal of not breaking known behavior.

Neither #1 nor #2 is that hard to explain to users. How many of them are
heavy archive users anyway?
--
Sue Mosher, Outlook MVP
Author of
Microsoft Outlook Programming - Jumpstart for
Administrators, Power Users, and Developers

 

[glenn]

There isn't #3 since can't use the migrated archive.pst
since it isn't unicode?

 

[glenn]

This must be an Exchange server setting then?

-----Original Message-----
Yes, there is. Outlook 2003 can use both the Unicode- compatible PST files
and legacy PST files.
--
Sue Mosher, Outlook MVP
Author of
Microsoft Outlook Programming - Jumpstart for
Administrators, Power Users, and Developers






.

 

[Sue Mosher [MVP-Outlook]]

Yes, there is. Outlook 2003 can use both the Unicode-compatible PST files
and legacy PST files.
--
Sue Mosher, Outlook MVP
Author of
Microsoft Outlook Programming - Jumpstart for
Administrators, Power Users, and Developers

 

[Guest]

I see this is possibly via CIW. OK so a pst can be both
Legacy and Unicode. But why am I having a configuration
issue with AutoArchive if the pst setting is left at
default?

 

[Sue Mosher [MVP-Outlook]]

A PST cannot be both legacy and Unicode. It's either one or the other. Both
work in OL2003. Only legacy (otherwise known as ANSI) works in earlier
versions.

What is your configuration issue?

 

[glenn]

Saw your article on pst(s), it's very good.

We have been using Outlook since Outlook 97 so the users
have legacy pst(s). We are going to migrate the users
from Office 9 and 10. Have the Office 2003 Resource Kit
and have been testing configurations made up from CIW and
a Default OPS created by Profile Wizard with just Outlook
chosen that is imported into the MST.

In testing when I try to manually activate AutoArchive
and setup the location to the legacy pst get !
message. "Microsoft Office Outlook is running in Unicode
mode against Microsoft Exchange server and cannot archive
items to non-Unicode Outlook 97-2002 Personal Folders
archive file. Please select or create a new Personal
Folders file that supports Unicode."

Since I am a Desktop Engineer and don't setup the Exhange
server is this a configuration issue with the Server or
can this be corrected in CIW "?" Ultimately, if in the
case of new users we would like to have them make the
unicode pst so I would like to keep the CIW default
settings in CIW if possible?

What we would ultimately like to do is have AutoArchiving
preconfigured and greyed out. In otherwords we have a
predetermined spot...a user's home drive that has an
existing Exchange folder with their existing pst. Still
have not been successful with this since the field Move
old items to: is defaulted (by MS) to users local
profile\local source\... on machine

Thank You,

Glenn

 

[Sue Mosher [MVP-Outlook]]

Interesting scenario. I may have missed a reference to Exchange 2003 in the
message that started this thread, so it's good to keep the discussion going.

One approach might be to run a one-time script to rename the old archive
..pst file. Outlook should automatically create a new one. You can then
distribute instructions to the users as to how to access their old archive,
either to open it directly or to import it into the new .pst file.

I've also just learned that you can set the default AutoArchive file as part
of a .prf file. Here's the information from Microsoft:

You must change the AutoArchive through profile generation by using the
Outlook.prf file with the Modprof.exe file or the Newprof.exe file. The
following is a sample of the changes that you must make in the Outlook.prf
file:

[Service1]
;----Outlook AutoArchive------
;True=On and False=Off
DoAutoArchive=True
;specify the full path to the archive pst file
AutoArchiveFileName = "M:\temp\archive.pst"


Along those same lines, you could potentially use the .prf file to put the
users' old archive file in the profile, so they don't have to go looking for
it.

 

[Glenn]

Sue,

After talking with my Project Manager I find they are now
interested in converting the legacy pst to unicode. Doing
some hunting I see there is a VBA method AddStore which
connects to an existing pst and creates a new pst. I
don't know if it will do the conversion it would be nice.
What do you know on this?

Thanks!

Glenn

-----Original Message-----
Interesting scenario. I may have missed a reference to Exchange 2003 in the
message that started this thread, so it's good to keep the discussion going.

One approach might be to run a one-time script to rename the old archive
..pst file. Outlook should automatically create a new one. You can then
distribute instructions to the users as to how to access their old archive,
either to open it directly or to import it into the new .pst file.

I've also just learned that you can set the default AutoArchive file as part
of a .prf file. Here's the information from Microsoft:

You must change the AutoArchive through profile generation by using the
Outlook.prf file with the Modprof.exe file or the Newprof.exe file. The
following is a sample of the changes that you must make in the Outlook.prf
file:

[Service1]
;----Outlook AutoArchive------
;True=On and False=Off
DoAutoArchive=True
;specify the full path to the archive pst file
AutoArchiveFileName = "M:\temp\archive.pst"


Along those same lines, you could potentially use the .prf file to put the
users' old archive file in the profile, so they don't have to go looking for
it.
--
Sue Mosher, Outlook MVP
Author of
Microsoft Outlook Programming - Jumpstart for
Administrators, Power Users, and Developers

Saw your article on pst(s), it's very good.

We have been using Outlook since Outlook 97 so the users
have legacy pst(s). We are going to migrate the users
from Office 9 and 10. Have the Office 2003 Resource Kit
and have been testing configurations made up from CIW and
a Default OPS created by Profile Wizard with just Outlook
chosen that is imported into the MST.

In testing when I try to manually activate AutoArchive
and setup the location to the legacy pst get !
message. "Microsoft Office Outlook is running in Unicode
mode against Microsoft Exchange server and cannot archive
items to non-Unicode Outlook 97-2002 Personal Folders
archive file. Please select or create a new Personal
Folders file that supports Unicode."

Since I am a Desktop Engineer and don't setup the Exhange
server is this a configuration issue with the Server or
can this be corrected in CIW "?" Ultimately, if in the
case of new users we would like to have them make the
unicode pst so I would like to keep the CIW default
settings in CIW if possible?

What we would ultimately like to do is have AutoArchiving
preconfigured and greyed out. In otherwords we have a
predetermined spot...a user's home drive that has an
existing Exchange folder with their existing pst. Still
have not been successful with this since the field Move
old items to: is defaulted (by MS) to users local
profile\local source\... on machine

Thank You,

Glenn one
or the other. Both

.

 

[Sue Mosher [MVP-Outlook]]

AddStore creates a new .pst file or exposes an existing .pst file to the
current Outlook session. It does not convert from one type to another. To
convert, you'd have to create the new store, then copy or move all the
folders and items from the old store.
--
Sue Mosher, Outlook MVP
Author of
Microsoft Outlook Programming - Jumpstart for
Administrators, Power Users, and Developers

Sue,

After talking with my Project Manager I find they are now
interested in converting the legacy pst to unicode. Doing
some hunting I see there is a VBA method AddStore which
connects to an existing pst and creates a new pst. I
don't know if it will do the conversion it would be nice.
What do you know on this?

Thanks!

Glenn

-----Original Message-----
Interesting scenario. I may have missed a reference to Exchange 2003 in the
message that started this thread, so it's good to keep the discussion going.

One approach might be to run a one-time script to rename the old archive
..pst file. Outlook should automatically create a new one. You can then
distribute instructions to the users as to how to access their old archive,
either to open it directly or to import it into the new .pst file.

I've also just learned that you can set the default AutoArchive file as part
of a .prf file. Here's the information from Microsoft:

You must change the AutoArchive through profile generation by using the
Outlook.prf file with the Modprof.exe file or the Newprof.exe file. The
following is a sample of the changes that you must make in the Outlook.prf
file:

[Service1]
;----Outlook AutoArchive------
;True=On and False=Off
DoAutoArchive=True
;specify the full path to the archive pst file
AutoArchiveFileName = "M:\temp\archive.pst"


Along those same lines, you could potentially use the .prf file to put the
users' old archive file in the profile, so they don't have to go looking for
it.

 

[Glenn]

If they elect to go this route. Will have to configure
the Office Deployment to allow any type of PST. We would
have to open Outlook in users profile and per KB article:
830336. drag and drop for each client to a new Unicode
PST. Yuck! Microsoft doesn't have utility for ANSI to
Unicode PST conversion. It would be nice if Microsoft
would update the resource Kit to include such a utility
and have it be automated as part of the upgrade for
Corporations.

Thanks!

Glenn

-----Original Message-----
AddStore creates a new .pst file or exposes an existing .pst file to the
current Outlook session. It does not convert from one type to another. To
convert, you'd have to create the new store, then copy or move all the
folders and items from the old store.
--
Sue Mosher, Outlook MVP
Author of
Microsoft Outlook Programming - Jumpstart for
Administrators, Power Users, and Developers

Sue,

After talking with my Project Manager I find they are now
interested in converting the legacy pst to unicode. Doing
some hunting I see there is a VBA method AddStore which
connects to an existing pst and creates a new pst. I
don't know if it will do the conversion it would be nice.
What do you know on this?

Thanks!

Glenn

-----Original Message-----
Interesting scenario. I may have missed a reference to Exchange 2003 in the
message that started this thread, so it's good to keep the discussion going.

One approach might be to run a one-time script to

rename
the old archive

..pst file. Outlook should automatically create a new one. You can then
distribute instructions to the users as to how to

access
their old archive,

either to open it directly or to import it into the new .pst file.

I've also just learned that you can set the default AutoArchive file as part
of a .prf file. Here's the information from Microsoft:

You must change the AutoArchive through profile generation by using the
Outlook.prf file with the Modprof.exe file or the Newprof.exe file. The
following is a sample of the changes that you must

make
in the Outlook.prf

file:

[Service1]
;----Outlook AutoArchive------
;True=On and False=Off
DoAutoArchive=True
;specify the full path to the archive pst file
AutoArchiveFileName = "M:\temp\archive.pst"


Along those same lines, you could potentially use the .prf file to put the
users' old archive file in the profile, so they don't have to go looking for
it.

.

 

[glenn]

Sue,

According to Microsoft you can edit the prf file with
Notepad. You recommended using the utilities ModProf.exe
and NewProf.exe. I'm wondering if I should do what the
site says. Your the expert what do you think?

Thanks!

Glenn

-----Original Message-----
Interesting scenario. I may have missed a reference to Exchange 2003 in the
message that started this thread, so it's good to keep the discussion going.

One approach might be to run a one-time script to rename the old archive
..pst file. Outlook should automatically create a new one. You can then
distribute instructions to the users as to how to access their old archive,
either to open it directly or to import it into the new .pst file.

I've also just learned that you can set the default AutoArchive file as part
of a .prf file. Here's the information from Microsoft:

You must change the AutoArchive through profile generation by using the
Outlook.prf file with the Modprof.exe file or the Newprof.exe file. The
following is a sample of the changes that you must make in the Outlook.prf
file:

[Service1]
;----Outlook AutoArchive------
;True=On and False=Off
DoAutoArchive=True
;specify the full path to the archive pst file
AutoArchiveFileName = "M:\temp\archive.pst"


Along those same lines, you could potentially use the .prf file to put the
users' old archive file in the profile, so they don't have to go looking for
it.
--
Sue Mosher, Outlook MVP
Author of
Microsoft Outlook Programming - Jumpstart for
Administrators, Power Users, and Developers

Saw your article on pst(s), it's very good.

We have been using Outlook since Outlook 97 so the users
have legacy pst(s). We are going to migrate the users
from Office 9 and 10. Have the Office 2003 Resource Kit
and have been testing configurations made up from CIW and
a Default OPS created by Profile Wizard with just Outlook
chosen that is imported into the MST.

In testing when I try to manually activate AutoArchive
and setup the location to the legacy pst get !
message. "Microsoft Office Outlook is running in Unicode
mode against Microsoft Exchange server and cannot archive
items to non-Unicode Outlook 97-2002 Personal Folders
archive file. Please select or create a new Personal
Folders file that supports Unicode."

Since I am a Desktop Engineer and don't setup the Exhange
server is this a configuration issue with the Server or
can this be corrected in CIW "?" Ultimately, if in the
case of new users we would like to have them make the
unicode pst so I would like to keep the CIW default
settings in CIW if possible?

What we would ultimately like to do is have AutoArchiving
preconfigured and greyed out. In otherwords we have a
predetermined spot...a user's home drive that has an
existing Exchange folder with their existing pst. Still
have not been successful with this since the field Move
old items to: is defaulted (by MS) to users local
profile\local source\... on machine

Thank You,

Glenn one
or the other. Both

.

 

[Sue Mosher [MVP-Outlook]]

A .prf file is a text file so you certainly can edit it in Notepad if you
know what you're doing.

Modprof and Newprof are tools used to apply .prf file settings to Outlook
2000 and earlier versions. They are not needed in later versions.
--
Sue Mosher, Outlook MVP
Author of
Microsoft Outlook Programming - Jumpstart for
Administrators, Power Users, and Developers

Sue,

According to Microsoft you can edit the prf file with
Notepad. You recommended using the utilities ModProf.exe
and NewProf.exe. I'm wondering if I should do what the
site says. Your the expert what do you think?

Thanks!

Glenn

-----Original Message-----
Interesting scenario. I may have missed a reference to Exchange 2003 in the
message that started this thread, so it's good to keep the discussion going.

One approach might be to run a one-time script to rename the old archive
..pst file. Outlook should automatically create a new one. You can then
distribute instructions to the users as to how to access their old archive,
either to open it directly or to import it into the new .pst file.

I've also just learned that you can set the default AutoArchive file as part
of a .prf file. Here's the information from Microsoft:

You must change the AutoArchive through profile generation by using the
Outlook.prf file with the Modprof.exe file or the Newprof.exe file. The
following is a sample of the changes that you must make in the Outlook.prf
file:

[Service1]
;----Outlook AutoArchive------
;True=On and False=Off
DoAutoArchive=True
;specify the full path to the archive pst file
AutoArchiveFileName = "M:\temp\archive.pst"


Along those same lines, you could potentially use the .prf file to put the
users' old archive file in the profile, so they don't have to go looking for
it.
--
Sue Mosher, Outlook MVP
Author of
Microsoft Outlook Programming - Jumpstart for
Administrators, Power Users, and Developers

Saw your article on pst(s), it's very good.

We have been using Outlook since Outlook 97 so the users
have legacy pst(s). We are going to migrate the users
from Office 9 and 10. Have the Office 2003 Resource Kit
and have been testing configurations made up from CIW and
a Default OPS created by Profile Wizard with just Outlook
chosen that is imported into the MST.

In testing when I try to manually activate AutoArchive
and setup the location to the legacy pst get !
message. "Microsoft Office Outlook is running in Unicode
mode against Microsoft Exchange server and cannot archive
items to non-Unicode Outlook 97-2002 Personal Folders
archive file. Please select or create a new Personal
Folders file that supports Unicode."

Since I am a Desktop Engineer and don't setup the Exhange
server is this a configuration issue with the Server or
can this be corrected in CIW "?" Ultimately, if in the
case of new users we would like to have them make the
unicode pst so I would like to keep the CIW default
settings in CIW if possible?

What we would ultimately like to do is have AutoArchiving
preconfigured and greyed out. In otherwords we have a
predetermined spot...a user's home drive that has an
existing Exchange folder with their existing pst. Still
have not been successful with this since the field Move
old items to: is defaulted (by MS) to users local
profile\local source\... on machine

Thank You,

Glenn
-----Original Message-----
A PST cannot be both legacy and Unicode. It's either one
or the other. Both
work in OL2003. Only legacy (otherwise known as ANSI)
works in earlier
versions.

What is your configuration issue?
--
Sue Mosher, Outlook MVP
Author of
Microsoft Outlook Programming - Jumpstart for
Administrators, Power Users, and Developers



I see this is possibly via CIW. OK so a pst can be both
Legacy and Unicode. But why am I having a configuration
issue with AutoArchive if the pst setting is left at
default?


.

.