Issues/techniques to sync both Outlook AND OneNote?

[Jonathan]

All,
I will start using both Outlook2003 and OneNote2003 together now on both a
desktop and a laptop. I would like to be able to enter and synchronize new
contacts and tasks and (other info?) on both machines (but not during the
same time/session, of course.) The laptop goes to my classroom with me, and I
do other work on the desktop when I get home.

I have some experience with OneNote, no experience with Outlook.

I try to read all discussions of synchronization about OneNote as I
research/plan my switch from InfoSelect to OneNote. But I wonder now how to
keep BOTH program datasets the same on two machines where there are
significant overlaps between Outlook and OneNote.

I also plan to try an Outlook add-in called ClearContext, and I don't yet
know how it affects data held natively by Outlook. TEO looks interesting,
too, but that seems to be just an interface change, so should not affect sync.

I will post this in the Outlook forum, too.

Thanks, in advance for any help or suggestions!

Jonathan

 

[Jonathan]

Adding to my own post!

The Outlook forum has lots of discussions about sync, so I have learned some
Outlook-specific techniques right away.

I am well aware of the "Leave messages on server" option, and I do use that
now, but RoadRunner claims that they will NOT allow use of that setting and
I always worry that they will sweep through my particular server on any given
day and wipe out the messages I am hoping to pick up for a second time.

There have been two instances where I got a message on my desktop and NOT
received that same message on the laptop. I trust that is not because I was
-- at that time -- using Outlook on the desktop and a different e-mail client
on the laptop. Now I am Outlook2003 on both.

Anyway, request still stands: what are the OneNote+Outlook synch issues or
requirements?

 

[Patrick Schmid]

Hi Jonathan,

I would suggest the following strategy:
- sync data that belongs primarily to Outlook with some Outlook sync
mechanism
- sync data that belongs primarily to OneNote with some OneNote sync
mechanism

I personally use plaxo (www.plaxo.com) to take care of my Outlook sync
issues. It handles contacts, calendars, Outlook notes and tasks for me (it
is primarily marketed for contacts). The only requirement to use it is an
Internet connection. You also need to be willing to store your data on a 3rd
party server on the Internet (Plaxo's). Basically what plaxo does it to sync
all your things to their servers once. After that, you only sync changes
with the servers. It does its syncing while you are connected to the
Internet without bugging you, except when it wants to delete things locally
(because they were deleted on the server, or I should say rather deleted on
some other client and the deletion was synced to the server), or detects a
conflict. I found plaxo to be the most convenient method to me, because it
did as much as possible automatically. I looked into some other syncing
methods as well (even bought one tool), but they didn't offer me the same
level of convenience (you had to start them manually while your both
computers were on the same LAN), or weren't as reliable (the one I bought
ended up duplicating lots of stuff). With any sync tool you pick, you should
decide on one computer to be the one to do archiving, especially if you run
auto-archiving in Outlook and let it delete archived items. I designated my
deskopt for that, and switched off auto-archiving on my tablet. I forgot to
mention that plaxo is completely free to use for this purpose. You only pay
if you want additional features or support from them.
The POP3 setting "leave messages on server" you are currently using is one
approach to "syncing" emails across multiple computers. It however isn't the
best. I would highly suggest that you look into switching from POP3 to IMAP.
IMAP is an email protocol designed specifically for access from multiple
computers. The big difference between POP3 and IMAP is that IMAP keeps all
your messages on the server. When I say all, I mean all. My IMAP account
contains all my email folders with all read and unread messages. Outlook
downloads all of these into a local PST file, but they are always on the
server as well. Therefore, if your local file gets destroyed (corrupted
harddrive sector e.g.), you can simply make a new file and have Outlook
download everything again. Your current email provider might already offer
IMAP, you might have to ask them though. If you can't get it through your
current provider, most of the big webhosting providers offer IMAP now. For
example, 1&1 (www.1and1.com) offers you 1GB of IMAP email space for $0.99 a
month. In addition to using IMAP, I have all my incoming messages also
copied to my gmail account as a backup. If something were to go wrong with
my IMAP server, I could still get to my (incoming) email. I should note by
the way, that Outlook 2003 cannot store your outgoing messages in the IMAP
account. It stores them locally.
For your OneNote notes, I would suggest using Windows Offline Files. It
requires some discipline on your part (making sure to alawys sync your
laptop before leave home; it syncs automatically any changes when you get
back). However, it is already built-into the operating system, can handle
all files you want on your laptop and not just OneNote notes, and is easily
upgradeable to the new OneNote 2007 sync mechanism (it requires you to
change one setting and reboot).

I hope this helps.

Patrick

 

[Jonathan]

Patrick,
Thank you for such a detailed and carefully considered reply. I will study
and research your suggestions over the next day or so but I can check IMAP
availability right away with my own hosting provider: Bluefish Hosting. The
downside is two years' messages and connections with my current address but I
guess I can pay RoadRunner to have the mail forwarded for a while as I get
the word out about an address change.

Yeah, I agree, "Leave mail on the server" hardly qualifies as sync. That's
why I'm asking for ideas...

 

[Patrick Schmid]

Thank you for such a detailed and carefully considered reply. I will study

and research your suggestions over the next day or so but I can check IMAP
availability right away with my own hosting provider: Bluefish Hosting.
The
downside is two years' messages and connections with my current address
but I
guess I can pay RoadRunner to have the mail forwarded for a while as I get
the word out about an address change.

RoadRunner offers forwarding. So if you are willing to pay an additional $1
a month, you can get everything forwarded to 1&1 and keep your old address.
Just set up Outlook so that it tells everyone your email is coming from the
RoadRunner address.
Your two year's of messages shouldn't be a problem. Simply upload them to
the IMAP account.

Patrick

 

[Rainald Taesler]

YesNo.
Contray to OE Outlook does not automaticcally place the sent mail on
the IMAP server.
But it's easy enough to create a *rule* firing on sending which moves
the sent mails to the IMAP "sent_mail" folder.

Rainald

 

[Rainald Taesler]

As I never used "Windows Offline Files":
Would you pls have a reference on where to read on this feature?

TIA
Rainald

 

[Patrick Schmid]

This has been changed in Outlook 2007. Outgoing messages can now be
stored on the server without the need for a rule.

Patrick Schmid

 

[Patrick Schmid]

Look in the Windows help or google it. There is a lot of documentation
on out there.

Patrick Schmid

 

[Rainald Taesler]

This has been changed in Outlook 2007. Outgoing messages can now
be stored on the server without the need for a rule.

Good news. Thanks!
In the meantime working with a rule is easy enough ;-)

Rainald

 

[Rainald Taesler]

Look in the Windows help or google it. There is a lot of
documentation on out there.

Thanks. Put it on the ToDo list.
I know that I can be pretty dumb.
But as a "one computer only" militant who for almost two decades
always has been working with portable computers only and just recently
made the move to a desktop computer as the main device there's quite
some things where I still have to get to grasp the conceptual model
:-( :-(

I read through the Windows Help at least there or four times and still
did not get on which computer the "online files" features have to be
enabled and the respective folders have been assigned "offline" - on
the desktop or the portable device ... [siiiigh]

Well, yes there's tons of tons of stuff out there in the net. Just the
tiny little problem of finding the beginning of the yarn thread and
not get drowned in the ocean of stuff googled together. As we say in
German:
"Wir dürsten nach Wissen und ertrinken in Information"

Rainald