outlook connector offline file (.ost) location

[AWalla]

First of all, Outlook Connector is a wonderful addition to the office suite
and I found it to be a very useful way to upgrade my hotmail experience (and
for free!) However, one thing that is a real PITA with outlook connector is
the program's stubborn usage, and lack of flexibility, with OST (offline mail
account storage) files. It's a bit of a mixed bag re: OC recreating this
file with every new install or migration of outlook. The good no need
to backup the .ost file (don’t waste your time anyway, because connector will
never recognize a file that a particular installation did not create, i.e.:
un-migratable) as one would do for a .pst (personal folders file) to transfer
over to a new installation or another computer. The bad this
un-backupable file has a location that can be at best inconvenient and at
worst downright unworkable. As far as I can see, there is no justification
for not providing a way to relocate OC’s .ost file for use with hotmail. In
my case, I bought a netbook with a meager 4gb SSD (hey, it was cheap). After
the windows installation and installing NO other programs on C: I have
exactly 200 or so megabytes free. With 500MB of emails in my hotmail
account, using connector (even just downloading headers, not full messages)
simply grinds my OS to a halt-unnecessarily. This is more than an
inconvenience, and there is really no justifiable reason for outlook
connector to place an unwieldy-sized file in the default user directory while
offering NO options to change the default location. Just my 2¢, but this is
really something that the Microsoft Outlook Connector team should seriously
consider in the next revision (or just post a registry hack, how hard can
this be-for chrissakes). It should be VERY easy to point the connector to a
different .ost file location without affecting functionality in any way.
Thanks!

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http://www.microsoft.com/office/com...9ade5ba9f&dg=microsoft.public.outlook.general

 

[Brian Tillman [MVP - Outlook]]

It's a bit of a mixed bag re: OC recreating this
file with every new install or migration of outlook. The good no need
to backup the .ost file (don’t waste your time anyway, because connector
will
never recognize a file that a particular installation did not create, i.e.:
un-migratable) as one would do for a .pst (personal folders file) to
transfer
over to a new installation or another computer. The bad this
un-backupable file has a location that can be at best inconvenient and at
worst downright unworkable. As far as I can see, there is no justification
for not providing a way to relocate OC’s .ost file for use with hotmail.

You don't need to back it up, so who cares if it's "unbackupable"?

In my case, I bought a netbook with a meager 4gb SSD (hey, it was cheap).
After
the windows installation and installing NO other programs on C: I have
exactly 200 or so megabytes free.

Seems you undersized your netbook.

With 500MB of emails in my hotmail
account, using connector (even just downloading headers, not full messages)
simply grinds my OS to a halt-unnecessarily. This is more than an
inconvenience, and there is really no justifiable reason for outlook
connector to place an unwieldy-sized file in the default user directory
while
offering NO options to change the default location. Just my 2¢, but this is
really something that the Microsoft Outlook Connector team should seriously
consider in the next revision (or just post a registry hack, how hard can
this be-for chrissakes). It should be VERY easy to point the connector to a
different .ost file location without affecting functionality in any way.

I'm going to play around with moving when I get the chance.

 

[AWalla]

:

You don't need to back it up, so who cares if it's "unbackupable"?

Right, except it takes a month of sundays to download an entire hotmail
account over and over on different computers. but it is nice that it gets
recreated w/out having to worry about backing up

Seems you undersized your netbook.

LOL...more like undersized my pocketbook! donations for a larger SSD anyone?

It should be VERY easy to point the connector to a

I'm going to play around with moving when I get the chance.

Thanks Brian, pls. let me know what you find,would love to relocate this file.

 

[Geoffrey]

It should be VERY easy to point the connector to a
Thanks Brian, pls. let me know what you find,would love to relocate this file.

Hi Brian,

I totally agree with all those calling for releasing PC users from their
..Hotmail Outlook Connector file hostage situation. Please give us the right
to relocate this file!

AWalla's situation with his tiny SSD might be atypical, but it is *very*
usual for almost all sophisticated PC users to locate their data on one or
more distinctly different partitions/drives to their OS. I won't go into the
numerous good reasons for doing this, they are many and varied and almost
always reasonable (if we wanted locked down systems, Microsoft, we would all
go out an buy Macs!). Even though the .ost should not be backed up, it is
still a data file and a frequently changing one at that, and for some of us
that means it has no right to be spinning away on the system partition/drive.

Brian, please allow Microsoft's users the flexibility and freedom to
configure their PCs the way *they* (not Microsoft) see best!

Geoffrey Jones

 

[Brian Tillman [MVP - Outlook]]

I totally agree with all those calling for releasing PC users from their
.Hotmail Outlook Connector file hostage situation. Please give us the right
to relocate this file!

Well, I can't give anyone the "right" to do anything in Outlook. I'm just a
user like everyone else. I have no way to alter Outlook's behavior.

Brian, please allow Microsoft's users the flexibility and freedom to
configure their PCs the way *they* (not Microsoft) see best!

So talk to Microsoft.

 

[Scott Anderson Regitz]

Has Microsoft STILL not changed this? Today is 4/18/2010 and i'm in that very
same bind. Unfortunately, it is with a full blow workstation i chose to
partition the OS hard drive small (60 gigs) to avoid fragmentation of the OS
partition. Well, ITS FULL due to Outlook Connector. Since I cannot archive my
PST (OST) like my other accounts, i have no means for shrinking this file.

Is there no workaround for this? I really don't look forward to reinstalling
my OS so i can gain space enough to accomodate my OC.

I do find OC to be VERY nice to have, though.

 

[Ben M. Schorr, MVP]

You can non-destructively repartition your drive but...your Outlook
Connector OST file is 45+ GB in size?!?

--
-Ben-
Ben M. Schorr, MVP
Roland Schorr & Tower
http://www.rolandschorr.com
http://www.officeforlawyers.com/outlook.htm
Author: The Lawyer's Guide to Microsoft Outlook 2007:
http://tinyurl.com/ol4law-amazon