Outlook Sync

[networking]

I have searched this question extensively - and I see others asking
the same question - but haven't found a definitive answer yet.

Need: A way to sync/mirror my Outlook files - email folders, calendar,
contacts - from my desktop to my laptop and then back again when I
return home.

I bought a Maxtor Once Touch III External Hard drive that I was hoping
would help with this - but the One Touch software won't handle .pst
files according to the liturature.

So I thought ok, I'll use the backup unitlity I had downloaded from
Microsoft - however have discovered that it won't give me the "backup
now" button on the file menu anymore (have uninstalled and reinstalled
multiple times). So it's useless.

So I went looking for a 3rd party app. I am considering using Roboform
that had a sister program GoodSync - but emails to them have produced
no useful information on how to perform the desired operation.

Ran across another site that talked about renaming the path for the
Outlook pst file into a My Documents file and using that as a back-up
(which I'm assuming my Maxtor software could then see). So doing it
that way - would I then use a "backup/retore operation on" to bring
each entity up to date after use? A little afraid of possible date
confusion issues if I forget to plug the laptop back in after using it
though, although I do have another proprietary software that I have to
do that process with.

Also looked at SyncBack that seems to work as well. Just don;t wnat to
be buing a ton of $30 programs I may or may not need!

 

[Hal Hostetler [MVP P/I]]

There are a number of options listed here:

http://www.slipstick.com/outlook/sync.htm
Synchronizing Outlook on two machines

hal
--
Hal Hostetler, CPBE -- (e-mail address removed)
Senior Engineer/MIS -- MS MVP-Print/Imaging -- WA7BGX
http://www.kvoa.com -- "When News breaks, we fix it!"
KVOA Television, Tucson, AZ. NBC Channel 4
Still Cadillacin' - www.badnewsbluesband.com

 

[babs]

There are a number of options listed here:

http://www.slipstick.com/outlook/sync.htm
Synchronizing Outlook on two machines

hal
--
Hal Hostetler, CPBE -- (e-mail address removed)
Senior Engineer/MIS -- MS MVP-Print/Imaging -- WA7BGXhttp://www.kvoa.com-- "When News breaks, we fix it!"
KVOA Television, Tucson, AZ. NBC Channel 4
Still Cadillacin' -www.badnewsbluesband.com

I'm trying to determine if I can do it with the One Touch Sync
software I already have or have to purchase somehting different. Can I
redo the Outlook file path to a My Documents folder - that would be
synced with the Maxtor hard drive. Can I then just sync the laptop to
those files - point the laptop Outlook to the same new pathway and
bring up the updated version of outlook?

Would that work or do I have it totally mixed up?

 

[Paul P]

I have had excellent results doing this with a program called OsaSync Pro.
Look at the site www.vaita.com

Paul

 

[Brian Tillman]

I'm trying to determine if I can do it with the One Touch Sync
software I already have or have to purchase somehting different. Can I
redo the Outlook file path to a My Documents folder - that would be
synced with the Maxtor hard drive.

This is done easily. With Outlook closed, just move the PST, then restart
Outlook. It will complain that it can't find its folders and give you a
browse window, where you can browse to My Documents, select the PST, and
click OK.

Can I then just sync the laptop to
those files - point the laptop Outlook to the same new pathway and
bring up the updated version of outlook?

The drawback to this is that Outlook's PST cannot be copied while it is
open. There are data structures in it that do no get properly written to
the file until it is closed. Unwritten, those data structures can lead to
PST corruption. If youre One Touch mirrors the file as it changes while
Outlook is open, then the copy is likely to be internally inconsistent.