Success transferring PST file information from Outlook to Entourage

[Jack W. Judy]

Well, it has been a nightmare, but I have finally been able to
transfer my PST file information from Outlook on a PC to Entourage
2004. Note: I have a total of about 100,000 email messages, 2000
contacts, and 30,000 calendar items spread over several archive files
and my current PST file so this was no fast or easy task.

Transferring the contacts, taks, notes, and even calendar items was
easy using Paul Berkowitz's scripts, thought I had to turn of checking
for duplicates as that made things take many hours instead of minutes
considering the large number I had to deal with.

Transferring email was the really tough nut, and I would not call it
100% cracked (See below).

Basically, I had a friend set up an Exchange Server on an old PC. We
then copied over my PST files and got them into that server. Once
there, we "simply" had to download them via exchange server to
Entourage and (as backup) Mail.App (Apple's Mail client). Well, I will
tell you this, Entourage's interface with Exchange is EXCRUCIATINGLY
slow and stupid. It has a bizarre mind of its own and seems to start
downloading and stop downloading (synchronizing) message from the
server. When I monitor the netowrk traffic, it is only using ~1%...
and often zero as it "waits" between downloading sessions. Even at
full speed it only downloads about 5 MESSAGE A SECOND! You do the
math when you have 100,000 (ok, I will, it will take 20,000 seconds
which is only ~6 hours). However, due to its insessent stopping (for
not apparent reason -- and you cannot "force" it to get going) it will
actually take more like >6 DAYS.

Fortunately, Mail.App is faster and smarter and downloading from an
exchange server. We were able to download all of the mail in less than
one day. It even retains all of the read/unread information, etc.
Since Entourage has an ability to import mail from Mail.App, that is
how I have been able to transfer everything in. HOWEVER, this
importing process DESTROYS all read/unread information... Not knowing
why it did this, I decided to test Entourage by exporting a small mail
folder with read and unread message to an *.rge (entourage archive)
and then re-imported it. Sure enough, Entourage CANNOT even import
its own files without DESTROYING the read/unread information (hence
the "not 100% cracked" comment above). *sigh*

At least I have all my messages. In the mean time over the next week
or so I will see if Entourage can't download all of my messages
directly from the server... *sigh* again.

If anyone know how I could (or could have) done things better, pleaset
let me know! I am pretty sure a pure IMAP method would also destroy
all of the read/unread information (if I am wrong, please let me
know!).

Thanks!

-Jack

 

[Paul Berkowitz]

Jack,

Given that experience, I think you might do better configuring your Exchange
Server as IMAP (or even POP) for mail, then setting up an IMAP account in
Entourage to access the server. Set the IMAP account to download complete
message bodies, and it shouldn't take very long. Copy the messages to local
folders and then you can take down the Exchange/IMAP account. You'd even
save a step by making the account POP and set up some rules (maybe that's
more complicated and slower than doing it the other way.)

--
Paul Berkowitz
MVP MacOffice
Entourage FAQ Page: <http://www.entourage.mvps.org/faq/index.html>
AppleScripts for Entourage: <http://macscripter.net/scriptbuilders/>

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PLEASE always state which version of Microsoft Office you are using -
**2004**, X or 2001. It's often impossible to answer your questions
otherwise.

 

[Ken Ray]

Jack,

Given that experience, I think you might do better configuring your Exchange
Server as IMAP (or even POP) for mail, then setting up an IMAP account in
Entourage to access the server. Set the IMAP account to download complete
message bodies, and it shouldn't take very long. Copy the messages to local
folders and then you can take down the Exchange/IMAP account. You'd even
save a step by making the account POP and set up some rules (maybe that's
more complicated and slower than doing it the other way.)

Another possibility is what I did, which is to use Little Machine's
Outlook2Mac utility (http://www.littlemachines.com). It handles mail,
contacts and calendar entries, and although there's some cleanup on the
Entourage end when you're done (especially if you have lots of subfolders of
folders), it was pretty painless.

Just my 2 cents,


Ken Ray
Sons of Thunder Software
Web site: http://www.sonsothunder.com/
Email: (e-mail address removed)