Best method for getting E'rage data from MacBook to G5 Tower on regular basis

[Pitch]

Hi all,

I travel each week, and need to work in Entourage 2004 (latest rev)
while traveling. In the past, I would just grab the Main Identity
folder from the desk G5 tower (2Ghz first model) to my laptop. (Other
info: all 8 of my email accounts are POP, I backup religiously, and I
constantly trim my Identity down to below 700megs).

However, I think ever since getting my 13" MacBook, this has brought
about problems. Generally it works fine when I put it over to my
MacBook. But when I return home, and I replace the Main Identity back
into my G5 tower, I run into all sorts of problems. Either Entourage
tries to open another Identity (even when I specifically double click
on the actual Database file inside of Main Identity), or it opens and
no windows open and all of the menu items are grayed out, or I get
strange error windows, like "It looks like the Rules are corrupted"
and Entourage won't open.

Does anyone have the best practices list for regularly copying
Entourage back and forth between computers?

 

[Diane Ross]

I travel each week, and need to work in Entourage 2004 (latest rev)
while traveling. In the past, I would just grab the Main Identity
folder from the desk G5 tower (2Ghz first model) to my laptop. (Other
info: all 8 of my email accounts are POP, I backup religiously, and I
constantly trim my Identity down to below 700megs).

However, I think ever since getting my 13" MacBook, this has brought
about problems. Generally it works fine when I put it over to my
MacBook. But when I return home, and I replace the Main Identity back
into my G5 tower, I run into all sorts of problems. Either Entourage
tries to open another Identity (even when I specifically double click
on the actual Database file inside of Main Identity), or it opens and
no windows open and all of the menu items are grayed out, or I get
strange error windows, like "It looks like the Rules are corrupted"
and Entourage won't open.

Does anyone have the best practices list for regularly copying
Entourage back and forth between computers?

I'm not sure what to suggest for transferring your data, but I can offer
some other suggestions.

1. Make your POP accounts into IMAP. This way all your mail is on the server
and you have access to a constant single source.

2. Use an external drive for Microsoft User Data folder with alias in
Documents folder.

One user explains how they use this method:

I keep my Microsoft User Data folder on an external pocket firewire drive (a
large capacity USB thumb-drive will suffice if both machines have USB 2.0)
and just keep aliases to it in my Documents folder of all the machines I use
Entourage on (laptop, desktop and occasionally other machines I sit down in
front of for a few hours). Works like a charm and gives me an identical
environment on every machine.

You must quit the Microsoft Database daemon in order to eject the drive.
--
Diane Ross, Microsoft Mac MVP
Entourage Help Page
<http://www.entourage.mvps.org/>
One of the top five MS Entourage resources listed on the Entourage Blog.
<http://blogs.msdn.com/entourage/>

 

[Mickey Stevens]

Make sure that Office is up to date on both machines. Also, quit all Office
applications including the Microsoft Database Daemon on both machines before
you start the process. You can do this using an AppleScript or the Activity
Monitor. Read more details here:
<http://www.entourage.mvps.org/glossary/daemon.html#quit_daemon>