How to avoid downloading emails a second time - Outlook 2003

[Gordon]

Setting up a second copy of Outlook 2003 on my laptop. I keep a copy of
emails on the mail server. I have copied the pst file and the settings - is
there a setting file or a registry key that I can copy that will tell
Outlook NOT to download all the emails from the mail server a second time?

Thanks

 

[Brian Tillman]

Setting up a second copy of Outlook 2003 on my laptop. I keep a copy
of emails on the mail server. I have copied the pst file and the
settings - is there a setting file or a registry key that I can copy
that will tell Outlook NOT to download all the emails from the mail
server a second time?

There is no such entry you can adjust. Each instance of Outlook keeps track
of the messages that have been downloaded for itself. A new instance will
see the messages as new and download them. A new mail profile for the same
instance of Outlook will also behave that way.

 

[Gordon]

There is no such entry you can adjust. Each instance of Outlook keeps
track of the messages that have been downloaded for itself. A new
instance will see the messages as new and download them. A new mail
profile for the same instance of Outlook will also behave that way.

I found the answer - set the first instance of Outlook on desktop to NOT
keep messages on the server. Download all messages. Close Outlook. Copy the
pst file to my laptop. Restore settings using the "Save My settings" wizard.
Open Outlook. Then set email accounts to keep a copy on the server. Bingo!
No duplicate downloads!

 

[Brian Tillman]

I found the answer - set the first instance of Outlook on desktop to
NOT keep messages on the server. Download all messages. Close
Outlook. Copy the pst file to my laptop. Restore settings using the
"Save My settings" wizard. Open Outlook. Then set email accounts to
keep a copy on the server. Bingo! No duplicate downloads!

While I'm happy if you are, I simply don't see how this will prevent
duplicate downloads going forward, since one Outlook can't possibly know
what messages the other Outlook has downloaded.

 

[Paulp]

Gordan..... Are you using outllok to download mail from your POP3 email
account or from an Exchange server? I have seen the "leave a copy on
the server" option in POP3 configuration but never in an Exchange
environment.

If you are leaving a copy on the server, It might be a better option to
"Leave a copy on the server" & "delete mail after 10 days", on both
setups of Outlook. taht way both copies will have the exact mail (as
long as you check your mail within the "10" days.


Paul

 

[Gordon]

While I'm happy if you are, I simply don't see how this will prevent
duplicate downloads going forward, since one Outlook can't possibly know
what messages the other Outlook has downloaded.

That's why I set the copy on the desktop to NOT keep a copy on the server to
make sure the server was clear before I copied the pst file. Then, when I
opened the pst file on the laptop, all the mail was in it, with NONE on the
server, unless a mail had been received in the meantime.

 

[Brian Tillman]

That's why I set the copy on the desktop to NOT keep a copy on the
server to make sure the server was clear before I copied the pst
file. Then, when I opened the pst file on the laptop, all the mail
was in it, with NONE on the server, unless a mail had been received
in the meantime.

When you say "set the copy on the desktop to NOT keep a copy," you imply (to
me) that you have the laptop configured to leave the messages on the server,
which means that both the laptop and the desktop will download the messages
that arrive subsequent to your stated manipulations. You'll still get
messages on both.

 

[Gordon]

When you say "set the copy on the desktop to NOT keep a copy," you imply
(to me) that you have the laptop configured to leave the messages on the
server, which means that both the laptop and the desktop will download the
messages that arrive subsequent to your stated manipulations. You'll
still get messages on both.

No - the desktop WAS configured to leave a copy on the server - the laptop
had NO Outlook installation prior to this exercise.
I turned OFF the "leave on server" function on the desktop, and did a send
and recieve so that all the emails were downloaded to the desktop pst and
NONE left on the server. I closed Outlook, and copied the pst file to the
NEW installation on the laptop. As there were no mils on the server, other
than ones received after having closed Outlook on the desktop, those are the
only ones the laptop downlaoded - all the previous emails residing in the
copied pst file!
(Phew!)

 

[Brian Tillman]

No - the desktop WAS configured to leave a copy on the server - the
laptop had NO Outlook installation prior to this exercise.
I turned OFF the "leave on server" function on the desktop, and did a
send and recieve so that all the emails were downloaded to the
desktop pst and NONE left on the server. I closed Outlook, and copied
the pst file to the NEW installation on the laptop. As there were no
mils on the server, other than ones received after having closed
Outlook on the desktop, those are the only ones the laptop downlaoded
- all the previous emails residing in the copied pst file!
(Phew!)

Perhaps I'm not expressing myself clearly. Are you saying that you've
removed Outlook from the desktop and do not intend to download anything
there in the future?

 

[Gordon]

Perhaps I'm not expressing myself clearly. Are you saying that you've
removed Outlook from the desktop and do not intend to download anything
there in the future?

No. I think we'll give this one a miss!