OL97: Remote Mail, Offline Folders, and Working Offline

The information in this article applies to:

• Microsoft Outlook 97

SUMMARY

This article explains the differences among working offline, Remote Mail, and Offline folders. To identify which method best suits your needs, it is important to understand the differences among these features.

MORE INFORMATION

Mobile computing is becoming increasingly more important. The following are examples of situations in which you may want to use Outlook when you do not have access to a network:

• Traveling with a laptop
• Working at home
• Working at a remote site

Working Offline

In order to introduce a proper foundation for Remote Mail and Offline folders, you must first understand working offline. Outlook gives you the option when configuring most services to work offline. When you work offline, you cannot send or receive information. Working offline does not require a network or a modem.

Many users combine working offline and Remote Mail to cut down on network usage or Internet provider time limits. By connecting to Outlook offline, you can add or remove folder information, such as contacts or appointments, or compose new mail messages and read old mail. When you are finished making changes, you can connect to your mail service using Remote Mail and execute the changes you made while offline.

If you choose to work offline and do not use Remote Mail, changes are maintained in your Personal Folder(PST)on your local drive. This means you cannot send information to or receive information from another location or computer.

Remote Mail

Remote mail enables you to connect remotely to your mail service. You can use it with Internet Mail, MS Mail, Exchange Server, and some online services. One notable service that does not support Remote Mail is the cc:Mail service that ships in the Microsoft Office 97 ValuPack.

NOTE: Outlook's Remote Mail feature is not available if you are set for Offline Folder use.

The Remote Mail option is in the properties for your service. In most cases, the option is to work offline and use Remote mail with a modem. For example, the Exchange server service has the option, "Work offline and use dialup networking." The Internet service Connection tab has the option, "Work offline and use Remote Mail." While the wording may be different, depending on the service, most services have a Remote Mail option.

The purpose for Remote Mail is to transfer mail only. It does not transfer calendar appointments, contacts, or any other Outlook component information. If you want to transfer this type of information, you must use Offline Folders and the Exchange server information service.

To use Remote Mail, follow these steps:

1. Start Outlook using an Offline option.

2. Compose and send a mail message. This puts the message in your Outbox, where it remains until you make a remote connection.

3. On the Tools menu, point to Remote Mail, and then click Connect on the menu that appears to open the Remote Connection Wizard.

4. Under "Connect to which information service(s)?", click to select the desired service(s) and click Next. The information services in your profile determine what is available in this list.

5. Under "While connected," click to choose to retrieve and send all new mail or to retrieve new message headers only. If you choose to retrieve and send all new mail, you are finished. If you choose to retrieve new message headers, continue.

6. If you chose to retrieve only headers, once the headers are downloaded, you can mark the messages you want to retrieve in the following three ways:

       - On the Tools Menu, point to Remote Mail, and then click "Mark to
         Retrieve" or "Mark to Retrieve a Copy" on the menu that appears.
   

       - On the Remote Mail Toolbar, click the "Mark to Retrieve" button or
         the "Mark to Retrieve a Copy" button.
   

       - With the right mouse button, click the message, and then click "Mark
         to Retrieve" or "Mark to Retrieve a Copy."
   

7. On the Tools Menu, point to Remote Mail, and then click Connect.

8. Run the Remote Connection Wizard again to retrieve marked messages.

Offline Folders

Offline Folders offer a quick and easy way to work with Outlook when you do not have access to a modem or a network. A limitation with Offline folders is that you must use the Exchange Server service. Offline folders are not an option for people who use the Internet service, Microsoft Mail, or other online information services.

For more detailed information about Offline folders and how to use them, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

   ARTICLE-ID: Q161725
   TITLE     : OL97:  What are Offline Folders and How Do You Use Them?