PC Win: Description and Use of Inbox Shadowing

 Last reviewed: October 24, 1995
Article ID: Q96718
The information in this article applies to:
  • Microsoft Mail for Windows, versions 3.0 and 3.2

SUMMARY

Microsoft Mail for Windows has a feature named Inbox Shadowing. This feature is enabled in Mail for Windows when you choose Options from the Mail menu, choose the Server button, select the Copy Inbox on Postoffice for Dialin Access option and choose OK. The Copy Inbox option instructs Mail for Windows to synchronize its inbox with each other client's inbox.

When you complete the procedure above, Mail displays the following message on the screen: 

   Please Wait - Synchronizing Inbox
During this process, Mail might display the following message: 

   Mail cannot copy some messages to the postoffice. Close all
   messages and check disk space.
This message appears if an inbox message is open when you turn on Inbox Shadowing. To correct this situation, close all messages and repeat the steps to turn on Inbox Shadowing.

Use Inbox Shadowing if you use more than one Mail client or if you access mail remotely and also use Mail for Windows.

When Inbox Shadowing is active, Mail displays the following message each time you log into Mail for Windows: 

   Please Wait - Synchronizing Inbox
Mail marks each inbox message once as synchronized. When you delete a message from the Mail for Windows inbox, it will be deleted from the inbox for each other client. However, if you delete a message from the inbox of another client, it remains in the Mail for Windows inbox because the other clients cannot access the .MMF file. To synchronize the Mail for Windows inbox, deselect and reselect the Copy Inbox on Postoffice for Dialin Access option. When you exit from Mail for Windows, it resynchronizes the inbox.

MORE INFORMATION

When you send a mail message, Microsoft Mail adds a header to the recipient's .MBG file that includes a pointer to the corresponding .MAI file. The .MBG file is the inbox for MS-DOS and Macintosh clients. Inbox Shadowing is necessary because Mail for Windows moves all messages in an individual's .MBG file into his .MMF file. If Inbox Shadowing is not active, when Mail for Windows moves a message into the .MMF file, it flags the headers in the .MBG file as if the message was deleted and it deletes the corresponding .MAI files. In this case, the inbox for the MS-DOS and Macintosh clients are empty.

Additional reference words: 3.00 3.20
KBCategory: kbusage kbtlc
KBSubCategory: MailPCWin

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Last reviewed: October 24, 1995
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