OL97: What Are Offline Folders and How Do You Use Them?
ID: Q161725
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The information in this article applies to:
SUMMARY
When you use Microsoft Outlook 97 with the Microsoft Exchange Server
Information Service, you have the ability to work with folders "offline."
That is, you can use the contents of a folder without a network connection,
which is beneficial for remote users. This article discusses how you can
create, use, and synchronize offline folders.
MORE INFORMATION
Offline folders are the quickest and easiest way to work offline with
Microsoft Exchange Server. Offline folders make it possible to take a
folder from the Exchange Server location, work with the contents of the
folder and when connected to the network, update (synchronize) the folders
to make them identical.
Offline folders are stored in an offline folder file (OST). This file is
located on your computer hard disk. The default location for the OST is
your current Windows folder and is available even when the network is down.
Like Personal Folders (PST), the OST can be compacted to save space on your
computer.
The difference between an Offline Folder file and a set of Personal Folders
is that the Offline Folder file starts as a mirror image of your folders on
the Exchange Server and works in conjunction with the Server during
synchronization. A set of Personal Folders, on the other hand, is simply a
storage location on your local disk or on a server other than the Exchange
Server.
When working offline, you can add, delete, and modify the contents of an
offline folder exactly as you do with a folder on a server. For example,
you can change and move items in your offline Inbox, send messages that are
placed in your offline Outbox, and read your offline public folders. In the
meantime, information on the server is still processing. You will continue
to receive new messages in your Mailbox while other users can add, delete,
and change items in public folders. However, you will not be aware of these
changes on the server until you connect to the network.
When you need to update the contents of the Offline folder and its
corresponding server folder so that they are identical, you synchronize the
folders and then continue to work offline. The Synchronize command (on the
Tools menu) connects to the server through Dial-Up Networking, copies the
changes made in each folder to the other folder, and then disconnects. Any
item that you delete from either the offline folder or the corresponding
server folder will be deleted from both after synchronization.
NOTE: Offline folders are only available with Microsoft Exchange Server.
Creating an Offline Folder File
To create an offline folder file, follow these steps:
- On the Tools menu, click Services.
- In the Services dialog box, select Microsoft Exchange Server, and then
click the Properties button.
- In the Microsoft Exchange Server dialog box, click the Advanced tab, and
then click the Offline Folder File Settings button.
- In the Offline Folder File Settings dialog box, in the File box, type
the path to the file you want to use as the offline folder file.
- If the message stating that the "<path><filename>.ost could not be
found. Would you like to create it?" appears, click the OK button.
- Click OK and OK.
NOTE: The client must be connected to the Exchange Server for the initial
creation and synchronization of the Offline Folder file.
All of the standard Outlook folders (Inbox, Outbox, Deleted Items, Sent
Items, Calendar, Contacts, Journal, Notes, and Tasks) on the Exchange
Server are now ready for offline use. You cannot selectively choose which
will be available for offline use and which will not be available. The
exceptions to this are Public Folders and any user defined folders. To set
Public Folders for offline use, see the Working with Public Folders Offline
section later in this article.
To set any user-defined folders for offline use, follow these steps:
- Right click on the user-defined folder and click Properties.
- Click the Synchronization Tab and select "When offline or online"
from the "This folder is available" section.
- Click OK.
You cannot use an OST file that had previously been used with a
different mailbox. Doing so produces the following error message:
The file <filename>.ost cannot be accessed because it
has been configured for use with a different mailbox.
NOTE: When logging into Windows, you cannot press ESCAPE when prompted for
the Windows password. If you do, you will not be able to access the OST
because the proper credential information has not been supplied. This is a
security feature.
Working with Public Folders Offline
To work with public folders offline, follow these steps:
- Using the right mouse button (right-click), click the public folder that
you want to work with, and click Copy "<FolderName>" on the shortcut
menu.
- In the Copy Folder dialog box, move to your Favorites Folder, and click
OK.
- From your Favorites Folder, right-click the newly copied folder, and
click Properties on the shortcut menu.
- Click the Synchronization Tab and select the "When Offline or online"
option under the "This folder is available" section.
- Click OK.
Your Public Folder is now ready for offline use. Each folder that you copy
to your Favorites Folder can now be selectively set for offline use.
To synchronize offline folders, use one of the following methods.
NOTE: When you synchronize, a log file appears as a message in your Deleted
Items folder. This log file contains information such as the time you
synchronized, the names of the folders synchronized, and the number of
items added.
Synchronizing a Specific Folder
To synchronize a specific folder, click the folder you want to synchronize,
click Synchronize on the Tools menu, and then click This Folder.
Synchronizing All Folders
To synchronize all your offline folders, on the Tools
menu, click Synchronize and then click All Folders.
Automatically Synchronizing All Folders When You Quit Outlook
To automatically synchronize all folders when you quit Outlook:
- Click Options on the Tools Menu.
- Click the General tab and click to select "When
online, synchronize all folders upon exiting."
- Click OK.
All folders which are set to be available while offline will now be
automatically synchronized when you quit Outlook. It is important to
Synchronize and download the Address book before you logoff from your
Exchange Server when going on the road. This is particularly important when
going on the road for the first time. This will ensure that all your
offline folders will be updated before you leave.
To download your address book, use the following steps:
- Click Synchronize on the Tools menu and select Download Address Book.
- Select to either Download the offline address book with or without
details information and click OK.
Note that the Download Offline Address Book dialog contains information
concerning the ramifications of downloading without detail information.
NOTE: Outlook's Remote Mail feature is not available if you are set for
Offline Folder Use. For more detailed information about Remote Mail and
how to use it, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge
Base:
Q162046 OL97: Remote Mail, Offline Folders, and Working Offline
Additional query words:
exfaqclnt exclnfaqold
Keywords : GnlFold
Version : WINDOWS:97
Platform : WINDOWS
Issue type : kbhowto
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