Configure outlook over multiple OS.

Here's the take:
I three bootable partitions each dedicated to each own OS and a fourth large
partition dedicated to software and documents. Two of the OSs I run are
Windows XP and Windows 7, each of which have Microsoft Office 2007 (all
software courtesy of MSDN Academic Alliance). This is where it gets tricky:
as I try to set up the five email accounts, one of them POP3, one over
special hotmail plug-in, and three over IMAP, I face a few problems:
1. When I try to put the pst files of IMAP or the hotmail accounts off of
the drive "C" where operating system is and into a directory on drive "D"
where I like to keep all the data, then re-map the corresponding email
accounts through control panel to use the pst files in their new locations on
a different drive... As soon as I close the control panel and start Outlook,
the program creates new pst files in where the old files were on drive "C"
and re-maps the email accounts back to their default locations for data files
(which is much less than acceptable).
2. When I put the data file of the POP3 account in its new location and then
re-map the account to use it, it works just fine. That is until I start in
another Windows installation and create an email account with same settings
using the same data file. As soon as I start outlook then, the program starts
downloading all of the messages off the account into the file, and not just
the new ones, ignoring any messages that are already in there. What I'm left
with is an unread duplicate of every message.

So in the end I'm left with two installations of outlook on two different
operating systems which use the same five email accounts, four of which have
two data files each one on each operating system's drive, and a single data
file for the fifth email account with two copies of each message.

What I want to achieve is outlook setups on two operating systems which use
the same five email accounts and whatever changes are made in outlook in one
operating system (like downloaded messages, sent messages, read/unread
messages) are reflected in outlook in the other operating system when it is
loaded. Of course with a separate data file for each email account,
preferably on a third drive dedicated to data.

As an option, it would be nice to share a single installation of outlook (or
even the whole office suite) between the two operating systems, since now I
have one installation for Windows XP and Windows 7 each.

Anyone have any ideas on how to establish such system?

P.S. I tried to rig Windows 7 outlook to use data files on the Windows XP
installation of outlook and vice-versa, but with no avail, as it just keeps
reverting to "default" every time outlook starts.

P.P.S. I expect someone being curious as to the third operating system I
talked about in the beginning, it is a linux installation, this being said,
there's not much point in talking here about how to synchronize it with
Outlook, unless anyone is actually interested in this topic.

What you want is not possible - downloaded data is linked to a GUID and that
changes with each installation.

1. See http://www.slipstick.com/config/moveimap.asp for the proper method to
use to move imap. Hotmail connector can't be moved. The data will resync
each time you change partitions.

2. The data about the downloaded POP messages is stored in the pst but is
tied to the outlook and windows profiles so the behavior you're seeing is by
design.


--
Diane Poremsky [MVP - Outlook]
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"Nomenator" <Nomenator.DeleteThis@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:36F29064-246C-4B1C-A767-1442519DC80D@microsoft.com...
> Here's the take:
> I three bootable partitions each dedicated to each own OS and a fourth
> large
> partition dedicated to software and documents. Two of the OSs I run are
> Windows XP and Windows 7, each of which have Microsoft Office 2007 (all
> software courtesy of MSDN Academic Alliance). This is where it gets
> tricky:
> as I try to set up the five email accounts, one of them POP3, one over
> special hotmail plug-in, and three over IMAP, I face a few problems:
> 1. When I try to put the pst files of IMAP or the hotmail accounts off of
> the drive "C" where operating system is and into a directory on drive "D"
> where I like to keep all the data, then re-map the corresponding email
> accounts through control panel to use the pst files in their new locations
> on
> a different drive... As soon as I close the control panel and start
> Outlook,
> the program creates new pst files in where the old files were on drive "C"
> and re-maps the email accounts back to their default locations for data
> files
> (which is much less than acceptable).
> 2. When I put the data file of the POP3 account in its new location and
> then
> re-map the account to use it, it works just fine. That is until I start in
> another Windows installation and create an email account with same
> settings
> using the same data file. As soon as I start outlook then, the program
> starts
> downloading all of the messages off the account into the file, and not
> just
> the new ones, ignoring any messages that are already in there. What I'm
> left
> with is an unread duplicate of every message.
>
> So in the end I'm left with two installations of outlook on two different
> operating systems which use the same five email accounts, four of which
> have
> two data files each one on each operating system's drive, and a single
> data
> file for the fifth email account with two copies of each message.
>
> What I want to achieve is outlook setups on two operating systems which
> use
> the same five email accounts and whatever changes are made in outlook in
> one
> operating system (like downloaded messages, sent messages, read/unread
> messages) are reflected in outlook in the other operating system when it
> is
> loaded. Of course with a separate data file for each email account,
> preferably on a third drive dedicated to data.
>
> As an option, it would be nice to share a single installation of outlook
> (or
> even the whole office suite) between the two operating systems, since now
> I
> have one installation for Windows XP and Windows 7 each.
>
> Anyone have any ideas on how to establish such system?
>
> P.S. I tried to rig Windows 7 outlook to use data files on the Windows XP
> installation of outlook and vice-versa, but with no avail, as it just
> keeps
> reverting to "default" every time outlook starts.
>
> P.P.S. I expect someone being curious as to the third operating system I
> talked about in the beginning, it is a linux installation, this being
> said,
> there's not much point in talking here about how to synchronize it with
> Outlook, unless anyone is actually interested in this topic.