Emails, A Strange Request

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shakes1

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Hi guys

There is a user who has a bit of a strange query.

The user has Outlook 2007. He wants to be able to use his email like a file system, that is: save emails onto an external drive, go to another PC and be able to access it immediately. (Think of saving multiple Word files on an external HDD and than being able to access it on any PC). The use of PST's is out of the question as the user does not want to import and export PST's constantly.

It is a strange query, but has anyone come accross the same question and perhaps have some ideas?
 
I suspect the closest you will get is to setup IMAP for them. Any other solution involves conversion processes and software to emulate mail services and mail clients.

With IMAP the 'directory' will be stored on the server, and then on any computer he wants, he can access this 'folder'.
 
bin3 said:
I suspect the closest you will get is to setup IMAP for them. Any other solution involves conversion processes and software to emulate mail services and mail clients.

With IMAP the 'directory' will be stored on the server, and then on any computer he wants, he can access this 'folder'.
Click to expand...

Hi there. IMAP won't work because the user does not want to go through any conversation process when utilising any PC. The idea is to utilise a whole file system within Outlook (and not a PST), which I suspect cannot be done.
 
shakes1 said:
Hi there. IMAP won't work because the user does not want to go through any conversation process when utilising any PC. The idea is to utilise a whole file system within Outlook (and not a PST), which I suspect cannot be done.
Click to expand...

Yip, I suspect you are right. Kinda why I mentioned any other solution involves external processes. Only with IMAP would you be able to access directory based services with normal mail user agents without having to install proprietary software.

Tell the user to suck it up or to go rent a post box.
 
Or just forward all mails to gmail?

Ja, luser can suck it up, expecting too much.

I prefer working with gmail, my mail's everywhere :D
 
Well Emails can be saved from Outlook to EML which can be opened in Outlook/Express/Mail for Windows/Thunderbird by doubleclicking,but the filenames are generated by subject,which can get a bit nonsensical
 
I'm with you guys, the export to .eml also won't work as the user wants to work on it as a live file system. Anyone have any links that I can show to the user about how Outlook saves emails and this issue? You know, proof that I'm not talking nonsense.
 
We use an exchange server so user just logs in with there own name and can access there email from anywhere (or they can use OWA and access from internet explorer).

If I was forced to set up the above without exchange I would put the users .pst onto a network share and access it from there. If it is not always on a network you can put the .pst onto an external drive and set it up for each computer manually but he will have to be very sure the drive is plugged in and running before he opens outlook then he will have to close outlook, be dead sure it is closed and then safely remove each time.
I forsee many issues with the above mostly involving data corruption if he makes a mistake in removing the drive or has a network faliure.
 
bin3 said:
Ditto: My first mail in my gmail is still "Welcome to Gmail beta ..." and sitting on about 2.1GB of 7.1
Click to expand...

Love my gmail,

My first email is similar to yours, back in the day when you needed an invite for a gmail account. on 2026mb now.
 
Just drag your emails from outlook into folders.As long as a machine has the outlook client installed you will be able to open the emails
 
shakes1 said:
The user has Outlook 2007. He wants to be able to use his email like a file system... external HDD and than being able to access it on any PC. The use of PST's is out of the question as the user does not want to import and export PST's constantly.
Click to expand...

AstroTurf said:
If I was forced to set up the above without exchange I would put the users .pst onto a network share and access it from there. If it is not always on a network you can put the .pst onto an external drive and set it up for each computer manually but he will have to be very sure the drive is plugged in and running before he opens outlook then he will have to close outlook, be dead sure it is closed and then safely remove each time.
I forsee many issues with the above mostly involving data corruption if he makes a mistake in removing the drive or has a network faliure.
Click to expand...

+1
Can be done and I'm currently running this for one of my POP mail accounts. No importing/exporting is necessary if done correctly...

I run MS Outlook 2007 at home on my PC as well as on my laptop. I have a shared network drive on my home PC and connect the laptop wirelessly. The shared network drive is also accessible from the web, where required.
(could also use a portable HDD if you wish - as long as you make the HDD drive letter/path static on all PC's you're accessing the PST file on)

My common Outlook PST file named "Yahoo.pst" is stored in a folder called "MAIL" on my shared network drive.
Both the PC and the laptop have Outlook set up exactly the same, with the Data File pointed to the \\shared drive name\MAIL\Yahoo.pst on both machines.

I can access the same PST from either machine, just as long as Outlook is not open at the same time on both machines... no problems so far, and have been running this for a while :)
...in fact, I'll be loading the same profile onto my work PC next week, so I can also access the PST/e-mail from the office...
 
Last edited:
To add to what others have said, gmail is the answer, never have to worry about lost/corrupted emails ever again. From your professional correspondence, down to those dodge accounts, all in one place.
 
shakes1 said:
Hi there, does the PST not get corrupted by frequently using the extenal HDD?
Click to expand...

Only if the user does not close outlook (and verify it is closed in the task manager\processes) then safely remove the hard drive he will eventually end up not closing the .pst properly and this may or may not cause temprorary corruption (where outlook will fix the problem but not let him access emails till it has done so) or more permanent corruption (where you will be messing around with pst repair tools for a few days and possibly spending cash on paid for versions that may or may not fix the problem).
 
shakes1 said:
Hi there, does the PST not get corrupted by frequently using the extenal HDD?
Click to expand...

AstroTurf said:
Only if the user does not close outlook (and verify it is closed in the task manager\processes) then safely remove the hard drive he will eventually end up not closing the .pst properly and this may or may not cause temprorary corruption (where outlook will fix the problem but not let him access emails till it has done so) or more permanent corruption (where you will be messing around with pst repair tools for a few days and possibly spending cash on paid for versions that may or may not fix the problem).
Click to expand...

As AstroTurf said, only if not closed down properly - I personally have not experienced any issues at all using this method, using XP as well as Win 7 O/S's over the years.

I will however say that I have a dedicated "drive" for this purpose - it's actually a 2GB SuperTalent ready-boost drive (166x) that plugs directly into my motherboard 9-pin USB connector. I have this shared on my network as a network device.

SuperTalent_Exelerator.jpg
 
howardb said:
As AstroTurf said, only if not closed down properly - I personally have not experienced any issues at all using this method, using XP as well as Win 7 O/S's over the years.

I will however say that I have a dedicated "drive" for this purpose - it's actually a 2GB SuperTalent ready-boost drive (166x) that plugs directly into my motherboard 9-pin USB connector. I have this shared on my network as a network device.

SuperTalent_Exelerator.jpg
Click to expand...

The only real problem is between keyboard and chair...
 
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