Outlook Express over LAN - NOW is Outlook with 2 profiles

[MoFunk]

OK so now that I am there, anyone want to take a crack at getting outlook to start with a specific profile, with it's own shortcut.

Example. I have an outlook icon that when I press it brings up outlook and asks me which profile to use. But is there a way to set up an icon called "Wife" and one called "Me" and then the "Wife" icon would bring up her profile and the "Me" icon would bring up mine?

 

[igowerf]

Set one of the computers as the server and share the Outlook express folder. Create a shortcut for her on the rest of the computers.

 

[onebadv6]

what I do is leave the mail on the server for x number of days. So if I check the email from any of the computers all will have the same messages on them within those number of days.

not a perfect solution but will work. the other thing you could do is change over to "the Bat". I would be very easy to do with that email client.

The Bat homepage

 

[ProviaFan]

Of course you could set up an Exchange server and use MS Outlook on all of your PCs, but for some odd reason I doubt you really want to get into something that complex. Why don't you check to see if your ISP has an IMAP server that you can get your mail from? That keeps the messages on the server without the terrible hassle of "leave messages on server for x days" when using POP with three or more computers.

 

[Confused]

I think I tried to do this last year sometime, but if i remember correctly, then OE won't allow you to use the files from a network share (such as \\computername\share\oe), but i didn't try it from mapping a drive.

I now use Outlook on my PCs around the house, and use the .pst file from a network share, and can access it from any machine, my machine, the server, the family pc, the laptop etc, but only one person can use it at once, obviously.

You could try mapping a network drive on the computers, and accessing it through that. If that doesn't work, and you have a copy of Outlook sitting round, then that will do what you want it to


Confused

 

[JackBurton]

That is actually a really good idea Confused. I didn't even think of that. Good suggestion.

 

[MoFunk]

Well part of the problem is that my wife (who is a woman) likes OE and does NOT want to change. Trust me, I have TRIED!!! I could get her to use outlook (maybe) but I use outlook on our main PC and do not want to set up seperate profiles in XP and stuff. The other option I thought of was setting up a terminal server session for her to get her e-mail with the garage server, but then she would complain about always having to bring up a TS to get her mail. Hmmm.... I will try to map the drive, then I may have to work at convincing her to switch e-mail clients.

 

[MoFunk]

I am playing around with this a bit at work and it appears that OE does not want to change the message store to a network drive. Mapped or not. Hmmm....

 

[ProviaFan]

Originally posted by: MoFunk
I am playing around with this a bit at work and it appears that OE does not want to change the message store to a network drive. Mapped or not. Hmmm....

Time to convert her to Outlook. It can be set up to look almost like OE, and it has more features (she might like the calendar, honey do... er... task list, etc.), and it can be made more secure than OE (again, if set up properly).

 

[MoFunk]

OK well you learn something new every day! I can set up Outlook XP for multiple profiles. I will just do that. Thanks for the help all.

OK so now that I am there, anyone want to take a crack at getting outlook to start with a specific profile, with it's own shortcut.

Example. I have an outlook icon that when I press it brings up outlook and asks me which profile to use. But is there a way to set up an icon called "Wife" and one called "Me" and then the "Wife" icon would bring up her profile and the "Me" icon would bring up mine?

 

[RaySun2Be]

I use Outlook, the wife uses Outlook Express. However, this is on a Win2KPro box, and we each have our own logon profiles. Yes, I make everyone login and logoff the PC. And since the Outlook and Outlook profiles are tied to the user id, there isn't a problem.

I would do the same in XP. There is no WAY I would give my daughter admin rights to the PC. In fact, the primary ID I use doesn't even have admin rights.

 

[Confused]

Edit the shortcut to be "C:\Program Files\Whatever\outlook.exe" /Profile <Profile_Name> (and make sure that the /profile bit is outside of the "s )


Garry

 

[MoFunk]

Thanks Garry, but that was a no go.

 

[SoulAssassin]

Assuming you're running an NT flavor, I would definitely set up different id's for everyone in the house. While you're at it, make them roaming profiles so if you move to another machine any emails you accessed on one will still be in your inbox on the other.

 

[Confused]

I would agree with the suggestion of using seperate user accounts within Windows, that would make it easiest. This is what I do at home.

Outlook Command Line Switches, should work in 2000/XP, not sure about 97 if you're using one that old.


Garry

 

[MoFunk]

Thanks Garry, I got it to work now. I was not using the quotes. I have speperate WinXP profiles for our computer in the front room but do not do it for the bedroom one. I am on that the most anyway and have the desktop set up how we both like it. Plus it just bothers me to have to sign into my home system all the time (I do that all day at work and really dont want to at home! ). So far it looks like this is the method that will work best for us and it get's her off of Outlook Express. So here is what we are doing.

Bedroom PC. Have 2 Outlook XP profiles set up now using a .PST file that is stored on the second HD of the bedroom PC and backuped up nightly to the garage server. Will set up the shortcuts tonight at home.

Frontroom PC has our individual profiles and each profile has outlook set up to point to it's own .PST file on the bedroom pc.

So she can now check her e-mail from the frontroom pc if she needs to, and so can I now for that matter. Thanks for all the help guys.