Quick Question about Outlook PST file

[BonzaiDuck]

I have a laptop on which I've installed a dual-boot configuration of Windows 7 and Windows 10. They exist on the same hard drive, with logical volumes for each OS.

So far, this is stellar and trouble-free.

My licensed software is installed on both volumes and OS's. No problem there, either.

One of these is the MS Office Home and Business 2010 suite. I've been using Outlook for e-mail since the mid-1990s, and don't intend to change.

If I configure the Win 7 and Win 10 installations of Outlook 2010 to access the same PST file, will there be any problem with that? What sort of problem, if any?

I would think, since only one OS will be operative at any given time, and since there's no problem with the dual Office installations, that the PST file would simply reflect e-mail receipts and mail sent regardless of the booted OS and Office 10 installation. How would this be a problem?

 

[Dahak]

I believe you should be ok, its been a while since I have done it, think i did it between 7 and 8 when 8 was new

I know different version of Outlook 2010 and Outlook 2013, for the same pst file will not work

The only thing that might not work in your favor is depending on how your account is setup, unless you have it set to delete the messages after downloading them they may re-download in the other windows

 

[Ketchup]

Are you still using pop for your email? Or do you have a space limitation?

Other than those two reasons, I don't know why you would worry about it. My personal email files aren't that big, and with imap they all sync anyway. So I just let all my OS installations keep their own PST files in the default locations.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

Are you still using pop for your email? Or do you have a space limitation?

Other than those two reasons, I don't know why you would worry about it. My personal email files aren't that big, and with imap they all sync anyway. So I just let all my OS installations keep their own PST files in the default locations.

I think I'd experimented with imap many years ago.

I grew addicted to Outlook years ago. In some cases I would configure Outlook Express when it came with the OS.

But I grew accustomed to setting it up with the POP settings. I depend enough on uninterrupted e-mail communication that I'm not inclined to experiment often with it.

Could you explain this further about synching under IMAP?

 

[mikeymikec]

I know different version of Outlook 2010 and Outlook 2013, for the same pst file will not work

Really? I thought the last time a pst file format change occurred was in 2007 (>2GB pst file support)?

 

[Ketchup]

I think I'd experimented with imap many years ago.

I grew addicted to Outlook years ago. In some cases I would configure Outlook Express when it came with the OS.

But I grew accustomed to setting it up with the POP settings. I depend enough on uninterrupted e-mail communication that I'm not inclined to experiment often with it.

Could you explain this further about synching under IMAP?

IMAP syncs automatically, so all you need to do is change your account. I know with my home account through our local carrier, I added our email account under IMAP, then dragged the folders and email over to the IMAP folders before removing the POP. And that's it. Now every time you add email access to another machine, your email will be in sync with every other device that access it through IMAP.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

IMAP syncs automatically, so all you need to do is change your account. I know with my home account through our local carrier, I added our email account under IMAP, then dragged the folders and email over to the IMAP folders before removing the POP. And that's it. Now every time you add email access to another machine, your email will be in sync with every other device that access it through IMAP.

Thanks -- and check my PM response to your WMC PM.

I'll have to try that. Or -- experiment with a machine I can afford to go without e-mail for some hours or days.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

IMAP syncs automatically, so all you need to do is change your account. I know with my home account through our local carrier, I added our email account under IMAP, then dragged the folders and email over to the IMAP folders before removing the POP. And that's it. Now every time you add email access to another machine, your email will be in sync with every other device that access it through IMAP.

I could've seen the move to IMAP on the horizon: people want to keep their handheld beam-me-up-scotty devices all accessing the same e-mail account.

I've got to get over my phobias. For some reason, though, I like having a local repository of my entire e-mail archives going back to 1993.

It makes for good reading, ya see . . .

On the POP front, a single machine configured to dual-boot Win 7 and Win 10, with the same Office 2010 Outlook configured for either and both OS's, will manage a single PST file without a hitch.

No pinch, no sweat. NOw I only need to wait for my receipt from Duluth Trading to come in about those jockey-shorts. Won't matter which OS is loaded.

 

[Dahak]

Really? I thought the last time a pst file format change occurred was in 2007 (>2GB pst file support)?

Yeah, its odd, as every time I opened the 2013 it wanted to update the pst and then it would not work in 2010... anyway.... no big deal haven't bother in about a year now

 

[BonzaiDuck]

Yeah, its odd, as every time I opened the 2013 it wanted to update the pst and then it would not work in 2010... anyway.... no big deal haven't bother in about a year now

Even if the file is basically the same, you might be asking for trouble working with different successive software versions.

But this works with Outlook 2010 installed for both Win 7 and Win 10, accessing the same file. No problem at all.

 

[mikeymikec]

Outlook PST problems between versions - I don't think this is down to the file format, I think it's down to MS's fetish for things like CLSIDs (ie. long spurious ID numbers that get in the way of users doing odd and flexible things).

For example, user A's computer needs a new disk because the old one is failing. It's not feasible to do a system image, so a new Windows install is required as well as a new user set up for A to use. Outlook (same version) is configured the same way it was before, and in theory you can just plonk the old PST file in the place of the new one and Outlook should just start using it as if nothing has changed. In my experience, what actually happens is that Outlook then starts doing some very odd things, contacts don't get saved in the main contacts area, etc. I think it's because a random ID is attached to each e-mail account in both the registry and the PST file, so the two have to match in order for Outlook to play nice with the PST file. Hence in this scenario I always tell Outlook to import the old Outlook PST file data into the new PST file it created when the new Outlook profile was set up.

I would be curious to know if someone could try setting up an arbitrary PST file in one Outlook version (as opposed to having it created during an email account setup), throw some emails into it, and have another version of Outlook attempt to plug into it?

 

[BonzaiDuck]

Outlook PST problems between versions - I don't think this is down to the file format, I think it's down to MS's fetish for things like CLSIDs (ie. long spurious ID numbers that get in the way of users doing odd and flexible things).

For example, user A's computer needs a new disk because the old one is failing. It's not feasible to do a system image, so a new Windows install is required as well as a new user set up for A to use. Outlook (same version) is configured the same way it was before, and in theory you can just plonk the old PST file in the place of the new one and Outlook should just start using it as if nothing has changed. In my experience, what actually happens is that Outlook then starts doing some very odd things, contacts don't get saved in the main contacts area, etc. I think it's because a random ID is attached to each e-mail account in both the registry and the PST file, so the two have to match in order for Outlook to play nice with the PST file. Hence in this scenario I always tell Outlook to import the old Outlook PST file data into the new PST file it created when the new Outlook profile was set up.

I would be curious to know if someone could try setting up an arbitrary PST file in one Outlook version (as opposed to having it created during an email account setup), throw some emails into it, and have another version of Outlook attempt to plug into it?

I"d like to oblige your curiosity, but it's not the sort of thing I'm willing to attempt doing.

I may eventually change over from a POP3 configuration to IMAP. But I like having a local database of all my e-mails going back to 1993. With IMAP, it wouldn't matter which version of Outlook, which beam-me-up-Scotty mobile device -- e-mail would just be synched for one account and address -- period.

Look at it another way. The laptop I've been upgrading to dual-boot Win7/Win10 was equipped with Office (standard) 2003, and I'm quite sure that 13-year-old software would run flawlessly on Win 10. But I'd lost the install disc for it, even if I have the product key, and I found an Office 2010 Home/Business for $100. Either way -- 2003 or 2010 -- both the Win 7 and Win 10 OSes would allow for dual Outlook installs (for each OS) to access the same file -- no problem. But in this scenario, there'd be no need to install Outlook 2003 on Win 7 and Outlook 2010 (or later) for Win 10.