Problem with multiple PST's

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gsouders
Posts: 29
Joined: Fri Apr 07, 2006 8:36 am

Problem with multiple PST's

Post by gsouders »

Hi Support,

I have a problem when using multiple PST's. One of my clients PST was approaching the 2 GB limit. He is running Outlook 2002 the version that comes with Office XP and ExOulookSync Pro 1.61. He has 4 email accounts so I decided to to split his email into 4 seperate PST's.

I created the 4 new PST's in Outlook. Each PST only contained a Deleted Items folder. I added an Inbox folder to all 4 of the PST's. Then I moved the messages from the main PST to the 4 new PST's Inbox folders. I then use rules in Outlook to filter the messages as they come in to the Inbox of the appropriate PST.

The next step was to create 4 new profiles to sync the new PST files. The problem I have is when I select one of the new PST's for the Source and Target. EzOutlookSync is adding a Sent Items and Outbox folder to each of the new PST's. This occurs immediately even if I never run a sync. The new folders cannot be deleted. The Inbox is also changed from a user created folder that can be deleted to an Inbox that cannot be deleted.

This makes things confusing for my client. The Outbox folders in the new PST's will never be used since all outgoing messages go out of the main PST's Outbox. The Sent Items folder will also never be used since the all messages that are sent will reside in the main PST's Sent Items.

Why is EzOutlookSync creating Outbox and Sent Items folders and changing the Inbox to not deletable in the new PST's? I will look forward to your reply and thanks for the support...
admin
Site Admin
Posts: 660
Joined: Mon Jan 03, 2005 5:21 pm

Post by admin »

Standard folders are being always created if accessing a new PST file via MAPI, just what EZOS Pro does. We may try to bypass that by creating a new file not in EZOS but in Outlook.. Although, I doubt there'll be any difference. Will try anyway and let you know the outcome. Thanks.
admin
Site Admin
Posts: 660
Joined: Mon Jan 03, 2005 5:21 pm

Post by admin »

Meanwhile please try not to create the Inbox folder in newly created PST file, will it appear after you open the file with EZOS?
Another way is to try to create the new PST file in EZOS and not in Outlook, will it make any difference?
gsouders
Posts: 29
Joined: Fri Apr 07, 2006 8:36 am

Post by gsouders »

Hi Admin,

Thanks for your reply and suggestions. I tried creating a new PST in Outlook on both machines. I did not create the Inbox which means the only folder was Deleted Items on both machines. When I attached to the new PST's in EZOS, the result was the same. EZOS created the Sent Items and Outbox folders. Next I tried to use EZOS to create the new PST's. The result was the same in that it created the Sent Items and Outbox folders.

I decided to try one more thing. This time I created a new PST in Outlook on both machines. I created the Inbox for both of the new PST's and moved a couple of messages to the Inbox on both machines. When I launched EZOS it defaulted to the the last PST's which was not the new PST's that I had just created. I then changed the source and target to point to the new PST's. In this case EZOS did not immediately create the Sent Items and Outbox folders. In fact I even ran a sync and the folders were still not created. I then closed EZOS and launched Outlook. The new PST's on both machines still only contain the Inbox and the Deleted Items folders. Unfortuately when I started EZOS again the Sent Items and Outbox folders were created in both PST's. It would seem that if the PST's were the last on display in EZOS then the folders will get created as soon as EZOS connects to the PST's.

I decided to investigate other products that use MAPI to see if the results were similiar. Please do not be offended as my client has no intention of switching to a different product. We feel that EZOS is superior to your competitors products. With that said I tested SyncPST. I was suprised that SyncPST does not create the additional folders. I was able to create a new PST on both machines using Outlook. I created an Inbox in both PST's and moved in a couple of messages. I selected the new PST's for the source and target. SyncPST does not create the Sent Items and Outbox folders. I then ran a sync and the folders were still not created. I then exited the program and restarted it. The folders were still not created and looks like they never will be.

I think this last test using SyncPST shows that the problem is not directly related to all products that use MAPI. I think that it must be the way that EZOS opens up the PST's that is causing the problem. I would also note that EZDR also has the same problem. I hope my testing will help you to isolate the problem and correct it. Please let me no if there is anything more I can do to help with this. Thanks for your support...
admin
Site Admin
Posts: 660
Joined: Mon Jan 03, 2005 5:21 pm

Post by admin »

Please download the following file:
http://www.ezoutlooksync.com/download/t ... yncPro.zip . Then unpack it into the program's directory and run the program. It should solve the problem with additional folders being created. Please let us know the result. Thanks.
Last edited by admin on Mon Jul 02, 2007 5:43 pm, edited 1 time in total.
gsouders
Posts: 29
Joined: Fri Apr 07, 2006 8:36 am

Post by gsouders »

Hi Admin,

Thanks for the reply and the link to the patch. Unfortunately the link does not work. When I click on the link I get page cannot be found. Perhaps you forgot to put the download in the Temp folder. Please place the file in the Temp folder and I will test it out. Thanks for your support...
admin
Site Admin
Posts: 660
Joined: Mon Jan 03, 2005 5:21 pm

Post by admin »

Opps, sorry. There was a dot at the end of the link. Now placed further after space. Please try now.
gsouders
Posts: 29
Joined: Fri Apr 07, 2006 8:36 am

Post by gsouders »

Thanks Admin,

I can get the file now. I will test it right now and let you no...
gsouders
Posts: 29
Joined: Fri Apr 07, 2006 8:36 am

Post by gsouders »

Hi Admin,

I just tested the patched version. The result is the same. I created a new PST in Outlook on both the source (local) and target(remote) machines. I created only the Inbox folder on both machines. As soon as I attached to the new PST on the source machine, the Sent Items and Outbox were created. When I attached to the new PST on the target machine, the Sent Items and Outbox were not yet created but were listed in grey and check marked. This means that as soon as I run a sync they would be created on the target machine as well. I hope this helps you to isolate the problem. Thanks for the support...
admin
Site Admin
Posts: 660
Joined: Mon Jan 03, 2005 5:21 pm

Post by admin »

Okay, seems the patched version works for the target machine and not for the source one. Are there any differences in between these two? Operating Systems, Outlook versions?

Please also try to create a new PST file from within EZOS - will it add any additional folders? Another way to test is to create a new PST on the source machine (not adding Inbox, leaving as it is just with the Deleted Items folder) and then opening the file in EZOS. Thanks.
gsouders
Posts: 29
Joined: Fri Apr 07, 2006 8:36 am

Post by gsouders »

Hi Admin,

I am testing this stuff on my machines which is not the same as my clients. I am running XP Home SP2 on the source and Win98 Second Edition on the target. I am running Outlook 2000 SP3 on both machines.
I do not think the OS should make any difference. I do think that running different versions of Outlook might make a difference but I am not doing that.

I have done more testing and it looks like it did not work for the target file as I stated earlier. I am sure that the sent items and outbox folders were greyed out and checked on the target. However this time I could not reproduce that result. The only thing that I can think of is that maybe I used a name that I had allready used before for the PST's. This time I made sure that I used a name that I had never used before for each test. Here are the test results...

TEST 1
______

Created new PST in Outlook on both source and target. PST's only contained a deleted items folder. The inbox, sent items and outbox were created on both source and target as soon as EZOS attached.

TEST 2
______

Created new PST in Outlook on both source and target. Created an inbox on both source and target. The inbox contained no messages. The sent items and outbox were created on both source and target as soon as EZOS attached.

TEST 3
______

Created new PST in Outlook on both source and target. Created an inbox on both source and target. Copied a couple of messages to the inbox on both source and target. The sent items and outbox were created on both source and target as soon as EZOS attached.

TEST 4
______

Create new PST in EZOS on both the source and target. The inbox, sent items and outbox were created on both source and target.
admin
Site Admin
Posts: 660
Joined: Mon Jan 03, 2005 5:21 pm

Post by admin »

Thanks, we now need to see a screenshot of the About window in order to be sure we're talking about the patched version, and not the previous one, which might have been downloaded not from the web site but from proxy or cache, for example.
gsouders
Posts: 29
Joined: Fri Apr 07, 2006 8:36 am

Post by gsouders »

Hi Admin,

I used Fullshot to snag a window capture of the About window. I am definately running the patched version. The version is EZOutlookSync Pro
v. 1.61 test. Unfortunately I do not no how to insert the picture in this reply. I see no way to include an attachment either. If you really need to see a picture then please instruct me how to insert an image. I sure would like to no how to attach a file to a post. Can you instruct me how to do this? Thanks and I look forward to your reply...
admin
Site Admin
Posts: 660
Joined: Mon Jan 03, 2005 5:21 pm

Post by admin »

gsouders, thanks, we were able to finally reproduce the problem ourselves even with the new patched version, therefore screenshot is not needed anymore. Working on the problem now, will post here when we have some updates on the issue.
admin
Site Admin
Posts: 660
Joined: Mon Jan 03, 2005 5:21 pm

Post by admin »

Ok, here's the update. All other programs that do not create additional folders use main Outlook MAPI profile for working with PST files. While we create our own MAPI profiles upon each opening/synchronization, thus leaving main Outlook profile untouched.

According to some MS, MAPI or whatever-you-call-it-rules it's a must for the default file in the profile to have not just Deleted Items folder but also Inbox, Sent items, etc. That's why there're no additional folders being created if using other programs (as they work through Outlook profile and there's always a default pst file with all sorts of folders) and there're additional folders presented if using EZOS (creates new profile adds a new PST file there, it becomes default, additional folders get added).

You can think okay, why not switch here and work with default Outlook MAPI profile instead? Well, it could bring even more problems:
1. If Outlook profile is damaged, the program will not be able to work through it - synchronization becomes impossible
2. Outlook profile might be locked or secured from adding additional files into it - synchronization becomes impossibe
3. Different Outlook versions might have different profile configuration settings. Synchronization becomes partly possible
4. If synchronization takes long time, you see these 2 PST files added in Outlook, which might be inconvenient and even disturbing
5. There could be some sort of Outlook plugin/add-on installed, which automatically starts working with connected files and if we add two new PST files into the profile then the plugin starts utilizing them, which isn't quite good

So, everything's not as simple as it might seem. When we work through our own profile - there're no such problems as described above.

What I'd suggest you:
- Always open file with the default set of folders first (doesn't matter whether it's a source or a target one)
- You can place old data into Outlook Archive file leaving less than 2 GB in the main one and work with it then

Thanks.
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