Yo, Large Tuna

[cx]

You bein' a new, apparently knowledgable guy here, I don't know if you are a Windows guy.

You know Outlook Express?

C(wantsta axe his same ol' transfer Q)X :)

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[Big Tuna]

Howdy!

Microsofts Outlook Express is one thing that I know nothing about and don't want to either! It is known that 90% of virus's are aimed at exploiting it's weaknesses so I have stayed VERY far away from it!

Sorry...Bob

[Bud Cline]

Oh,oh!

[jlbos83]

I know enough about OE to get in trouble sometimes, or might be able to find out. What's the question?

As far as viruses go, it is important to make sure you that the most recent updates to OE. Also, you can use software that prevents other programs from sending e-mail or otherwise accessing the Internet, and from running scripts inside of e-mail. I have not looked into these recently, as I am happy with what I am running (from Computer Associates, they used to supply it free for individuals. They now support the existing installations, but if you want it new you have to buy), but I expect that the latests versions of Norton and MacAffee have these features. A firewall is a good idea, too. That you can get free from zonelabs.com (the free one is hidden at the bottom of the page), and probably other places as well.

Enough about that. I will help if I can. You guys are so generous with your professional knowledge that I am happy to try to give what I can in exchange.

Jeff

[cx]

Jeff:

The question is about transfering OE files from one computer to another - as in: how the hell do you do it?

I use a desktop most of the time. I have a laptop that is my sole source of email (with a cell phone connection) for about three months of the year (another story).

What I want to be able to do is transfer email files back and forth between the machines to synchronise them. Can't find a way to do that. Only way I have been given to xfer en mass, gives duplicates of all messages with each xfer. End up with MANY duplicates that can only be removed one at a time (lesson learned the hard way).

You know how to do this?

Many, many beers could be yours for a solution - beer seeming to be the recognized currency on this site. If you, like myownself, don't trade in this currency, other methods of payment can be arranged. :D

[jlbos83]

cx,
Let me stew on that a bit, I'll let you know. Seems like one of those things where 'there ought to be a way'....

[cx]

"There aughta be a way" is what I been sayin' since about last July. Seems to me it should be simple as hell, but I've picked a lot of brains and so far all I've gotten is slimy grey stuff.

Answer gets really important again come the end of March, so there's time to ponder. Thanks.

[John Bridge]

Hey, just because you don't drink beer doesn't mean you have to bad mouth Rob and all other guzzlers around here, you know. ;)

[jlbos83]

Not much of a beer drinker myself, but more than will ing to trade my advice (worth the price charged, as one of you says) for you advice....

Still stewing.....

[JC]

CX, why can't you just use a web based email client? You know like Hotmail.com(although I would not use that particular one personally).

Does'nt take up space on your PC and you can access from anywhere on any computer...no need to transfer anything.

Oh yea and you much more protected from viruses too.


Heres what I use:

http://www.anonymous.to/

Luckily Opera allows me to disable the pop-ups that come with it.God I love this new browser..Cami do you have Opera 6.0 or the old one?

[Cami A]

JC, I'm (almost) as cheap as you- of course I didn't get the one you have to pay for! Although I do have to admit that I'd pay for Opera rather than go back to IE.

Cx, it does seem that hotmail would be easier for you. I'm guessing that you probably don't use OE's pretty stationery and font options too much, anyhow. I use the hotmail addy for everything except family members and bill paying.

[kdzgon]

CX,

This function is still not built into Outlook, plus you did not specify which version you are using. Even so, there are several possibilities, though I will admit none are "perfect". You could sort your e-mail into dated folders before transferring, you could store them (or a backup copy of them) on a free virtual hard drive accessible via the web, or you could synch them through a hand held such as a Palm Pilot or a Handspring etc.

The easiest way may be to use Briefcase in Windows. Go here http://www.slipstick.com/outlook/sync.htm for a list of options, but I warn you: be ready to have your head swimming if you are not very familiar with computer operations! :) Just take your time and read through the options a few times. Be sure to scroll down to Windows Briefcase (it starts out with " This solution comes from F.E. Froelich...").

Good luck!

Laurie

[cx]

Laurie:

Thanks. I'll have a better look at that info. Looks like it's still not solved, although I'm constantly amazed at that. Just don't understand why they can't just be treated like any other file and moved about at will. Clearly there is much I don't understand.

I could check to see what versions of OE I'm running if it's really a factor. I expect it's not the same on both machines - laptop runs Windows 98 and this desktop runs ME. Suppose it could be the same version, but I'll have to fire up the laptop (find it first?) to see. I need to do that anyway, 'cause it will be my only email link again in a couple months. Y'all gonna miss me?

For sure I need to look further into the "briefcase" function. That's exactly what I allegedly have the damn laptop for anyway, but I've never really used the briefcase thingee at all. Thought I would use it a lot, but I greatly overestimated the real on-site usefullness of the laptop in the construction business. Turns out to be very usefull in the wilderness though. We learn.

JC:

I'll look into one of them hotmail type thingees for use this year, but that still doesn't solve my problem. Actually, when I have to use the cell phone for my only email connection, it doesn't make a dime's worth of difference who I have to call, so using my regular ISP isn't a problem. And even if I had a different email server, how would that help me aggregate my email information from one machine to the other anyway? That's the big issue. Lot of it is for business and I need to be able to put it all in one (or two) places eventually. It's just a real bitch when you fire up one machine and receive some email, maybe respond to it, later fire up the other machine, receive more email on the same subject, respond to it, then need to have it all in one place - not a cyberspace place, but a real place - to deal with at a later date. Am I missing something important here? Or am I the only person in the world with this problem?

And changing to another OS is not out of the realm of possibility some day. Especially if I could do it just on the laptop until I could decide if I wanted to make it permanent. That way I'd still have my Windows on the desktop for a security blanket. Might just screw up the courage one day to empty the laptop and get me one of them programs you use (linux is it?) and just stick it in there and commence learnin'. How much do that cost, anyway?

Lord, lord, lord, I can still remember when I didn't really give a shit if I had a computer at all! And it ain't been all that long ago, either.

Where's John when I need a good Ludite discussion? :)

Cami:

Ol' CX, he actually likes to use them pretty stationeries and colored fonts - except you can't send the damn things to most AOL peoples and some others. :o

[Cami A]

Cx, just when ya think ya know someone... :D

Must be I didn't explain hotmail too well- really, I swear, it would work...all your messages go to one place. It doesn't matter which 'puter you use to access it- your home, your laptop, my computer, whatever. Then you can sort them into folders to keep things organized if you like. I've never had any messages deleted or lost, but for important stuff, there's no reason why you couldn't copy stuff to whichever 'puter or disk or zip file.... It also makes it easy when you change ISPs or the OS, 'cause hotmail stays the same.

[kdzgon]

The version of OE (or the full featured Outlook, as opposed to OE) makes a difference in that the steps you would take may differ.

Hotmail works by keeping all your mail in one place, on the web. So, no matter where you'd access it from, you can see all your mail, because it is on Hotmail's server, not your actual computer. When you are using Outlook, you probably have your options set to automatically move the messages to your machine when you access your mail. You do have an option of just downloading a copy of your mail (thus, leaving the original with your e-mail provider), but I don't think that's the best solution for you.

Whether Hotmail would work or not will depend in part how often you have net access (with Hotmail, you cannot read your messages unless you are online) and how much e-mail you get (there are storage limits). Also, be aware that Hotmail now requires you access your account on a regular basis (once a month?), or they will disable your account and delete all your mail, new & saved. I lost everything on my hotmail account when I had computer problems and could not get online for a while.

Buy a Palm, CX - it's much easier to carry around than a laptop to access your e-mail, anyway! Plus, syncing is a snap :)

Linux is free - go here: http://www.linux.org/ to learn more, and/or download. You can also buy Partition Commander ($50-$60) and set up a whole different bootable partition on your main machine, load Linux on it and try it out. You do not need to disturb any of your original setup - both are very stable, very easy to use.

[cx]

Part of the reason I'm not understanding the value of having all my emails stored in cyberspace, rather than in my own machine is - I'm kinda dense.

Another reason may be that I don't 'splain that part of the problem with the laptop out in the wilderness is that the only connection with the ether is through a cell phone. The MAX possible speed of the connection is 9600bps, which is seldom (read, never) achieved. Real operating speed is 4800bps, and that's not a typo.

So. Downloads are timed with a calendar, and the other connection rate to be considered is 35 cents per minute after the package minutes on the phone contract are used up, which usually occurs about half way through the billing cycle.

So. Dawdling on the internet like at home is not an option. Actually, GETTING ON the internet is not an option. Drive up to the nearest place where cell service is available (some miles in many cases), dial up and check the mail, hang up and read the mail, type responses, dial up and send the mail. Sometimes get through on the first try, many times not. Tick, tick, tick. Use up them minutes.

Don't know anything about them there palm thingees. Do know I spent most of $400 making my laptop and my cell phone learn to work together for the common good. Do them Palm Pilots call home on their own? If not, maybe I don't need to look that direction just yet.

I've printed out the post about using Briefcase from that site Laurie posted about Outlook. I've read it a gaggle of times. I fear I just don't know enough to proceed. Like how to "create a directory for the two Outlook files". And I haven't yet even tried to find the alleged "Mailbox.pst and "Mailbox.pab", but I will. I think the plan may be close to what I need, but now I need to figger out how to do the plan.

Well, enough for now. Gotta get ready to go to my Ludites Anonymous meeting. I'll miss John there tonight.

[kdzgon]

cx,

Here is something else to try out. This service is free, and will notify you when you receive new e-mails on up to eight (8) different password protected mail accounts. Although you can read the messages, it leaves them on your original server. That means you should still be able to access the same messages from both your laptop and your desktop machines. Just be sure to store the messages in folders at your ISP, as most will automatically delete read messages after a certain amt of time.

Go to http://www.eprompter.com/ for more info.

Laurie

[cx]

Ms. Laurie:

You are so sweet to keep working on my dilemma.

Those keep-your-files-somewhere-else things may be most useful to real people, but I don't know what benefit I would derive. I can opt to leave a copy of incoming email on my server as it is now, but that solves none of my problems, especially since that only applies to incoming.

Being able to access incoming messages from both computers is seldom an advantage for me. When I'm at home, I use only the desktop; when I'm working in the mountains of NM for about three months, I use only the laptop for internet connection through a cell phone. Only occasionally will I have an opportunity (maybe three or four times during the three months) to connect the laptop to a real phone line.

That's why all I want to be able to do is move the email files (both incoming and outgoing, just for record keeping) from the laptop to the desktop for access during the other nine months of the year.

I still haven't taken the time to try any of the methods (including the "Briefcase" function) from that link you provided earlier, so I can't yet say one of them will/will not work. It's not that I'm ungrateful, mind you, just been busy (read lazy). When I am on the road again and required to use the laptop, the incentive will be greater, and maybe I'll figure it out. Unfortunately, at that point I won't be able to get on here and continue whining and axing for another solution. :)

But in July I'll let you know if it worked.

[kdzgon]

cx,

actually, if I were being honest, I'd have to say I posted that info yesterday because I happened to come across it, and I remembered your dilemma - I wasn't really "working" on your problem. I wasn't aware that you wanted to access both outgoing and incoming mail, but leaving a copy of your mail on the server will still help. You should have a folder called "sent" messages (or something similar), so you should be able to access both, but I don't think that is the best solution due to your connection during that time of year.

I have to tell you, when I am working off of two machines, I never use briefcase. Before my PDA (avail for as little as $100 nowadays) I just created dated folders (5-12-01LAPTOP, or May20GTWY, etc - month first, to make it easier to sort), and put everything current in that folder. I usually stored everything on a zip disk when doing that, but if I wanted to move it from one machine to another, I just dragged it to a disk and then dragged it off the disk to my laptop, or vice versa. I use the dated files as transfer files only - I combine them into my filed messages, but you can do whatever makes it easier for you to find the messages.

PDA software makes it a snap, though. Synch everything (between computers) through the handheld - you do not need to access the web through the handheld.

If you have questions when you are ready to address this issue, feel free to e-mail me, and we can talk over the phone - I'll guide you through the options step-by-step if you'd like.

Laurie

[John Bridge]

Hi Laurie,

The idea of making folders that are named for dates is astounding! Yeah, yeah, don't tell me I'm the only guy who's not doing it. Sometimes it's the simple things that evade us. :)

[Cami A]

Really? I figured everyone kept 'em organized by dates.

Sheilahttp://www.hallospass.de/gif/minigif/personen/minipersonen055.gif

Janehttp://www.hallospass.de/gif/minigif/essentrinken/mininahrung029.gif

Your first wifehttp://www.hallospass.de/gif/minigif/personen/minipersonen031.gif



Sharonhttp://www.hallospass.de/gif/minigif/tiere/minitiere117.gif


How else would all you guys keep track of all your women?




[Edited by Cami A on 02-19-2002 at 11:01 PM]

[flatfloor]

Tracking is really easy Cami 1)expense checks 2)alimony checks 3)feed bill checks.

[Rob Z]

How did you know about my ex?

[Cami A]

Ummm..so how many wives does the average tile guy (or slc guy :D) go through?

[flatfloor]

Depends, do reruns count? :D

[cx]

Come - on, flatfloor, wouldn't no woman do THAT twice. :D

[flatfloor]

Wellll, maybe I am exagerating, but just a little :D

[John Bridge]

This average tile person has used up one-and-one-half wives. I mean I used up the first one, but Patti is only about half used at present. I guess a lot depends on how much longer I live. ;)

[Rob Z]

Cami

For me...TWO.

It's kinda like a template for cutting an expensive piece of stone. Need the first time to know how to get it right for good.

Kind of romantic, isn't it?? :)

[Cami A]

"Used up" one and a half. I think it's safe to assume that Patti doesn't read these boards.

Romantic...um, ok, Rob. :D

I guess as long as you introduce Christina as your "last wife"...

[flatfloor]

Current is what I use, keeps her in line. :D

[Rob Z]

(Guys, I think Cami is getting a bit appalled with our antics. Straighten up and fly right).

[Cami A]

What, I'm not posting enough smilies to show my amusement?
:D :D :D :D :D

The antics here are tame compared to some members of my family circle...

And I've been enjoying that "discussion" with the leaky shower guy. Can't wait to hear about the concept of "permanent caulking".
:rolleyes:

[flatfloor]

As soon as I get Bud straightened out, I'll get to you. Just be patient, Bud may take a while.

[kdzgon]

flatfloor,
are you going to straighten him out, or just level him? ;)