Steps to Take When You Need to Move Your OST File
If your work requires you to be constantly on the move and you have an email account on a Microsoft Exchange Server, you are probably comfortable using Outlook in the Cached Exchange Mode. This allows you to use the offline storage files for all kinds of communication and does not leave you dependent on any permanent connection with the Exchange server. All the data contained in the online mailbox is available in the offline files ' OST files and you can access it at your convenience. However, if you are on the move, you probably also need to move the OST files from your local drive to your laptop back to your local drive. This can cause damage to the OST file and at times, the new location can confuse the Exchange server resulting in improper synchronization. We will first look at the steps to take to ensure that this kind of confusion is avoided and also how to recover OST files if any damage is caused to them.
Before you start moving your OST files, you should be aware of what could cause possible damage to the files and what is the proper way in which you should be transferring these files to other mobile devices.
· Start by first saving all your work in Outlook and exiting the application.
· Now from the Start button, go to the Control Panel. From Mail and then Email Accounts, you should select the appropriate profile. From properties, go to Data Files.
· At this stage, you should select the Exchange Account and then click on Change. If you have configured Outlook to work in the Cached Exchange Mode, the box next to the option is probably already checked. Now, clear the box.
· Proceed to More Settings and then click on the Advanced tab. From this window, you can click on the Offline Folder File Settings that will determine where the offline storage files are to be stored.
· Click Disable Offline Use (a dialog box will appear requiring you to confirm if that is what you want to do. Click Yes.)
· You will now be shown the Browse window using which you can select the particular local drive or removable media where you want to save the OST file.
· Click Ok and select the Use Cached Exchange Mode check box.
This allows you to transfer your OST files without causing any serious damage that would require you to recover OST or any synchronization problems. When you restart Outlook, the OST file in the new location will be automatically synchronized with the online mailbox.
