Computer Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) -- Outlook: Offline Mode For
Laptop Users
Overview
Working Offline means that a copy of your
mailbox from the Exchange email server is stored on your hard drive in an .ost
file (Offline Storage). This is a required step for laptop users who
will need to access their stored email while the laptop is not connected to
the network, but it may also be important for desktop users in offices
where the connection to the Exchange Server is slow or unreliable.
To set Outlook up to work Offline:
In Outlook, on the Tools menu select Email Accounts.
Figure 1
With Radio button next to View or Change existing email accounts
selected, Click Next Click Change and then Click More
Settings
Figure 2
Click the radio button next to Manually Control Connection State.
Next, choose the radio button next to
Work Offline and Use Dial-up Networking (even though you may/or may not
be using a network) and then choose the check box next to Choose the
connection type when starting.
Figure 3
The File location defaults to
h:\outlook\outlook.ost. Click the Browse button and navigate to
either c:\home\yourusername\outlook\outlook.ost or c:\documents and settings\yourusername\application
data\microsoft\Outlook\outlook.ost Click Open
The ost file does not need to be backed up, it will be re-created
automatically if it is removed or becomes corrupt.
Check the radio button next to No
Encryption and Click OK
Figure 4
You will get a message
asking if you want the file to be created. Click Yes
Click OK Click Next Click Finish Click the
Send/Receive button to synchronize the .ost with the Exchange Server.
Note: You must do this send/receive before
exiting Outlook and going offline or Outlook will not open properly. If
this happens, you must reconnect and go online before you can open Outlook.
Figure 5
Exit Outlook and wait a few seconds for
Outlook to close completely and then Open Outlook again. You will be
prompted to choose whether to Connect or Work Offline.
Figure 6
Each time you open Outlook you will be prompted to choose whether you want
to Connect or Work Offline. Most of the time, you will choose
to Connect to the Exchange Server. You will only choose to Work Offline when
the network is unavailable.
When you choose to Work Offline, you will know you are offline by a red x
on a disk symbol that will be in the lower right hand corner of your Outlook
Window as shown here in figure 7
Figure 7
Schedule Automatic Send Receive Synchronization
Click on Tools, click on Send/Receive Settings (you may have to
click on the double down arrow to see this choice), then click on Define
Send/Receive groups and the screen as shown in figure 8 below, will
come up.
Figure 8
Under the heading Setting for group “All Accounts”, make sure all 5 check
boxes are checked as shown above. You can change the interval from 5 minutes to
15 or longer in order to check for mail less frequently. Click Close
Note: While Outlook is synching
with the Exchange Server you will see a message that looks like the following:
Figure 9
While this process is taking place Outlook will
seem to lock up. You may have to wait until it completes before you can regain
control of Outlook.
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