synchronizing outlook with POP3 Server

by pkjoshi Jan 29, 2007 5:11AM PST

Dear All,

I am facing a problem as detailed below:-

I have set up MS outlook to receive mail from rediffmail pro(POP3 server) account & in the account set up I have selected the option "leave a copy of the message on the server"
Two or three times I have had to format my hard disk & install the software all over again.
Before formatting the HDD, I am keeping all the backups of all the mails I have already received, which I restored successfully after reinstallation of outlook.
I am setting up the account in outlook as per the procedure laid down.
When I am clicking on the send & receive button, the outlook starts downloading all the mails from the mail server, which I have already downloaded. I couldn't find a way to tell the outlook or the mail server to not to download the already downloaded messages.
I also couldn't find any synchronize option so that only mails which are new on the server gets downloaded.
Please help me in this regard. As my outlook account will be flooded with duplicate mails plus internet cost of downloading all over again.

Pawan Joshi

Discussion is locked

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Why leave the messages on the server?

by MarkFlax Forum moderator Jan 29, 2007 5:22AM PST

If you unselect that option, you won't have the same problem the next time you re-format the disk.

By the way, having to re-format 2 or 3 times suggests something is amiss. Why do you have to reformat and re-install so many times?

Mark

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synchronizing outlook from POP3 server

by pkjoshi Jan 29, 2007 5:38AM PST

the formatting or reformatting was done over two or three months time and that is not my problem.

Is there a way to synchronize with the POP3 server. so that the copies of mails which are already there in the inbox are not downloaded again.
why the copies of mails are downloaded again. where the information of already downloaded mails resides on the pC, which can be transferred to the newly formatted hdd, so that the mails doesn't get downloaded again.
thank you in advance.

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I'll write no.

by r. proffitt Forum moderator Jan 29, 2007 5:58AM PST

A POP3 is a server and does not allow one to push content onto it.

What you need to do is backup your email content. For Outlook 2000 type this into google.com OL2000 BACKUP.

Bob

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Re: not downloading twice

by Kees Bakker Jan 29, 2007 6:40AM PST

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post_Office_Protocol tells the client keeps the 'highest UID downloaded'. The registry seems the place to do that, if it isn't in the .pst file as your story seems to imply.
And the uninstall/reinstall apparently resets it.

If nobody here knows, have a look in the registry (HKCU/Software/Microsoft seems a good starting point), see if google knows, see if msdn.microsoft.com knows, or phone Microsoft. Surely they know. It's a good question.

But I agree with Mark that it is unusual to leave messages on the server if you've got only one place where you look at them, and that it's unusual also to do regular (every month of every two month) clean installs of Windows.

Hope this helps.

Kees

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Re: synchronizing outlook with POP3 Server

by ranaprashant Jan 31, 2007 4:21PM PST

Hi!

I have also witnessed the same problem, but could not find any solution and had to download all the mails again (what is the point in taking a bcakup then), this time though i used Files and settings transfer wizard and I am a happy man.

You can do one thing next time got to start>all programs>accessories>system tools and click on Files and settings transfer wizard, use the option to save the file, then click on advanced options and select only microsoft office setting, you will need to remove the other groups (i know they are a lot but then ..) Then save it on the hard disk, it will then take some time and save it. When you install the OS again just use the same wizard (you will first need to update windows because there is an updated patch for this wizard) but this time tell it that you want to import and give the location where u had saved, it will bring back all the setting and mail etc to the date when you last used the wizard and will only download the new mails thereafter. It will also keep the account settings, rules, etc but you will need to enter the password again also I was using a bcc macro which it has not recovered (anyways I can create it again) so be careful if you are using macros.

I think there is some file which logs the synchronizing with the server (in your case the rediffmail server) and it gets restored using the above wizard.

All the best

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What about IMAP

by entrecon Feb 1, 2007 1:49AM PST

Is it possible to use IMAP instead of POP on your server?

I am on the road alot and not always at my PC so have configured Outlook to retrieve my messages using IMAP. I then make a back-up every so often of the e-mail so I have it on the server and on my PC.

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Re: synchronizing outlook with POP3 Server

by pkjoshi Feb 1, 2007 3:34AM PST

Thank you Dear Ranaprashant. I will definitely try the file & settings transfer wizard this next time. I have used the same earlier also, but do not rememeber, whether it works for mails.

Pawan Joshi

synchronizing outlook with POP3 Server

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