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weejock

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Outlook 97. 2PCs win95 network - how do I share?

I have 2 PC's in my office running win95.  I have started using Outlook and want both PC's to be able to access it.
Everything I read says that I must use MS Exchange Server in NT.  I am offering a lot of points here for anyone who can tell me how to do this.   :) good luck, cos I'm stumped
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weejock

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Adjusted points to 300
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Weejock:  I believe the best way to handle this is with an explanation first so that you can visualize the problem and then how to resolve it.

Let's deal with your present office setup. You do not indicate whether the two computers are networked, meaning whether or not there are any network cards installed and the two computers cabled together. If there are, fine. If there are not, you will have to install network cards and cables and setup the only form of networking this permits, which is peer-to-peer networking. The downside of this is that peer-to-peer does not support a server based install of Outlook as does Windows NT and Exchange 5.0 Messaging. There may be a way aorund this problem depending on how much work you want to do and the reading that comes with it. I've outlined this possibility at the end as well as some resource material you may want to acquire.

Windows NT comes in 2 flavors, Windows NT Workstation (very much like Windows 95 - looks the same) and Windows NT Server. In order to use Exchange Server with Windows 95 and a server based setup of Outlook, you will need one machine running as a server with Windows NT Server, the Exchange Client v.5.0 or greater and Office 97 or Outlook or both. You will also need 2 machines running Windows 95 that access the server based install of Outlook/Office 97 as a shared product. Believe me, this is the real short version of what needs to be done for this type of install.

A possible way around this would be: If your two systems are networked together (peer-to-peer) using Windows 95 and Outlook is installed on both and setup the same way with files in the same locations, you could use Windows 95 Briefcase to coordinate the files on both machines. This will not, however, enable messages such as email to be distributed to either machine independently. eg: one machine would logon and collect email and then briefcase run to put copies on both machines. You would still have to use both machines to send mail unless you used a third party gateway program to share a modem, and this would only serve to complicate rather than ease the situation.

Hopefully this gives you the information you need. I've tried to simplfy the issue, however if your looking for a truely shared install of Outlook, a server based setup (Windows NT Server) is the only way it can be done.
Dennis
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ASKER

Hi Dennis,

Thanks for writing back.  I suppose I should have been clearer :).  The computers are networked using netbeui and dial up networking as they are in different locations.  

The briefcase is a tool I have not used.  Could you tell me more about this please?  If we get this working I will be happy yo accept your answer.

Regards
Kevin (weejock)
If I understand the question correctly you are wanting 2 pc's to hsare 1 installation of Outlook??

if that is the case, than I don't think it's possible, becuase of the system files that go into the Windows/system directory

If you're wanting 2 machines with seperate installs of Outlook to check 2 different e-mail accounts, than that's just a matter of setup

o fboth seperate machies are checking teh same e-mail and you want tom ake sure that both machines pickup all messages, than check the option that shows 'leave messages on server' and setup a rule in the inbox assistance that automatically deletes off server anything older than say 7 days or something like that.
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No, not internet.  Just 2 computers networked on Win95 and share outlook info.  Mainly contacts and calander.

What about synchronising ?
Kevin, Briefcase was designed to handle just such issues as your facing and more, contact and calendar sharing, email coordination and more. Obviously, it will take some reading and it wouldn't hurt to pickup a copy of the Windows 95 Resource Kit as there's a multitude of help and ideas in there. In the meantime, here's how to implement it (short version) as well as some of its features.
=================
Briefcase helps keep your files updated when you use two computers by
automatically synchronizing multiple copies of individual files. For
example, if you use a desktop computer at home, and a laptop computer on
the road, you can use Briefcase to synchronize the files that you work with
both at home and on the road. Because Briefcase automatically keeps track
of the relationships between multiple copies of a single file, you do not
need to remember where each copy of a file is located, or which copy of the
file you modified most recently.
 
Installing Briefcase
--------------------
 
The Windows 95 Setup program automatically installs Briefcase if you
choose the Portable Setup option, or if you choose the Custom Setup option
and specify that Briefcase should be installed. If you do not install
Briefcase during Setup and decide later that you want it, you must
reinstall Windows 95.
 
NOTE: If you remove the Briefcase icon from the desktop, use the right
mouse button to click the desktop, point to New, and then click Briefcase
to create a new Briefcase icon.
 
Using Briefcase to Keep Files Synchronized
------------------------------------------
 
Keeping Files Synchronized Using a Floppy Disk:
 
1. Insert a disk into a floppy disk drive in your primary computer.
 
2. Copy the files that you want to work with to Briefcase. You can also
   copy a folder to Briefcase, if you want to work with all the files in
   that folder. To copy files or folders to Briefcase, you can drag the
   files or folders to the My Briefcase icon on the desktop.
 
3. Move Briefcase to the floppy disk.
 
4. Insert the disk containing Briefcase into a floppy disk drive in your
   secondary computer, and then edit the files in Briefcase.
 
5. When you are ready to synchronize the files, insert the disk containing
   Briefcase into a disk drive in your primary computer, and then double-
   click the My Briefcase icon on the floppy disk.
 
6. To update all the files in Briefcase, click Briefcase, and then click
   Update All. To update only certain files, click the files you want to
   update, click Briefcase, and then click Update Selection.
 
NOTE: You can also use the following method to keep files synchronized
using a floppy disk. Because the above method uses a single Briefcase and
maintains fewer copies of the files you want to work with, it is
preferred. However, the following method does not require you to edit
files stored on a floppy disk and may be faster.
 
1. Insert a disk into a floppy disk drive in your primary computer.
 
2. Move the files that you want to work with from the hard disk to the
   floppy disk, or create new files on the floppy disk. You can also move
   a folder to the floppy disk, if you want to work with all the files in
   that folder.
 
3. Copy the files that you want to work with from the floppy disk to the
   Briefcase on your primary computer. You can also copy a folder to
   Briefcase, if you want to work with all the files in that folder. To
   copy files or folders to Briefcase, you can drag the files or folders
   to the My Briefcase icon on the desktop.
 
4. Insert the disk containing the files you want to work with into a
   floppy disk drive in your secondary computer, and then copy the files
   from the floppy disk to the Briefcase on your secondary computer.
 
5. Edit the files in Briefcase, and then synchronize the files. To update
   all the files in Briefcase, click Briefcase, and then click Update All.
   To update only certain files, click the files you want to update, click
   Briefcase, and then click Update Selection.
 
6. Insert the disk containing the files you want to work with into a
   floppy disk drive in your primary computer, and then synchronize the
   files.
 
Keeping Files Synchronized on Connected Computers:
 
1. On your secondary computer, copy the files that you want to work with
   from your primary computer to Briefcase. To copy the files from your
   primary computer, you must first share the folders that contain those
   files. You can also copy shared folders to Briefcase, if you want to
   work with all the files in that folder. To copy files or folders to
   Briefcase, you can drag the files or folders to the My Briefcase icon
   on the desktop.
 
2. Edit the files in Briefcase on your secondary computer. The computers
   do not need to be connected while you are editing the files.
 
3. When you are ready to synchronize the files, connect the two computers,
   and then double-click the My Briefcase icon on your secondary computer.
 
4. To update all the files in Briefcase, click Briefcase, and then click
   Update All. To update only certain files, click the files you want to
   update, click Briefcase, and then click Update Selection.
 
Helpful Tips
------------
 
 - When you synchronize files using a floppy disk, do not copy Briefcase to
   the floppy disk. When you copy Briefcase to the floppy disk instead of
   moving it, you create multiple copies of Briefcase. If you create
   multiple copies of Briefcase, you may not know which copy of Briefcase
   to use when you want to synchronize your files.
 
 - When you synchronize files using a floppy disk, the total size of all
   the files cannot be greater than 1.44 MB. When you move a Briefcase that
   is larger than 1.44 MB to floppy disks, the files that are copied to the
   second and subsequent disks are not maintained as belonging to the
   Briefcase on the first disk. For more information about this problem,
   please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
 
      ARTICLE-ID: Q130076
      TITLE     : Briefcase Cannot Contain More Than 1.44 MB
 
 - When you are editing the files from Briefcase on your secondary
   computer, do not move the files out of Briefcase. If you move a file
   out of Briefcase and then edit the file, the file will not be properly
   updated when you attempt to synchronize the files in Briefcase.
 
 - After you copy files to Briefcase, do not move the original files on the
   primary computer. Briefcase keeps track of the original location of all
   the files that you copy to Briefcase, but it is not able to track the
   files if you move them to a different location. Once you move a file on
   the primary computer, the file is no longer associated with the copy of
   the file in Briefcase, even if you move the file back to its original
   location.
 
   If this problem occurs and Briefcase is unable to synchronize the
   files, you may be able to manually synchronize the files instead. To
   do so, you must first decide if you want to use the original file, or
   the copy of the file in Briefcase. If you want to use the original
   file, you can synchronize the files by deleting the copy of the file
   in Briefcase, and then copying the original file to Briefcase. If you
   want to use the copy of the file in Briefcase, move the file from
   Briefcase to a new location on your hard disk, and then copy the file
   to Briefcase.
 
REFERENCES
==========
 
For additional information about using Briefcase, please see chapter 28 of
the Microsoft Windows 95 Resource Kit, or view the following Help topics in
Windows 95:
 
 - Accessories: Using Briefcase to keep documents up-to-date
 - Creating a Briefcase on the desktop
 - Keeping files synchronized using a floppy disk
 - Synchronizing files on connected computers
 - Checking the status of a file or folder in Briefcase
 - Separating Briefcase files from the originals
===============================
File Synchronization
Most portable PC users take electronic documents with them on their portable PCs. Often, these documents are copies of data that exist on the corporate network or on individual users desktop PCs. Assuming a productive end-user edits these documents while away from their desk, they now have two versions of the same document: their edited copy, and the original copy on the network or desktop PC. On returning to the office, a diligent user should check the date and time stamps of their document against the date and time stamps of the originals, to make sure that only the most current version is kept (imagine what would happen if the customer list edited by in-house staff was suddenly overwritten with an older version from a traveling salespersons PC). Manually checking file dates and times is a time-consuming, error-prone process. Windows 95 adds the Briefcase, which gives end users an intuitive way to manage the process of keeping data up-to-date between network servers, desktop PCs, portable PCs, and home machines.
====================================
When you update files by using Briefcase, Windows 95 automatically replaces unmodified files with modified files. If both files have changed, Windows 95 calls the appropriate application (if available) to merge the disparate files. Before you leave the office, you can copy files from your desktop to Briefcase, and then load Briefcase onto your portable computer. When you return, Briefcase will automatically update files when you dock your portable computer if you are using a Plug and Play BIOS docking station.
For information about updating files using Briefcase and a floppy disk, see Windows 95 online Help.
 
Tip   For faster editing, you can move Briefcase files to a hard disk on a second computer; to do this, drag the files from the floppy disk to the second computers hard disk. When you have finished editing the files on the desktop computer, choose Update All from Briefcase on the floppy disk. When you return to the original computer, choose Update again to replace the unmodified files on this first computer.
 
Instead of using a floppy disk with Briefcase, you can use Direct Cable Connection to connect two computers running Windows 95, and then use Briefcase to synchronize their files. For example, you can connect your portable computer to your home or office computer with Direct Cable Connection, and then update the desktop computer files to match the portable files.
For more information about Direct Cable Connection, see Direct Cable Connection earlier in this chapter.
To update files using Briefcase and two connected computers
 1.      Copy to Briefcase any files or folders you want to work on.
 2.      Make changes to the files either in their original location or in Briefcase.
 3.      Connect the computers by using Direct Cable Connection, and then double-click My Briefcase.
 4.      Click the files you want to update.
 5.      On the Briefcase menu, click Update All or Update Selection.
 
 
Note   You can also use Briefcase to synchronize files between a portable computer and a network if the portable computer has a network connection.
 
When you open the Briefcase folder, you can check the status of any file in Briefcase to find out if it has been synchronized with its original. You can also split files from their originals if you decide to maintain them separately. For more information on these topics, see online Help.
 
Tip   To find the copy of a file that is outside Briefcase, click Find Original in the Update Status dialog box.
===============================
If you can use a portable computer and a desktop computer, or you are connected to a network, you must constantly work to keep the files synchronized. Windows 95 Briefcase minimizes this task by keeping track of the relationships between files on two or more computers.
With Briefcase, you can do the following:
7      Create a Briefcase folder
7      Add files to Briefcase
7      Check the status of files in Briefcase and their related files
7      Update related files, either individually or all at once
7      Split related files to maintain them separately
 
Windows 95 provides a set of OLE interfaces that allow applications to bind reconciliation handlers to it, track the contents of Briefcase, and define the outcome of any reconciliation on a class-by-class basis. For example, when both the file in Briefcase and its synchronized copy outside have changed, Windows 95 calls the appropriate reconciliation handler to merge the two files. This could be handy when several users are simultaneously updating one large document.

Hope this is helpful to you!
Dennis
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ASKER

Sorry it took so long to answer... been trying things :)
Briefcase is not the answer.  I have more clues.  When I installed windows messaging again, I was able to set up mail boxes, and this enabled ms mail in outlook whilst ms exchange was running on the pc.  Still cant share or delegate authority.  There must be an answer to this.... MICROSOFT!!!!!
Okay Weejock: You have to treat one machine as the postoffice and delegate the share to the other machine. You have one post office and two mail boxes, right? And you have both machines accessing their respective mail boxes right?
Dennis
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ASKER

Yes, Dennis.

I Setup a folder in machine "A" called mail.  I then ran the post office setup from control panel, and pointed it at the new mail folder.  I then went to machine "B" and ran the post office setup program, and pointed it at the mail folder on machine "A".

I then put a test entry into each machines contact list and diary.  When I tried to share the folders by right clicking on them, I was not presented with the option of delegating.

2 things come to mind.  I have not setup ms mail, exchange or post offices before, and I may have performed it wrong.  I have another client who has done this and sucessfully network schedule+ from office 95, running a win95 n/w.
 
The second option may be that I may need an addin for outlook, but I doubt it.  My gut feeling is I have either setup the post office wrong, or it cant be done..... but I think it can as I have heard of others doing it.

I have looked everywhere but I cant find any docs for setting up ms mail or exchange!

hope this info helps :).... thanx for the help so far
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dew_associates
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