Associate OST file with another Outlook profile

I usually just create a new profile on the new computer, then overwrite the ost and oab files with the old ones before firing up Outlook. YMMV.


Here's the definitive reference:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/872930/en-us

I thought you could not do that. Aren't the OST and OAB files linked to a specific Outlook profile?  If I create a new profile on a new laptop, and then copy over the OST and OAB files from the old laptop, isn't Outlook going to throw errors when I go open it?

Thanks, Nihilator

The OST is linked to a mailbox state, not to a profile.
If you copy the same OST to a different computer the old copy will stop working after you synchronize Outlook the first time on the new one, as the versions will mismatch.
If i recall correctly, this is because Exchange actually generates a crypto key from the version info, or a magic string within it, without which the ost can't be decoded.

If you want both computers to continue working you'll need to synchronize a new OST at the remote site and ship it in or download it overnight for use in the laptop, using the procedure i mentioned above - just create a new profile from Control Panel > Mail and then copy the ost over before firing up outlook.
I think doesn't even need to be done in that order, as long as you fire up Outlook last - but if you want to be certain, copy the ost over FIRST, as the document i linked above describes.

Step 2: Client Workstation
1.	Log on to the client workstation as the user.
2.	Copy the files that you created in the "Step 1: Administrator workstation" section to the client system in the target directory on the workstation. For example, copy the files to the following folder:
\Documents and Settings\<username>\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook\
3.	Configure an Outlook profile for the user. To do this, click the Mail icon in Control Panel, and then click Show Profiles. When you create the Outlook profile, click More Settings in the Exchange Server Account window of the E-mail Account wizard, click the Advanced tab, and then click Offline Folder Settings. Make sure that your path of your offline files is correct and pointing to the correctly named file.
4.	Click OK to return to the E-mail Account wizard, and verify that Cached Exchange Mode option is enabled. Make sure that this step is completed by clicking OK after confirming the location of the .ost file.
5.	Finish creating the profile, and then log on to Outlook.

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I understood the first paragraph, but i'm not understanding the rest of what your trying to convey. I am trying to be "simple" with my explanations of the issue. I stated "old laptop" and "new laptop" in my scenario. Your not doing the same so I don't know how to decipher your explanation/resolution to the problem. Your talking about "remote sites, etc. How am I suppose to know what you mean by that? In your mind, what laptop are you talking about in regards to a "remote site" Are you talking about "the old laptop" or the "new laptop"?

This has become more confusing then it should be.

If I move an OST from an old laptop to the new laptop, I have found that I receive a mismatch" error. What did I do wrong?

Let's just start over (at the beginning) with my original question and use "old laptop" and "new laptop" as the references when trying to tell me how to resolve the mismatch error that I am receiving.

Thanks, Nihilator

It's been a while since I tried copying an OST from the old laptop to a new laptop, but when I tried it, I think I received the mismatch error you stated (above).

All I remember is that I copied the OST from the old laptop to the new laptop. I opened Outlook and Outlook threw an error (wish I would of wrote it down). Outlook wouldn't accept the (copied) OST file from the old laptop to the new laptop.

Thanks, Nihilator

Also, it was an OST path error that Outlook reponded with. I think it was a mismatch error. I remember thinking that Outlook was complaing because I copied an OST file from the old laptop to an Outlook profile on the new laptop, and it just refused to accept it.