Outlook search in non-cached mode.

Search working best on a local OST file.

Perhaps Archive the mail and keep the Archives locally. This will reduce the size of the Mailbox and Archives are included in the search.

Consider this approach - I do this myself.

John is right, it will be better to search with local OST, but you can check https://www.nucleustechnologies.com/blog/fix-instant-search-does-not-display-any-results-in-outlook/ blog, hope it sort your problem.

Thank you for your quick responses. He can't have a local archive because he has several computers and insists that he has to be able to see all his mail wherever he is, and as I say OST fails once the mailbox gets to 50GB, so caching has to be off. His is an MD......

In this case , split the PST into newer and older pieces and open the older PST file when needed. You need to reduce the size of the main PST file and then see if Server searching works on smaller files.

I use a laptop and one computer so I can do all this.

We have not reached instant searching on huge PST or Exchange files on any device you may happen to be using

Yes, I have done this on his laptop where he has an OST file of mail from the last 2 years and a PST file with the rest. He has to be able to see his email offline with his laptop. But he has the attitude that this all used to work 10 years ago (when, of course, he could just use an OST file because it was smaller) so it should work now. No amount of telling him that you just can't exceed 50GB with an OST helps! Sigh! He has email going back 20 years. Sadly, telling the guy that Outlook just isn't designed to work the way he wants it to is any help. The only solution he has been willing to accept is to be connected to Exchange in non-cached mode so he can see all his email in a single mailbox whichever desktop he is using. I need to check if Windows is trying index his Outlook, hence my original question about the use of Windows Indexing when Outlook is in non-cached mode.

Some one else may know how to search huge Exchange files instantly, but I do not. I think the user will need to reckon with smaller files.

I have made an enquiry with Lokeen to see if their search system will work in this situation. I think he has tried Lokeen before and sulked because it wasn't what he was used to. I can't remember whether it actually worked. "I'm not using that I have always been able to do it in Outlook.....". Sigh!

Jeez - get an email archiving utility !! GFI/Barracuda/MailVault for example.

Then He can have his 10 years worth of email and be able to search it, he sounds like the sort of person who will have purchasing authority (i.e an incalcitrant ass) so tell him you need to purchase a solution just to support him.

Also, the user is better off to have a small lightweight laptop (SSD to save weight, small screen to save size) and keep it with him at all times.

I have an X1 Carbon (medium footprint but very light) and it goes with me everywhere.

Haha!! Yes, and impatient and since he is the MD he can buy whatever he likes... You have to have the facts right though, he has 20 years of email.... Why??? He just mailed me saying he thought it was working now... He says he might not have been waiting long enough since I re-indexed exchange. His mailbox is so unwieldy he can't find anything without searching. He has hundreds of folders each with sub-folders, and I seem to recall you can only have so many of those. Just waiting for the moment!

he has 20 years of email....  His mailbox is so unwieldy he can't find anything without searching. He has hundreds of folders each with sub-folders,

I have all of that (although many root folders and few subfolders). And I carry it all with me.

Yes, John, but you are clearly more skilled than he is and you understand the problem and are able to work with it. You don't have the "I have always done it like this" approach that I am currently beating my head against. It took me a year and a half of him griping about his laptop taking ages to synchronize when on sales trips to Africa before I managed to get him to let me split his email on that!

If you can split up the email then hopefully Search can work on the smaller piece.

? If you have something that's 20 years old and it's so important you simply must have copy of it, and it's in an email account, then I assume your bedrooms are full of old newspapers and you have a mental condition.

it's a communication system, not a filing system!

P

Haha! You are right. Here is a quote "It is my filing system, everything I do is here....."

Hello Pete Smith,

From my understanding, the only solution is to split the OST file in the system. Since OST files are so large, it is highly difficult to handled with a manual solution. It is better to use a reliable solution like SysTools OST Splitter Software to resolve the issue. The application can split OST file of any size into a Unicode PST file effectively without any data loss for 100% guarantee.

Hope this will resolve the issue.

Thanks & Regards

Ok, this is all good fun, and the Pete Long comment had me imagining this guy living in the 1890's with 20 years worth of correspondence spread over 3 rooms and several dozen boxes of index cards..... Anyway, back to the original question. if he is using Outlook in non-cached mode, does Windows Indexing play any part in searching Outlook. It does if you are in cached mode with an OST file, but what about non-cached mode?

Ok, I am going to close this now. I think John is most likely right. Lokeen looks like a good choice and they claim it will be successful. Now.. all I have to do is to get him to use it.....

Thank you for your update and good luck with search.