Ok, I have Outlook Express, whatever the latest version is from windows udpate. I have a desktop and laptop. I want to share the inbox from both pcs. I am running windows xp proffessional sp2 on the desktop, and windows xp home sp2 on the laptop. I want to use my desktop as a file server for outlook. I can map the network drives, no problem. When I'm on my laptop, and I can access my desktop's hard drive, lets say X:\, I go into outlook and try to point it to the x drive, it doesn't see my inbox. Of course this is done with me being logged in and not being logged into my desktop. Outlook express isn't open on my desktop at the time of testing. Does anyonehave any experience with it, would be willing to share?

I think you simply have to change the directory where your mails are saved. (Options - Last tab ... don't have the english version here) Change the location for this directory from C:\... to X:\... Your E-Mails are stored in dbx-format in subdirectories of a directory called "Identities".

GreetingZ

Jonathan: I'll assume you meant Outlook Express throught your post and NOT it's big brother Outlook (part of the Office suite). In any case, OE must know the exact location of the folder where you're storing the files containing your emails / usenet messages. All this is stored in muktiple files with the extension .DBX.

To know exactly which folder your emails are stored in do the following:

- In OE, click TOOLS > OPTIONS. Next click on the MAINTENANCE tab. Click STORE FOLDER and make a note of the exact path displayed there. That's the folder where all your stuff relating to your identity on OE is stored.

Do this for both machines - desktop and laptop

Once you know this - just change the path to point to the same folder but take care to include the changed path letter (as you mentioned X:\.... whatever).

Unfrotunately, I can't test this in any manner and I'm also unsure whether OE will accept mapped folders.

OK. Jonathan - I looked around and OE definitely will not work with a mapped network location.

This means that you'll have to manually copy over your identity folder (where all the DBX files are kept) back and forth or use some directory sync utility to make sure both your laptop and desktop have identical mail stores each time you open them.

An alternate but radical solution might be to use an IMAP email provider. That way your data stays on the server and changes you make to it using your laptop can later be synchronised on your desktop machine.

ThinBrowser.net is a good provider that provides 1 GB mailbox with IMAP4 and SMTP capabilities plus virus and spam protection. THe only downside is that it has Google text ads in one corner. OF course, if you're using OE, those ads won't be visible.

Bluebottle.com offers IMAP4 and SMTP access without any ads but with a smaller 250 MB mailbox.

thanks, i will check out thinbrowser

i use bluebottle, its a very good free email which lets you use it with outlook etc well anything with pop and smpt compatablitiy

Sorry... I can't help you

You could check "Leave Mail on Server" option.

To leave a copy of downloaded mail at the server with Outlook Express:

* Select Tools | Accounts... from the menu in Outlook Express.
* Highlight the desired email account.
* Click Properties.
* Go to the Advanced tab.
* Make sure Leave a copy of messages on server is selected.
* Click OK.
* Click the Close button.

While that might work out well in the beginning, the user's mailbox will eventually be filled up with emails which have been deleted by Outlook Express on the local hard disk but still remain on the server. To counter this - either the user would need to go the webmail interface ( nearly all providers offer one now-a-days ) OR he/she would have to enable one or both of the options as shown in the screenshot below to have OE delete the emails periodically. Of course that puts a crimp in the original plan to have email readable from different machines.

UPDATE to previous post - It appears Thinbrowser.net is no longer reachable. In which case my recommendation shifts to Bluebottle.com as an email service provider with 250 MB mailbox / challenge-response antispam system and IMAP4 / SMTP availability