Advice Sharing email across home network 1

[Gavona]

I want to be able to log into any computer and access my emails. That is I would like the computers to share the downloaded emails. I don't mind if only one pc can access at a time. Tried doing this with Outlook Express and sharing the OST file but simply got in a mess and lost some of my files.

I have Outlook Express and Outlook97 available currently (plan to acquire latest Office on an Education licence). Will consider anything cheap, reliable and easy to use.

I want my 80yr old parent to use the same on her single pc to ease my telephone support to her. She has a requirement to print emails before pressing send and for ease of use.

Any suggestions please?

Thanks,

Gavin

 

[franklin97355]

Set the mail client to "leave email on the server" Most will have this option.

 

[rvnguy]

Gavona,

While this is possible, it is basically not advisable. You can change the location of the mail DB and this will work just fine right up until the PC with the DB is not on or can't be connectd to for any reason. Then the ap will default back to a local location for the DB and create one if required.

This may be what you are refering to when you state that it got into a mess.

The only true way to do this is to have a "Post Office" application such as MS Exchange Server. What you desire is really not as simple as pointing the app to a shared location, unfortunately. Both mail clients you have listed are written for a single client environment, unless there is a MS Exchange Server present.

You could look here for Open Source programs and decide if it worth the trouble, as MS Exchange is a bit costly for home.

A couple of Open Source Mailservers:

http://www.hmailserver.com/

http://www.deerfield.com/products/kerio-mailserver/directoryservices/

Hope this helps You


rvnguy
"I know everything..I just can't remember it all

 

[Gavona]

Thanks rvnguy. That is just what I wanted to understand. I will look a bit further at these open source option but for now, probably, there are other priorities for my time.

Just got to decide whether to move away from OE in order to get something that will allow print before send.

Incidentally the mess I referred to was that I actually lost my message store when I tried to share it by placing it in a shared drive on a different computer to that containing OE. I don't know why, it hardly matters now. It was a mess because despite intending to I had not made a backup before doing the operation - lost a month or two's emails.



Thanks,

Gavin

 

[rvnguy]

Gavona,

Glad that you founbd this to be helpful even if not what you wished to hear.

Thank You for The Star as this is how we get paid(not in funds)

rvnguy
"I know everything..I just can't remember it all