Patrick Schmid [MVP] wrote:
First thing was, I heard that Outlook 2007 should support Unicode data
files for IMAP (meaning Unicode plain-text messages in IMAP).

Actually, it has nothing to do with the IMAP protocol. It refers to the
newer Outlook PST data format.

Yeah, that's what I meant. I know that in the past (Outlook XP and
maybe also 2003), PST data files for IMAP folders could not be in
Unicode (but PSTs for local folders, POP3 accounts, and Exchange
accounts could be). I don't know if that's because they were in the old
PST format or simply because there was some limitation that forced IMAP
accounts to use ANSI.

It doesn't offer to convert, because it can't.

Alright, I understood that there's no conversion functionality there.

It should have asked you though if you wanted to replace it with
a Unicode file.

That would be very nice, and would have saved me deleting and recreating
the account.

In that case, it basically would have deleted and recreated the file.
Deleting and recreating the account has the same effect.

Not exactly - the PST data file of the account previously present was in
a network share (mapped to the I: drive). After deleting and recreating
the account, the PST was again in the Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook
folder under the Local Settings directory under the user's profile.

Why not store it on the local disk?

Well, if the user in question does not work on only one workstation,
he'd want his data files to be with him wherever he works...

In the case of IMAP the data files are not so critical as they're used
only for caching and all data remains on the server. But overall, if
the data files are on the local disk, they don't get backed up (we'd be
crazy to back up the local disks of all workstations - that's why we
have file servers with reliable storage and backups for user's roaming
profiles, home directories, and other shared data).

If it'd be in the roaming profile, it'd get copied every time on logoff
and logon, which would be a waste of bandwidth and time (PSTs can get
very large), but as it is, it resides under the Local Settings directory
in the user's profile, so they don't get copied for a roaming profile at
all.

It is a known complaint of Outlook users in a networked environment with
roaming profiles, that they don't see their mail when logging on to
another workstation. I is not clear to me why such important data is
stored in the Local Settings directory.

Storing a PST file on a network share is a bad idea in general.

As I said, in IMAP, it's not so important (although now that I'm trying
out Windows Desktop Search, it appears useful to have the PST files
persistent, so that it does not have to re-index all the time).

But generally, where you have actual (important) messages and data
stored there, what else do you suggest? Having the user leave his
important data somewhere on the local disk of some workstation, which is
not reliable, not backed up, and accessible only from the same workstation?

We try to use the local disks only for the system images and installed
software, and sometimes less-critical big files in work (such as big
videos in editing). But such things as users' and shared documents,
mail, and other data, is of course stored in a central location on a
file server...

It is a recipe for data file corruption and other problems.

Why would it be? If the server is reliable, and file locking works
properly, there should be no corruption...

Among many users I know who worked this way around here with Outlook
2000 to 2003, there was not any problem with the PST on a network share.

Patrick Schmid [OneNote MVP]

Still, I'd be interested in some solutions on how to move the data files
in Outlook 2007, as I could in Outlook 2003 using the instructions by
Microsoft.

Regards,
-- Tom

--
Tom Alsberg - certified insane, complete illiterate.
Homepage: http://www.cs.huji.ac.il/~alsbergt/
* An idea is not responsible for the people who believe in it.