Right, I will try and be concise as possible.

40 users.

exchange 2000 and windows 2000 server

6 users on Outlook 2003

34 on Outlook 2002

I KNOW you can set autoarchive location through Outlook client, thats a
given. I dont want to have to go through each of the 40 clients
changing their auto archive location

I KNOW you can enable auto archive through group policy. I have both
ADM files. I will turn it on when i can customise the location.

I KNOW that you can set the default pst folder location through GPO,
but that DOESNT affect the location of the default archive.

I KNOW that you Microsoft doesnt recommend or support storing PST's at
a network location, but I am charged with creating an email archive
scheme, and without the budget for an email archiving system, outlooks
will have to do. Even if it is at a network location.

I KNOW that you set the email archive location and file name through a
*.PRF file. This seems like a great way to do it. But this method is
going to be very awkward.

My question:

All of my 40 users, all use outlook, and we all use Outlook as our mail
client. To make things more complicated, some move workstations on
roaming profiles from Office Xp to Office 2003 back to Office XP.

They all have an Exchange email account, which is the main account for
sending and receiving email. And the mailbox is their username. Now
many of them also have POP3 accounts for customer email addresses that
we use during normal business activities.
The important thing to note is that these POP3 accounts are sent
through our Exchange. There is no need to received as this all comes
through the primary account.

They also have signatures, rules and other customisations in their
outlook folders.

All in all the most important thing is that these settings are business
critical and cannot be lost.

So, what I NEED to KNOW ---

Can I, as network administrator:

A ) write a *.PRF file that can adjust the location of the autoarchive
*.pst file and its name:
i) without having to fill it with all the current settings
ii) without losing ANY information / over writing the account
settings / most essential contents of the profile
iii) using a logon script to then import that new archive
setting for everyone

B) someone just tell me where the bloody registry settings are for
Outlook's autoarchive folders and let me edit them directly. This would
be the best scenario as I would have none of this messing around with
PRF files, learning how to write one and trying to overwrite other
settings.

Bear in mind all this overstressed administrator wants is to mass-set
the autoarchive folder for his users based on something silly like
SIMPLICITY to :

x:\email.archive\%username%\%username%.em.archive. pst

is that too much to ask?


WHAT were microsoft thinking when they did a GPO for turning on
Autoarchive but not changing the most important setting, its location?
Do you boys at microsoft ACTUALLY think of us system administrators as
that simple?? so you put the default location in a HIDDEN folder so
users cant find it? what have you got against customisation...

Then you know, and the powers that be have been informed, that the use of a
pst over a network can lead to corruption. Then the archive will 'gone'

"Agix" wrote in message
oups.com...
Right, I will try and be concise as possible.

40 users.

exchange 2000 and windows 2000 server

6 users on Outlook 2003

34 on Outlook 2002

I KNOW you can set autoarchive location through Outlook client, thats a
given. I dont want to have to go through each of the 40 clients
changing their auto archive location

I KNOW you can enable auto archive through group policy. I have both
ADM files. I will turn it on when i can customise the location.

I KNOW that you can set the default pst folder location through GPO,
but that DOESNT affect the location of the default archive.

I KNOW that you Microsoft doesnt recommend or support storing PST's at
a network location, but I am charged with creating an email archive
scheme, and without the budget for an email archiving system, outlooks
will have to do. Even if it is at a network location.

I KNOW that you set the email archive location and file name through a
*.PRF file. This seems like a great way to do it. But this method is
going to be very awkward.

My question:

All of my 40 users, all use outlook, and we all use Outlook as our mail
client. To make things more complicated, some move workstations on
roaming profiles from Office Xp to Office 2003 back to Office XP.

They all have an Exchange email account, which is the main account for
sending and receiving email. And the mailbox is their username. Now
many of them also have POP3 accounts for customer email addresses that
we use during normal business activities.
The important thing to note is that these POP3 accounts are sent
through our Exchange. There is no need to received as this all comes
through the primary account.

They also have signatures, rules and other customisations in their
outlook folders.

All in all the most important thing is that these settings are business
critical and cannot be lost.

So, what I NEED to KNOW ---

Can I, as network administrator:

A ) write a *.PRF file that can adjust the location of the autoarchive
*.pst file and its name:
i) without having to fill it with all the current settings
ii) without losing ANY information / over writing the account
settings / most essential contents of the profile
iii) using a logon script to then import that new archive
setting for everyone

B) someone just tell me where the bloody registry settings are for
Outlook's autoarchive folders and let me edit them directly. This would
be the best scenario as I would have none of this messing around with
PRF files, learning how to write one and trying to overwrite other
settings.

Bear in mind all this overstressed administrator wants is to mass-set
the autoarchive folder for his users based on something silly like
SIMPLICITY to :

x:\email.archive\%username%\%username%.em.archive. pst

is that too much to ask?


WHAT were microsoft thinking when they did a GPO for turning on
Autoarchive but not changing the most important setting, its location?
Do you boys at microsoft ACTUALLY think of us system administrators as
that simple?? so you put the default location in a HIDDEN folder so
users cant find it? what have you got against customisation...