Outlook 2013: Accessing Exchange with Outlook OST on mulitple machines?

My organization recently transitioned to off-site Exchange servers. Users were upgraded to Office 365 / Outlook 2013 using OST files (PST files previously)
In addition to my work laptop, I have Outlook 2013 available on a personal Surface Pro 3. I cannot find a definitive answer on whether it will be a problem to run Outlook 2013 from both machines using an OST file. Will the two OST files on different
platforms create sync issues? I have access to Outlook Web Access on the Surface, but prefer the Outlook desktop application for quick steps and other tools not available on OWA.

Hi,
There are many people who use .ost files on multiple machines, this is ok.
Each .ost file synchronizes with the mailbox on Exchange/Exchange Online, they don't directly interact with other .ost files on other machines. Once the synchronization is done, each .ost file should match the data in the mailbox and there won't be problems
to have multiple .ost files on multiple machines.
Regards,
Melon Chen
TechNet Community Support
It's recommended to download and install
Configuration Analyzer Tool (OffCAT), which is developed by Microsoft Support teams. Once the tool is installed, you can run it at any time to scan for hundreds of known issues in Office
programs.

Similar Messages

Outlook 2013: Accessing Exchange with Outlook 2013 and OST on mulitple machines?

My organization recently transitioned to off-site Exchange servers. Users were upgraded to Office 365 / Outlook 2013 using OST files (PST files previously
In addition to my work laptop, I have Outlook 2013 available on a personal Surface Pro 3. I cannot find a definitive answer on whether it will be a problem to connect to Exchange via Outlook 2013 using an OST files from both the work laptop and personal
tablet. Will having OST files on separate machines create sync issues? I have access to Outlook Web Access on the Surface, but prefer the Outlook desktop application for quick actions and other tools.

Hi,
Typically, when you use a Microsoft Exchange Server account, your email messages, calendar, and other items are delivered to and saved on the server. You can configure Outlook to keep a local copy of your items on your computer in an Outlook data file that
is named an offline Outlook Data File (.ost).
As what Amit says, there would be no issue configuring Exchange account from both the work laptop and personal tablet. The OST file is synchronized with the Exchange computer when a connection is available. It is synced from Exchange server instead of the
Outlook client from your first account computer.
For more information about Outlook Data Files (.pst and .ost), please refer to:
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/outlook-help/introduction-to-outlook-data-files-pst-and-ost-HA010354876.aspx
Regards,
Winnie Liang
TechNet Community Support

Cannot open your default e-mail folders. You must connect to Microsoft Exchange with the current profile before you can synchronize your folders with your Outlook data file (.ost)

Fresh installation of Exchange Server 2013 on Windows Server 2012.
Our first test account cannot access their email via Outlook but can access fine through OWA. The following message appears - "Cannot open your default e-mail folders. You must connect to Microsoft Exchange with the current profile before you can synchronize
your folders with your Outlook data file (.ost)" is displayed.
If I turn off cached Exchange mode, setting the email account to not
cache does not resolve the issue and i get a new error message - "Cannot open your default e-mail folders. The file (path\profile name).ost is not an Outlook data file (.ost). Very odd since it creates its own .ost file when you run it for the first
time.
I cleared the appdata local Outlook folder and I tested on a new laptop that has never connected to Outlook, same error message on any system.
Microsoft Exchange RPC Client Access service is running.
No warning, error or critical messages in the eventlog, it's like the healthiest server alive.
Any help would be greatly appreciated. I haven't encountered this issue with previous versions of Exchange.

So it looks like a lot of people are having this issue and seeing how Exchange 2013 is still new (relatively to the world) there isn't much data around to answer this. I've spend ALOT of time trying to figure this out.
Here is the answer. :) - No I don't know all but I'm going to try to give you the most reasonable answer to this issue, in a most logical way.
First thing I did when I was troubleshooting this issue is that I ignored Martina Miskovic's suggestion for Step4 http://technet.microsoft.com/library/jj218640(EXCHG.150)because it didn't make sense to me because I was trying to connect
Outlook not outside the LAN but actually inside. However, Martina's suggestion does fix the issue if it's applied in the correct context.
This is where the plot thickens (it's stew). She failed to mention that things like SSL (which I configure practically useless - anyone who ever worked in a business environment where the owner pretty much trusts anyone in the company, otherwise they don't
work there - very good business practice in my eyes btw, can confirm that...) are some sort of fetish with Microsoft lately. Exchange 2013 was no exception.
In exchange 2003, exchange 2007 and exchange 2010 - you could install it and then go to outlook and set it up. And when outlook manual Microsoft Exchange profile would ask you for server name, you would give it and give the name of the person who you setting
up - as long as machine is on the domain, not much more is needed. IT JUST WORKS! :) What a concept, if the person already on premises of the business - GIVE HIM ACCESS. I guess that was too logical for Microsoft. Now if you're off premises you can use things
like OutlookAnywhere - which I might add had their place under that scenario.
In Exchange 2013, the world changed. Ofcourse Microsoft doesn't feel like telling it in a plain english to people - I'm sure there is an article somewhere but I didn't find it. Exchange 2013 does not support direct configuration of Outlook like all of it's
previous versions. Did you jaw drop? Mine did when I realized it. So now when you are asked for your server name in manual outlook set up and you give it Exchange2013.yourdomain.local - it says cannot connect to it. This happens because ALL - INTERNAL AND
EXTERNAL connection are now handled via OutlookAnywhere. You can't even disable that feature and have it function the reasonable way.
So now the question still remains - how do you configure outlook. Well under server properties there is this nice section called Outlook anywhere. You have a chance to configure it's External and Internal address. This is another thing that should be logical
but it didn't work that way for me. When I configured the external address different from the internal - it didn't work. So I strongly suggest you get it working with the same internal address first and then ponder how you want to make it work for the outside
users.
Now that you have this set up you have to go to virtual directories and configure the external and internal address there - this is actually what the Step 4 that Martina was refering to has you do.
Both external and internal address are now the same and you think you can configure your outlook manually - think again. One of the most lovely features of Outlook Anywhere, and the reason why I had never used it in the past is that it requires a TRUSTED
certificate.
See so it's not that exchange 2013 requires a trusted certificate - it's that exchange 2013 lacks the feature that was there since Windows 2000 and Exchange 5.5.
So it's time for you to install an Active Direction Certificate Authority. Refer to this wonderful article for exact steps - http://careexchange.in/how-to-install-certificate-authority-on-windows-server-2012/
Now even after you do that - it won't work because you have to add the base private key certificate, which you can download now from your internal certsrv site, to Default Domain Policy (AND yes some people claim NEVER mess with the Default Domain Policy,
always make an addition one... it's up to you - I don't see direct harm if you know what you want to accomplish) see this: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc738131%28v=ws.10%29.aspx if you want to know exact steps.
This is the moment of ZEN! :) Do you feel the excitement? After all it is your first time. Before we get too excited lets first request and then install the certificate to actual Exchange via the gui and assign it to all the services you can (IIS, SMTP and
there is a 3rd - I forgot, but you get the idea).
Now go to your client machine where you have the outlook open, browse to your exchange server via https://exchang2013/ in IE and if you don't get any certificate errors - it's good. If you do run on hte client and the server: gpupdate /force This will refresh
the policy. Don't try to manually install the certificate from Exchange's website on the client. If you wanna do something manually to it to the base certificate from the private key but if you added it to the domain policy you shouldn't have to do it.
Basically the idea is to make sure you have CA and that CA allows you to browse to exchange and you get no cert error and you can look at the cert and see that's from a domain CA.
NOW, you can configure your outlook. EASY grasshoppa - not the manual way. WHY? Cause the automatic way will now work. :) Let it discover that exachange and populate it all - and tell you I'm happy! :)
Open Outlook - BOOM! It works... Was it as good for you as it was for me?
You may ask, why can't I just configure it by manual - you CAN. It's just a nightmare. Go ahead and open the settings of the account that got auto configed... How do you like that server name? It should read something like [email protected]
and if you go to advanced and then connection tab - you'll see Outlook Anywhere is checked as well. Look at the settings - there is the name of the server, FQDN I might add. It's there in 2 places and one has that Mtdd-something:Exchange2013.yourdomain.local.
So what is that GUID in the server name and where does it come from. It's the identity of the user's mailbox so for every user that setting will be different but you can figure it out via the console on the Exchange server itself - if you wish.
Also a note, if your SSL certs have any trouble - it will just act like outlook can't connect to the exchange server even though it just declines the connection cause the cert/cert authority is not trusted.
So in short Outlook Anywhere is EVERYWHERE! And it has barely any gui or config and you just supposed to magically know that kind of generic error messages mean what... Server names are now GUIDs of the [email protected] - THAT MAKES PERFECT
SENSE MICROSOFT! ...and you have to manage certs... and the only place where you gonna find the name of the server is inside the d*** Outlook Anywhere settings in the config tab, un it's own config button - CAN WE PUT THE CONFIG ANY FURTHER!
Frustrating beyond reason - that should be Exchange's new slogan...
Hope this will help people in the future and won't get delete because it's bad PR for Microsoft.
PS
ALSO if you want to pick a fight with me about how SSL is more secure... I don't wanna hear it - go somewhere else...

Cannot Start Microsoft Outlook. Cannot open the Outlook Window. The set fo folders cannot be opened. You must connect to Microsoft Exchange with the current profil

Cannot Start Microsoft Outlook. Cannot open the Outlook Window. The set fo folders cannot be opened. You must connect to Microsoft Exchange with the current profile before you can synchronize your folders with your Outlook data file (.ost)
OK. This is a new outlook setup on a laptop. The mail account is on a MS Exchange Server 2010. The user can log on to their laptop no problem with their AD login and password. To setup the outlook profile we have checked the name OK. When we click finish
and try to start outlook we get the above error message. It is driving me pots as I have tried also of things. I have tried to connect without catching the files. The error message then says that the Exchange Server is down, yet we checked the name OK and
I can log on to the MS Exchange server and see the setup.
What else is it that I need to look at as I have tried everything. I will add that they one service I see not running is the Exchange RPC service. If I try to start it, it fails saying Some services stop automatically if they are not in use by other services
or programs.
What can I do?

The major cause of this problem is a corrupted Navigation Pane settings file – profilename.xml, where “profilename” is the name of your Outlook profile. A good sign that the
file is corrupted is when the size of the file is shown 0 KB. No one knows the precise reason why this takes place, but all versions of Outlook from 2003 to 2013 may get affected.
Other causes may be when you run Outlook in the compatibility mode, or if you are using a profile generated in an older Outlook version, or if the Outlook data file (.pst or .ost)
was removed or damaged as the result of faulty uninstallation or reinstallation of MS Outlook.
Follow the steps given below to resolve this problem
1. Recover Navigation Pane configuration file
2. Repair your Outlook PST file using Inbox Repair tool
3. Create a new Outlook profil and import data from the old PST file
4. Turn off Compatibility Mode
5. Start Outlook in Safe Mode
For more info, you can visit http://www.ablebits.com/office-addins-blog/2013/12/06/cannot-start-microsoft-outlook-solutions/

Syncing with Outlook 2002 - Nokia 6233 outlook.ost

Phone is Nokia 6233 syncing with Outlook 2002 on XP and using Exchange Server 2003. I have set the Nokia software to sync every 15 minutes. All users with laptops get a message on screen just before sync saying "Your offline folder file could not be configured .... outlook.ost." You can click through this and it will sync with the PC but I don;t want all my mobile users to have to do this every 15 minutes.
It seems to me that it is trying to sync with the offline folder which is the part that allows mobile users to access Outlook when they are away from the office with up to date as at last time connected to Exchange Server but that is about as far as I have got. Presumably, it is to do with the Send and Receive settings in Outlook as there does not appear to be a solution using Nokia software. Any help if anyone has resolved this would be much appreciated..

I am having similar issues with PC Suite, in particular the PC Sync feature. I am running PC Suite Rev 6.22.82.0 and Outlook 2002 SP3. PC Suite allows me to sync successfully only once after bootup whether in the online of off-line Outlook operating mode. Then if I attempt to sync again I get the error message [Your offline file folder could not be configured....]. When I close down PC Sync, keeping Outlook and the rest of PC Suite running, and then restart PC Sync, I can successfully sync again but only one time. I can sync my Palm with Outlook without similar issues. This tells me that there is a bug in the PC Suite software and not Outlook.

I was using Icloud with Outlook 2010 on Win 7 64 bit w/o a problem until I downloaded CP 3. Now can't open my calendar in outlook - contacts are fine. Also can't open calendar in icloud if I access it with Internet Exp but can if I use Chrome. Fixes?

I was using Icloud on my PC with Outlook 2010 and Windows 7 64bit. After I upgraded the icloud control panel to 3.0 my calendar will no longer load and open in outlook nor will it open on icloud if I access icloud with internet explorer. It works fine on icloud if I access it with Chrome. I can also access it through IE on another computer. Something is amiss on my system. Any thoughts?

Import the calendar and contacts in Outlook.com. For contacts, export from Outlook as csv and import into Outlook by choosing the Other option (https://people.live.com/import/other?biciid=ImportCatalog)
You'll need to save the calendar as an ics file to import it. Select the calendar folder, the File, Save as an save as an ics.
Diane Poremsky [MVP - Outlook]
Outlook & Exchange Solutions Center
Outlook Tips
Subscribe to Exchange Messaging Outlook weekly newsletter

Forefront 2010 dening outlook 2013 and lync 2013 access to ther server

we have currently, forefront TMG 2010, exchange server 2010 and lync 2010, running on our network and every working fine but recently i upgraded client MS Office 2010 to MS Office 2013 and suddenly forefront TMG 2010 started denying lync 2013 and outlook
2013 access to the server.
Please can somebody tell me how to resolve this problem.

Hi，
Thank you for your post here.
Do you mean that you have published exchange server 2010 and lync 2010 via TMG?
How dou you judge that TMG blocks your traffic?
Please check if there is any error information via TMG live logging.
You can try to delete publish rule and reconfigure it.
Best Regards
Quan Gu

OUtlook 2013 can not connect to exchange 2013 after exchange maibox member of DAG failed.

hi ALL
OUtlook 2013 can not connect to exchange 2013 after exchange maibox member of DAG failed.
Exchange environment contains 2 Exchange Mailboxesserver ,( one Failed , virtual Machine)
2 cas Servers
first databases could not be mounted but after we run the below command , users can use OWA but outlook could not connect
Start-DatabaseAvailabilityGroup -Identity DAG -MailboxServer MBX1
please support
thanks

Hi,
According to your description, I understand that Outlook client cannot connect to Exchange server 2013 while one member of DAG failed.
If I have misunderstand your concern, please do not hesitate to let me know.
I want to double confirm whether all account store in MBX1 experience this issue, users in MBX2 works fine.
Please run following command to double check the database status:
Get-MailboxDatabase –Status | select Name,Mounted,MountedOnServer
If it works in OWA, the issue may be related to Outlook side. Please run “Test E-mail AutoConfiguration” and “Outlook Connection Status” to get more details, expecial the setting of proxy server, it’s more helpful
for further troubleshooting.
Additional, please try to recreate a profile for testing. Besides, please move active DB back to MBX1.
Best Regards,
Allen Wang

Why I get CRC error when copying outlook.ost file?

My workstation is using NTFS, Outlook 2007 with Exchange 2007 server.
My outlook.ost file is 1.7GB.
As my Outlook runs into problem, I tried to copy the outlook.ost file to another location for repair, but I keep getting CRC errors and the file was not copied.
I also tried to use winrar to compress it and it runs into the same CRC error.
Q#1. What causes this CRC error? hard disk error or software?
Q#2. How to repair such CRC error?
Thanks.

Hi Peter,
The cyclic redundancy check, or “CRC” error, indicates a bad spot/corruptions within the file that you are trying to copy and in lot of cases with your hard disk.
To make sure if the problem is with the .ost file or your hard disk, you can fire up a Command Prompt window, and then copy the file to NUL:
C:>CD (path of your .ost file)
C:(path of your .ost file)>copy name.ost NUL
If this succeeds, the problem is with your .ost file. If this fails, it should be a hardware based disk issues.
If it's an issue with your .ost file, I'd suggest to run
scanpst.exe tool to repair your data file, then check if this fixed it.
When the issue is hardware based, you probably need to find Disk Errors in the System log of your Event Viewer. You can access the Event Viewer by going to:
Control Panel-> Administrative Tools-> Event Viewer
By the way, .ost file is actually a local copy of your mail items on the server. For a corrupted .ost file, you actually don't need to "copy the outlook.ost file to another location for repair". You can simply rename it to .ost.old
or delete it, and then re-launch Outlook to let it generate a new .ost file from server.
Regards,
Ethan Hua
TechNet Community Support
It's recommended to download and install
Configuration Analyzer Tool (OffCAT), which is developed by Microsoft Support teams. Once the tool is installed, you can run it at any time to scan for hundreds of known issues in Office
programs.

How to recover outlook ost error messages?

my outlook ost files does not work what i do? How to access my outlook ost file again any please gives any solutions to easily access and convert ost file into outlook?

First of all, I just wonder what is your meaing of "does not work", whether you can still access the data in the OST file, but get some error messages, or you cannot access the data at all? Based on different cases, you should use different solutions and
will save you a lot of time and money.
Without mor specific information, I have to give out general advices here:
There are several methods to convert OST file to PST file.
First, Microsoft does not provide an official tool to do the conversion. However, if you can access the contents of the OST file in your Outlook, then you can perform the conversion manually, as follows:
1. Start Outlook. Make sure you can access all the contents in the OST file to be converted.
2. Create a new PST file.
3. Go to the OST file, select and copy all the contents to be converted with your mouse.
4. Go back to the new PST file, then paste all the contents into the PST file
That will do the conversion.
You can also perform the conversion by export the contents of the OST file to a PST file by following the instructions at:
http://office.microsoft.com/en-001/outlook-help/export-outlook-items-to-an-outlook-data-file-pst-HA102534110.aspx
Second, if you can access the Exchange server containing the account data for the OST file, then you can use Export-Mailbox command to export the data into a PST file, similar to convert your OST file into a PST file. Below is the article about doing that:
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb266964.aspx
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc535123.aspx
Third, if you cannot access the OST file via Outlook, neither can you access the Exchange Server, then you can refer to Outlook MVPs' website discussing about this issue:
http://www.slipstick.com/problems/pst-repair/convert-an-exchange-offline-file-ost-to-a-personal-file-pst/
Forth, there are many third-party OST to PST conversion tools you can try, below is a list of them:
http://www.datanumen.com/exchange-recovery/compare.htm
Nearly all these tools provide a free trial so you can try first to see if a tool works before purchase it.
Good luck!

Outlook.ost file corrupted , scanpst & scanost did not help

Hi,
Exchange server 2003 SP2
Microsoft Outlook 2003
The PC hosting the Outlook profile was formated
Its hard drive was attached as a slave to another PC
Data recovey software was able to recover the Outlook.ost file (possible with errors).Showed the file in a $$$named-folder
ost2pst.exe did not work (error 01110....) . Seems in-compatible with Outlook 2003
Recovery for exchange 2.0 reported a corrupted ost file
Any ideas please?
Thanks

Hi,
For Exchange account/OST file, you really don't need to repair or convert it to pst to recover the data.(don't be taken in to use any of the recovery/convert-softwares which you might see below)
Actually your data/messages are still there on the server, as suggested by
<Ed> and <Keith> above, all you need to do is to configure your account again and let Outlook re-build the OST file.
More reference about OST file:
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/outlook-help/introduction-to-outlook-data-files-pst-and-ost-HA010354876.aspx
Regards,
Ethan Hua
TechNet Community Support
It's recommended to download and install
Configuration Analyzer Tool (OffCAT), which is developed by Microsoft Support teams. Once the tool is installed, you can run it at any time to scan for hundreds of known issues in Office
programs.

Outlook OST File Converter

Now more information for perform multiple conversion for OST file : - http://osttopst-software.blogspot.in/

Hi,
Thanks for your posting.
For question of convert Outlook .ost file, we recommend you post it at Exchange Server Clients forum! Which is the best place for Outlook, OWA, and other client’s related questions or issues.
Exchange Server Clients Forum:
http://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/exchangesvrclients/threads
The reason why we recommend posting appropriately is you will get the most qualified pool of respondents, and other partners who read the forums regularly can either share their knowledge or learn from your interaction with us.
Thank you for your understanding.
Have a nice day!
Lawrence
TechNet Community Support

ExpressCache & Outlook OST/PST - any performance benefit?

Hey Guys,
Any ideas on whether ExpressCache helps with Outlook OST/PST access times?
These files that range in size from 1-5GB have a huge impact on Outlook usability when it comes to access times and I'm wondering if it's worth removing ExpressCache and partitioning the mSATA hard drive to manually place the Outlook OST and other often accessed data files on the faster partition.
Any thoughts?

Hello Joe,
You can use microsoft utility scanpst.exe or scanost.exe. You can also use exmerge.exe or Recovery storage group to recover corrupted file.
scanpst.exe. Also called Inbox Repair Tool. This is a free tool installed with your Outlook. It can fix most of the minor errors and corruptions in your PST files. More detailed information can be found athttp://support.microsoft.com/kb/287497
Try the Recoveryfix for Outlook PST Repair Software, is good to recover all your corrupted Outlook emails like calendars, tasks, appointments, deleted and missing emails and you also seen view the preview of recovered items. It will definitely helps you to
recover & copy your Outlook archive file. Download from http://www.repairostfile.net
Thanks

Exchange 2013 EAC coexistence with Exchange 2007

Dear All,
I have an exchange organization comprized of single Exchange 2007 SP3 UR 15 running on Win2008 SP2 and two recently installed Exchange 2013 SP1 CU7 with CAS and Mailbox role running on Win 2012 R2.
Imidiantly after Exchange 2013 install, I am not able to login to Exchange 2013 EAC. When I enter my credentials domain\username, the EAC page simpli dose a quick refresh and I am back where I started.
I have tryid mutiple UTLs to access EAC page, such as:
https://localhost/ecp?ExchClientVer=15
https://localhost/ecp?ExchClientVer=14
https://localhost/ecp
Each of them show the same result, a page gets refreshet. I have tryid to move my Exchange Organization user mailbox to Exchange 2013 to see if that helps but the result.
I also noticed that OWA dosent work for mailboxes that are on Exchange 2013, they are redirected to Exchange 2007 even thou they are on Exchange 2013.
Any idea on this one?
Thank you
b.

Hi,
From your description, I would like to verify if you have configured Exchange 2013 namespace and virtual directories (such as OWA, ECP, OAB, Web Services, AutoDiscover)correctly. Please make sure these virtual directories are configured correctly and check
the result.
For more information about Exchange 2007 migration to Exchange 2013, here is a helpful blog for your reference.
Step-by-Step Exchange 2007 to 2013 Migration
http://blogs.technet.com/b/meamcs/archive/2013/07/25/part-2-step-by-step-exchange-2007-to-2013-migration.aspx
Hope this can be helpful to you.
Best regards,
If you have feedback for TechNet Subscriber Support, contact
[email protected]
Amy Wang
TechNet Community Support

Microsoft Exchange drastically failed along with 123 OST database

Hey fellos,
We are facing 2013 Microsoft Exchange and recently faced HYBRID CONFIGURATION WIZARD ERROR. Try to fix with full efforts but failed.
Is there any way to save very dear 123 ______.OST files and these are huge in SIZE..! (Exchange orphaned offline database).
My Gratitude.

Hi Lucina，
Since your issue is related to Exchange server and OST database, our help might be limited.
Regarding to your issue, we suggest you post your issue to TechNet Exchange because you might get more helpful advices there.
https://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/office/en-US/home?category=exchangeserver
Thanks for your cooperation and understanding.
Regards,
D. Wu

Outlook 2013: Accessing Exchange with Outlook OST on mulitple machines?

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