I Finally Took the Plunge to Thunderbird

[mylanta]

Well I must admit the disappointment that OE is dead in Vista and the new email program while it looks like it and has some of the features, really is more closely resembling Outlook, which I hate for simply an email program.
Today I tried to set the OE store on my network drive as I am growing bored trying to remember which pc I downloaded the email into but sadly it will not go. It accepts the address, but will not display there.
So I decided to try Thunderbird as I have always felt that it is safer anyway.
Well it is much improved from the last time I used it as spell check works, the address book will stay where it was last used (boring constantly opening import file from OE to have it go back to Thunderbird address Book), but now it remains where you last use it. Multiple addresses can be chosen by holding down "ctrl" or "shift" keys which did not work in the past. My only problems are I cannot set the font and color in outgoing mail and message ruloes do not use color for highlight so I will have to use something else to set off attachments and emails from senders in address book.
And low and behold, I can move the store to network drive and then set backups to load into each pc, so so far, so good!!!

[mylanta]

Yeah well so much for the plunge....I cannot access the store from 3 pc's, it will only allow the one you are on to have 1 store and another cannot access it...so I really prefer OE and back I go as usual.
Anyone know of a mail program that will allow multiple pc's to access 1 store on a network drive?

[PeteF]

Anyone know of a mail program that will allow multiple pc's to access 1 store on a network drive?

Rich,
I've never tried it, but I think Eudora can be run from multiple PCs that
all access the same Mail data. With Eudora you simply specify the
Mail Directory in the command line of the shortcut that launches
Eudora.

Read this thread below at the Eudora Forum for details
about how to specify the Mail Directory.
http://eudorabb.qualcomm.com/showthread.php?t=2411&highlight=change+mail+directory

---pete---

[mylanta]

Rich,
I've never tried it, but I think Eudora can be run from multiple PCs that
all access the same Mail data. With Eudora you simply specify the
Mail Directory in the command line of the shortcut that launches
Eudora.

Read this thread below at the Eudora Forum for details
about how to specify the Mail Directory.
http://eudorabb.qualcomm.com/showthread.php?t=2411&highlight=change+mail+directory

---pete---

Funny you should mention that as I tried it today and while I could store it on the network drive, I kept getting error messages and failure to open program because the store was there so I just gave up and uninstalled it.

[Tortanick]

If you can't get this working then its possible to rig up a server that will collect your pop mail, then serve it out to your lan via IMAP. You could even set up centralised spam filtering.

If you're not commandline or linux-server phobic I can point you to a guide for setting up a compleat mailserver, with spam/virus filtering, then just add getmail to it.

[casey]

Rich,

I'm not sure I understand what you want to do but if it's to read your e-mail over a network drive after you copy it to the root directory why not try converting it .
I use a dbx converter to convert all my E-Mail and special mail that I keep in different folders. After I copy them to a folder on the root directory I use a dbx converter to change them and I am able to read them like I would if they were still in OE. I usually copy them onto a CD for forture use. The converter I use is a Dos based converter but it is simple to use or I wouldn't be able do it.It shows up as envelopes and when you open it it displays OE logo... Not sure that's what your looking for...

[mylanta]

Larry,
I was lookingto have mail store on server and then access it from all pc's...but actually you gave me another idea which would be to just keep an auto backup to the drive and then use a converter to read it then.
It would be easier to read webmail but unfortunately that is so slow in comparison and does not have all the features. Besides that I have 5 emails I use everyday and I would be all over the place.

[PeteF]

Funny you should mention that as I tried it today and while I could store it on the network drive, I kept getting error messages and failure to open program because the store was there so I just gave up and uninstalled it.

Rich, I just tried to setup Eudora v6.2 on a second PC in my network.
I went to computer "A" and shared the Eudora folder where Eudora.exe
exists. Then I went to computer "B" and created a new shortcut
on the desktop pointing to Eudora.exe on the shared computer.
I also specifed the "Start In:" folder. No software installation
required on computer "B".

Upon running Eudora from computer "B" I got a warning that Eudora
was in use by another computer and I risk corrupting the data if
I continue. I clicked option to terminate remote session and Eudora
started on computer "B". I was able to see all my email in the inbox
but it was corrupted when i tried to open an email. So I can see
you CAN NOT have two instances of Eudora running simultaniously
acessing the same data files in the shared folder. That makes sense.

Next I tried the same thing but this time I exited Eudora on comuter
"A" before starting Eudora on computer "B". This worked fine.
So you can do it using Eudora but you must *always* close Eudora
when done using it if you plan to use Eudora on another computer.

---pete---

[Dan18960]

You know there is an EASY option to this - leaving the emails on the ISP server for 5 or more days ( I leave mine on for 10 days).

If you go to OE/Tools/Accounts{select "one" if you have more than one}/Properties/ Advanced tab and at the bottom you see that you can leave a copy on the email server and delete from that server IF you have delete emails on closing.

Now this does NOT cure the address book or IF your using Outlook and want to share calendar/Tasks/Projects - but you can always forward an email to yourself to update the other computers address book (or just wait until you get the mail there and update your address book).

This is how I manage my emails / address book on my 6 systems (don't worry about the wife's she seldom checks mail anyway).

[mylanta]

Pete,
I never gopt to set up the 2nd machine as the first one just hung and hung after the corrupted data message and I had to uninstall it. I could have retried it but I felt like I was forcing a dead issue.
Dan,
Ou***anding idea and actually 1 day would do it as within 1 day I use bnoth main pc's anyway but I fear a repeat of all the forum email advices would bury me repeating them...let me ponder on that one....

[PeteF]

Pete,
I never gopt to set up the 2nd machine as the first one just hung and hung after the corrupted data message and I had to uninstall it. I could have retried it but I felt like I was forcing a dead issue.


One more word about Eudora. Don't go past version 6.2 with your
evaluations. Version 7 has a reputation for being very buggy.
Acutally any Eudora version 5.4 thru 6.2 is acceptable with
hardly any difference between them.

I tested using version 6.2 and it will do what you need with
the limitation that you must only have one occuance of Eudora
running at any given time or you risk corrupting the data files.

---pete---

[mylanta]

Good tip Pete I used newest...and it was indeed really buggy!