Using a PST as a Contact List in OL2000 (Outlook 2000 w/SR1a and SP2)

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I have Outlook deployed on my user’s computers and share the Company contacts via a pst file. The contacts pst sits on a network share. When the user logs on, the network logon script calls up a batch file that copies the contacts pst file from the share to the root of their C:. When the user then opens their Outlook I have them go to FILE_OPEN_PERSONAL FOLDERS FILE (pst) and open the contacts pst from the root of their C:. Next, I have the user go to the properties of the contacts folder within the contacts pst and have them enable it as to show as an address book.

When the user shuts down Outlook and reopens it the contacts folder within the contacts pst will generally stay enabled to show as an address book, but, on some computers it’s not enabled. This occurs regardless of platform (Win 98 or Win 2k) or whether or not Outlook is configured for Internet Only or for Corporate/Workgroup, and not all users are affected.

Is there a way to insure that the contacts folder within this contacts pst can remain enabled to show as an address book at ALL times so I don’t have to hear my boss constantly asking me if I have this fixed yet? My ears are getting tired.

Thanks,
tfw

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It seems that this property is not exposed to VBA programming. The only alternative I could suggest is a command line utility that would require user intervention to run the Batch-Type file when the setting didn’t keep. This is not the smoothest workaround.

For the record, is it always the same machines where the settings do break down or does it seem to work its way through virtually every user’s machine – at one time or another?

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It’s generally the same machines exhibiting this behavior.

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It’s generally the same machines exhibiting this behavior.

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It seems that this property is not exposed to VBA programming. The only alternative I could suggest is a command line utility that would require user intervention to run the Batch-Type file when the setting didn’t keep. This is not the smoothest workaround.

For the record, is it always the same machines where the settings do break down or does it seem to work its way through virtually every user’s machine – at one time or another?

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I think that information might be stored in the Registry. Do these users have the necessary permissions to update the Registry? If so, maybe a script can do the update if Outlook is unwilling…

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Users on the 98 machines can access the registry, but the 2k machine users, at present, don’t have that permission.

Regarding the script, any suggestions as to how one could be crafted?

Thanks

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It’s easy to write certain kinds of values to the registry using VBScript (I don’t think binary data is possible, but most other data does seem to be). The trick is figuring out how the settings are stored. That takes a bit of experimentation or finding an article somewhere out there.

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It’s easy to write certain kinds of values to the registry using VBScript (I don’t think binary data is possible, but most other data does seem to be). The trick is figuring out how the settings are stored. That takes a bit of experimentation or finding an article somewhere out there.

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Users on the 98 machines can access the registry, but the 2k machine users, at present, don’t have that permission.

Regarding the script, any suggestions as to how one could be crafted?

Thanks

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I think that information might be stored in the Registry. Do these users have the necessary permissions to update the Registry? If so, maybe a script can do the update if Outlook is unwilling…

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