I want to sync 2 laptops with Live Mail online, but then deleteLaptop

I have live mail on my office pc. I press update all, it syncs online & my web browser based (live) hotmail gets all the new messages, folders etc. I want to go on holiday with my netbook.
1. When on holiday, I have live mail on my netbook. If I press sync, will it then download/update my netbook with all the browser based hotmail messages/folders etc.? So my netbook Live mail will look just like the office PC Live mail, will it?
2. When I get back off holiday, on my office pc, I press update, this I presume will then get all the new messages/folders from the browser on Live mail, will it?
3. But then now I am back, I want to delete all the messages/folders off my netbook for security, If I press or it accidentally, or I go away again & press update all on the netbook, will the browser Live mail then update the folders, deleting lots of them, as it is using the netbook as the latest update that it thinks I want? So to summarise, is there a setting on my netbook live mail, that says ‘delete these folders/messages, but don’t delete/sync online’?

1. Yes. That's the nature of synchronization.
2. Yes. But note that if there are a lot of messages to be synchronized, it might not all happen at once. It might take more than one sync cycle to bring everything up to date. Once you're satisfied that all is in place, I would close down WLMail on the static machine and leave it for a few minutes to update its databases, which happens after shutdown and on startup.
3. Once the static machine is up to date, on the mobile machine right-click on the account name in the folder pane and select Properties. On the General tab, deselect Include this account when receiving mail and synchronizing (that was the setting you were looking for). You can then delete what you like.
Alternatively (and probably safer), simply remove the account (right-click and select Remove account). This will delete everything from the mobile machine without affecting the webmail account. Then next time to go on your travels, add it back (Ctrl-Shift-T). You only have to enter the email address and password, then wait for the full sync to complete - again, probably needing more than one sync cycle.

Noel

Firedog said:

...simply remove the account (right-click and select Remove account). This will delete everything from the mobile machine...

In 2011, does that also delete the sign-in data? In the 2009 version the sign-in data remains, so for security I would also have to use Options/Connections to "stop signing in" and also remember to uncheck "remember password" at sign-in. After doing all that my password is gone so no one can sign in without it however the LiveID still appears in the drop down for the sign in screen.

roncerr said:

In 2011, does that also delete the sign-in data?

It deletes the account settings from the store folder along with all the account folders and their contents. Signing in has nothing to do with sending and receiving mail; it only gives access to Windows Live services like contacts, calendar and SkyDrive for photo uploads, and the Live ID used need not be the same as the address of a mail account. So, no, the sign-in data won't be touched by removing an account.

The question only referred to deleting folders and messages 'for security reasons'. To secure the machine against all eventualities in case it was stolen, for example, would require much more rigorous procedures.

Noel

MickRoberts said:

I have live mail on my office pc. I press update all, it syncs online & my web browser based (live) hotmail gets all the new messages, folders etc. I want to go on holiday with my netbook...

This description of Delta Sync, used for Hotmail accounts and Contacts in WLM, should also answer your questions:

Hotmail accounts, contacts, and calendar use "Delta Sync" on WLM. Delta Sync is described here: DeltaSync - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Since my email accounts are accessible via POP3 and IMAP, I don't use DeltaSync with email but I do with my contacts so I could be said to have the same security issue you describe with respect to my contacts list. Lets say I don't wish to carry a laptop with me since I'm going 10 places that have loaner laptops with WLM. So I pickup a laptop, sign-in to WLM and all my contacts appear on that laptop. Before I turn it back in, I sign out of WLM and also go to Options/Connections and push the button that says "stop signing in". I would also make sure that I have unchecked the box that says "remember my password" at the sign-in window. Now if someone else picks up the laptop they will see my login name on the dropdown list in the sign-in window but no password, so they can't sign in to my account and only the local (blank) contact list will be visible. Notice that at no point did I have to delete any contacts, I just had to "stop signing in" and uncheck "remember password".

Hotmail accounts using DeltaSync may be different; I don't know since I don't use them. However, lets say that after I sign out and push the button to "stop signing-in" and uncheck "remember password", I still see all my email accounts listed with their associated messages even after closing and reopening the program. I would just delete the email accounts and the messages would be deleted with them. If I had put anything in the Storage Folders I would delete that as well. Since I'm doing all this without signing in, the program has no idea what to sync to. The most recent copy of everything is still on the server and the next time I sign in with any of the 10 PCs I use in my travels, it will be populated with my contacts. The Hotmail messages would appear after I set up the Hotmail accounts on that PC.

Firedog said:

1. Yes. That's the nature of synchronization.
2. Yes. But note that if there are a lot of messages to be synchronized, it might not all happen at once. It might take more than one sync cycle to bring everything up to date. Once you're satisfied that all is in place, I would close down WLMail on the static machine and leave it for a few minutes to update its databases, which happens after shutdown and on startup.
3. Once the static machine is up to date, on the mobile machine right-click on the account name in the folder pane and select Properties. On the General tab, deselect Include this account when receiving mail and synchronizing (that was the setting you were looking for). You can then delete what you like.
Alternatively (and probably safer), simply remove the account (right-click and select Remove account). This will delete everything from the mobile machine without affecting the webmail account. Then next time to go on your travels, add it back (Ctrl-Shift-T). You only have to enter the email address and password, then wait for the full sync to complete - again, probably needing more than one sync cycle.

Noel

Yes, that sounds good. How often does the sync happen automatically? I know I have got my settings which I download messages automatically every 5 mins. Does sync only happen when I press that 'update all'?
So my next holiday on my netbook, I put my email id back on the netbook, & I press sync, it won't tell the server 'Hey, no messages here, that's what you're having too'?, it will get the new messages folders off the server Live Mail?

MickRoberts said:

...How often does the sync happen automatically? I know I have got my settings which I download messages automatically every 5 mins. Does sync only happen when I press that 'update all'?

...I put my email id back on the netbook, & I press sync, it won't tell the server 'Hey, no messages here, that's what you're having too'?, it will get the new messages folders off the server Live Mail?

It happens as soon as you sign-in, and since "sync" has also been defined as "Send and Receive" it will happen to the messages according to your schedule; it may also happen for your contacts and calendar at that time but I'm not sure. Also if you make any changes in your contacts and calendar, they will be synced but I'm not sure when, perhaps when you close WLM if not done before then.

To answer your second question, once you delete everying while not "signed-in" I'd say your pc will look like a new blank pc the next time you do sign in, so it should be populated by what's on ther server.

MickRoberts said:

Yes, that sounds good. How often does the sync happen automatically? I know I have got my settings which I download messages automatically every 5 mins. Does sync only happen when I press that 'update all'?

I think the frequency of sync is
(1) at startup if selected on the Options > General tab;
(2) at the interval specified on the same tab, so long as it's big enough. 5 minutes is a bit short; Hotmail recommend 20 minutes;
(3) at intervals of not less than about 30 minutes and not more than about two hours if the Check for new messages... option is not selected.

MickRoberts said:

So my next holiday on my netbook, I put my email id back on the netbook, & I press sync, it won't tell the server 'Hey, no messages here, that's what you're having too'?, it will get the new messages folders off the server Live Mail?

No. Think about it: if that was the way it worked, every time someone set up a Hotmail account in WLMail, it would empty Hotmail's folders .
You shouldn't even have to press Sync (or Send/Receive on WLMail 2011). The program will assume that you want to have your local and remote accounts in sync. It will even, I think, prompt you to go online if you're offline when you set up the account.

Noel

roncerr said:

MickRoberts said:

...How often does the sync happen automatically?

It happens as soon as you sign-in

No - signing in has nothing to do with sending and receiving messages. You can sign in and out as you please without engendering a sync of messages. However, your calendar and contacts will sync as soon as you sign in.

Noel

Firedog said:

roncerr said:

MickRoberts said:

...How often does the sync happen automatically?

It happens as soon as you sign-in

No - signing in has nothing to do with sending and receiving messages... However, your calendar and contacts will sync...

Thanks for catching that. I was thinking of contacts and calendar. But I also remember when we first started using WLM 2009 people started asking "what is sync". The short answer is that it corresponds to the "Send and Receive" in OE. And when I saw my contacts and calendar update at startup I thought that since it syncs those at startup perhaps it syncs Hotmail (the http protocol which I'm not using) as well. I guess not.