Sync issues with Windows 8.1 phone

[mwh1962]

Although I have been happily married for more than 52 years, I need some relationship advice on Office 365, Outlook.com and Windows 8.1 phone.

I have the Home version of 365 installed, which I assume includes Outlook 2013, with four (4) POP3 mail accounts, plus an Outlook.com address. I can't get .pst and .ost files to get along with one another, and while saving the mail on the server for a month allows keeping email in sync, I can't seem to get my calendar or contacts to show up on desktop and phone.

The desktop has fully updated 8.1, and the phone is a Lumia 925 on AT&T. Someone suggested changing my email accounts to IMAP, which I know how to do, but that won't affect the contacts or calendar. I have even tried buying a subscription to the Small Business version of 365, but it is even more confusing.

I have no experience with MS Exchange, having always been a one-man office with no more than four or five computers, including laptops, on a peer-to-peer network, but I am willing to learn and capable of following directions. Can someone get me headed in the right direction? I will cheerfully buy software or services if I am missing something needed to make this happen.

 

[Forum Admin]

I'm not sure I'm the best for Windows Phone relationship advice, I'm thinking about breaking up with my 8X and running off with an iPhone.

Well, the small business version of Office 365 will give you the best sync experience. If you set outlook up on the computers, everything will be identical on all. Do you own the domains the addresses are in? If so, the best option is setting the domain(s) up on Office 365. You can then continue to POP the accounts that you can't move to 365.

Second best is setting Outlook.com up using EAS, with the data file set as default so it gets calendar and contacts. You can leave the POP accounts, but it's better to use IMAP - if you don't use IMAP, then you should create new data files for the POP accounts so you don't have calendar and contact folders in the pst files used by the pop accounts.

 

[mwh1962]

I'm not sure I'm the best for Windows Phone relationship advice, I'm thinking about breaking up with my 8X and running off with an iPhone.

Well, the small business version of Office 365 will give you the best sync experience. If you set outlook up on the computers, everything will be identical on all. Do you own the domains the addresses are in? If so, the best option is setting the domain(s) up on Office 365. You can then continue to POP the accounts that you can't move to 365.

Second best is setting Outlook.com up using EAS, with the data file set as default so it gets calendar and contacts. You can leave the POP accounts, but it's better to use IMAP - if you don't use IMAP, then you should create new data files for the POP accounts so you don't have calendar and contact folders in the pst files used by the pop accounts.

Please don't run off with an iPhone! Lacking experience with a Windows Phone would seriously damage your ability to give such useful advice...

I don't own the domains; I have stuck with the local provider who installed my first DSL service. They have, among other things, the best spam filter I have ever seen, great service, and everyone knows my addresses. I have one personal, one business and two for clients. I can easily convert them to IMAP accounts. I also have an outlook.com address I grabbed to get my name. So the EAS solution looks to be my only viable choice, but where do I get it? And this may need to go to a different forum, but I'm not sure about uninstalling or deactivating 365 Home before installing Small Business. (I still can't believe MS won't just upgrade a Home account!) Got some more help on you?