The Pocket Contact Synchronizer Add-in for Outlook is made available by Microsoft, which facilitates synchronization of non-default contact folders.  It creates a duplicate of the contact items in the sub folder, appends the sub folder name along with "Outlook PCS" into the Categories field and moves it into the main folder.  This enables you to sort the Contacts on your Pocket PC using the Category feature. Note that this is a one-way synchronization feature only.  That is if you update the Contact information on your Pocket PC and synchronize then you will need to move the Contact back to its sub folder manually.

NOTE:  There have been posting where users have reported that they were unable to install this add-in with Outlook 2003.
            I have been using it without any problems with Outlook 2003.  If you face installation issues, try referring to information
            discussed under - Common problems faced with Outlook PCS.

Once installed, this component will be visible as follow:

figure 1

figure 2

Before you Start  Outlook PCS, you will need to mark the folders that you would like to synchronize.  In the following example, Work is being selected as a folder whose contents need to be synchronized with the Pocket PC.

figure 3

You will need to go to the Outlook PCS tab sheet and then check the box and click Apply to save the settings.

figure 4

Now if you click Outlook PCS as seen in figure 1 and 2, the contacts in the selected folders will be duplicated, the Categories field will be appended with the folder name and "Outlook PCS".  In this example, the Contacts in the Work folder would have their Categories appended with "Work", "Outlook PCS".  This will help sorting while viewing on your Pocket PC after synchronizing.

If you want to customize the folders selected or clear all the duplicated contacts, click Tools-> Options and select the Outlook PCS tab sheet.

figure 5 

The following screen shot shows how you could sort the Contacts on your Pocket PC.  In the example, Contacts that were in the Work, Friends, Pocket PC Club, Atlanta folder was synchronized.  All Contacts would be updated with their folder name and Outlook PCS in the Categories.  So if you want to view the Contacts in Friends, then you would click Friends.  If you click Outlook PCS, then it will display all the contacts that have been synchronized using the Outlook PCS tool.  This would include all Contacts from Work, Friends, Pocket PC Club, Atlanta folder.

figure 6

 

For other alternatives on synchronizing non default folders refer  Synchronizing Outlook Folders.

Common problems faced with Outlook PCS:

"While attempting to install Outlook PCS on a computer running Office 2003, you are unable to run the setup and encounter the following error message:"

Solution:

1. Open the Registry - Click Start -> Run and type:
   
   regedit
    
2. Browse to the following location. You wouldn't have the keys after "Office", therefore you will need to add them.
   
   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office\10.0\Common\InstallRoot
   
   And add a String Value under this Key called "Path" with its Value data reading as "C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office10\"
   
   If you are not comfortable doing the registry editing yourself, download the Registry file and execute it. This will add the required entries.
    
3. Run the Add-in Setup again and you should be able to install Outlook PCS on your computer without any problems.
   
   ** Many thanks to Mark Quindlen for sharing this tip !!

"Installation went OK, worked fine for a couple of days, but now one of the two buttons has disappeared: there still is an "Outlook PCS" button in the menu bar, that does nothing when pressed, and the "Start Outlook PCS" button has disappeared. Un-installing and re-installing has no net effect."

Solution:

1. Open Outlook -> Click Tools -> Options -> Other -> Advanced Options -> COM Add-ins -> Remove the check mark.
2. Disconnect your PPC (if connected) and close Outlook.
3. Search for the file named OutlookPCS.dll on your computer.  The default location would be:
   
        C:\Program Files\Outlook PCS
   
   C: might need to be replaced with the appropriate drive letter.
4. Click Start -> Run and type
   
   regsvr32 "C:\Program Files\Outlook PCS\OutlookPCS.dll"
   
   * (You might need to modify the path, if the location of the file is different)
5. Hit Enter or Click Ok and you should see a message about the dll getting registered successfully.
6. Repeat #1 and add the checkmark for the Add-in.

"Outlook PCS was working fine.  Now clicking the "Outlook PCS" button in the menu bar or pressing the "Start Outlook PCS" button does not do anything.  Un-installing and re-installing has no effect."

Solution:

Try running the ScanPST for the .pst file.  To run ScanPST, search for a program called scanpst.exe.  This is a small utility included with Microsoft Outlook which will scan your *.pst file (the file that contains your personal information) for possible corruption and attempt to repair it.  The default file name is Outlook.pst.  Usually the location of the file are as follows:

* Windows XP, NT and 2000:

    C:\Program Files\Common Files\System\Mapi\1033\NT\scanpst.exe

* Windows 95, 98, and Me:

    C:\Program Files\Common Files\System\Mapi\1033\95\scanpst.exe

You will need to run it against the .pst file.  Usually the name is Outlook.pst.  If you are unable to locate the path of the .pst file, do the following:

1.  Open Outlook.
2.  Click File -> Data File Management
3.  This should list all the PST files that are present.  Click Open Folder
     and you should find the storage path of your *.pst file.

Perform a soft reset on your PPC and then attempt to sync.  The corrupt pst file might be the cause behind preventing a successful synchronization.