Resolved Outlook synchronizing folders

Running Outlook 2003 under XP and IE7, and on a dialup line because I live in RURAL area, my datacomm traffic becomes paralyzed waiting for this 'synchronization' to complete... I don't know what it's synchronizing my folders with as all my folders are on my system (vs. on the ISP's server), nor do I care - I just want to stop this spontaneous and annoying process.... There was a 2006 thread that described this same problem, but it didn't appear to get resolved... can any of you wizards help?? Thanks

 

no .ost file

Arie - Actually I don't even understand what Outlook is synchronizing with what? I can understand Outlook wanting to do database compaction, etc. but cannot see any need for 'synchronization'... I did search my system for any .ost files, I have none. Any enlightenment you can shed on what this 'synchronization' is would be appreciated. Thanks

 

Steve, thanks for your help, but I have no devices of any kind attached to my laptop... just two USB devices - a printer and a scanner - which I've had for years..... I also looked in my Control Panel and have no synch icon or anything else that looks suspicious. I did 'drill' into the Mail options in Control Panel and it all looks normal, with just one .pst file, so it's not like I'm using my ISP to host any data files.....

 

If Windows Desktop Search is enabled in Outlook.

Disable it in Outlook Add-Ins.

Outllook – Tools – Options – Other – Advanced Options – Add-In Manager

 

Steve - I don't have any settings on my ISP to copy, duplicate, save, etc. any of my mail. I will, however, e-mail them to see if they can shed any light on it. I think this synchronization has been ongoing for some time, certainly a year or two - not a new phenom..... I notice also that the Outlook icon on my taskbar immediately goes to the synchronizing icon (overlapping envelopes?) immediately upon invoking Outlook - even before it goes into dialing the ISP.
Ephemarial - thanks for your reply, but I checked to see what add-ins are in use, and none are....

Thanks guys..

 

The overlapping envelopes is the icon that, when I roll the cursor over it, displays 'Outlook is synchronizing folders' ..... the normal Outlook icon is a suare with the face of a 3 p.m. clockface inside it...
Steve, I might have figured it out - I'll let you know if I have.... stay tuned...

 

Well Steve et al, I think I solved the synchronizing issue... In my Outlook folders view, I saw a folder called 'Search Folder' and in expanding that saw a folder that was labelled 'unread mail' which contained copies of all my unopened mail.. I remember now that a couple of years ago I had a need to capture all of my unread mail (to make it easy to delete it permanently from my Deleted folder) and Outlook had then set up this as a search results folder - a folder that I should have deleted once I had no more use for it... I think now that each time I invoked Outlook, it felt compelled to re-establish the contents of this Search folder, searching through at least my Deleted folder to re-populate this search folder with all unread mail.... I've deleted the folder (actually all the folders 'under' the Search folder) and Outlook now does not consume the CPU at each invokation. Thanks for your help and interest in solving this thing, and a 'tip of the hat' to Ephemarial who suggested that it might be a Desktop Search phenomenon.....