Differences Between a Workgroup Post Office and Microsoft Mail (150688)

SUMMARY

In certain cases, you may need to delete and re-create a post office. If you do so, you must make sure not to delete a retail Microsoft Mail post office instead of the Workgroup post office installed with Windows for Workgroups or Windows 95. This article describes how to determine the difference between post offices.

For additional information about deleting and re-creating a Workgroup post office, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

120817 How to Delete and Re-create a WFWG Post Office

MORE INFORMATION

The primary method of determining the difference between a Workgroup post office and a retail Microsoft Mail post office is the root folder. The default root folder names for post offices are as follows:

   Product                               Root folder
   -----------------------------------------------------------
   Windows for Workgroups 3.1 and 3.11   <x>:\Windows\WGPO
   Windows 95                            <x>:\Windows\WGPO0000
   Retail Microsoft Mail                 <net drive>:\MAILDATA

Note that Windows 95 increments the numerical value of the post office name as additional post offices are created. This behavior is by design.

Additional Differences

The root folder of a post office can be created with any valid name. However, even if a custom name is used for the root folder, the internal folder structure must remain named as it was during creation and all folder structures must be maintained.

In these cases, use the following differences to determine the version of the post office.

A Windows 95 or Windows for Workgroups post office has 32 files in the GLB folder. A retail Microsoft Mail post office has at least 72 files.
If the GLB folder contains files with .mdm or .scr extensions, it is a retail Microsoft Mail post office. These files are modem script files for use with the administrator tools included with retail Microsoft Mail.