If a user deletes the Outlook icon from his or her desktop, he or she might be tempted to create a new shortcut to the program to restore the icon. However, the Outlook icon that the program puts on the desktop is more than a mere shortcut.
If the user right-clicks the Outlook icon, he or she will see options such as Properties, which provides quick access to the Outlook profiles on that machine. Although it's easy to create a new shortcut, if you right-click a shortcut and select Properties, you'll only get the Properties for that shortcut; the user won't have access to his or her Outlook profiles.
While there's a fairly complex registry edit that will put the
Outlook icon back on the desktop, tell your users to follow this simple
three-step process instead:
1. Start Outlook. (Note: The user may have to go through Start |
Programs | Microsoft Outlook since the icon was deleted.)
2. Go to Help | Detect And Repair.
3. Run Detect And Repair and select the check box Restore My Shortcuts
While Repairing.
It isn't difficult to create a new e-mail message in Outlook: Just click the toolbar's New button when the Inbox folder is displayed. Starting a new e-mail message this way naturally requires that Outlook is running, but many users don't keep Outlook running on the desktop. For these users, simplify the task of sending a new e-mail by creating a mailto: item shortcut on the desktop or in the Quick Start menu.
Follow these steps to create a mailto: item shortcut:
1. Right-click the desktop and choose New | Shortcut.
2. In the Create Shortcut dialog box, enter mailto: as the item to
launch and click Next.
3. Specify New Mail Message as the shortcut name, then click Finish.
4. Drag the shortcut to the Quick Start toolbar to make it quickly
accessible without minimizing all applications.
When the user double-clicks the shortcut, Outlook launches and will prompt the user for a profile unless there is one set as the default. However, only the new message form appears--the rest of Outlook stays hidden, running in the background. Outlook doesn't consume any CPU time unless the user is actually sending a message; the rest of the time it waits silently until it's needed again.
Outlook lets you configure the default format for new e-mail messages and gives you three options: HTML, rich text, or plain text. If you've configured Outlook to use HTML as the default, each new message will start with HTML as the format, enabling you to add graphics, formatting, and other rich media. However, some users prefer to receive text-only e-mail messages. You can configure the default mail format to be different from Outlook's overall default format for specific users.
This means that new messages you send to these users will be created using the format specified for the recipient, not those you set as the default for Outlook.
Follow these steps to set the default message format for a contact in
Outlook 2002:
1. Open Outlook's Contacts folder and double-click the contact to open
it.
2. In the E-mail field, double-click the recipient's address to open the
E-mail Properties dialog box.
3. From the Internet Format drop-down list, choose the format option you
want to use for this contact. For example, choose Send Plain Text Only
if you want Outlook to use only plain text for this recipient.
You can repeat this process for any other contacts for which you want to set a specific message format. But keep in mind that the setting is address-specific, not recipient-specific. You can send messages to a particular contact using different mail formats, depending on which e-mail address you use.
If the contact has more than one e-mail address, open the contact form and click the down arrow beside the e-mail address field. Select a different address, then double-click the address to set its default format.
If you don't keep Outlook running on the desktop, simplify the task of sending a new e-mail by creating a "mailto:" shortcut on the desktop or in the Quick Start menu.
1. Right-click the desktop and choose New | Shortcut.
2. In the Create Shortcut dialog box, enter mailto: as the item to
launch and click Next.
3. Specify New Mail Message as the shortcut name, then click Finish.
4. Drag the shortcut to the Quick Start toolbar to make it quickly
accessible without minimizing all applications.
When the user clicks the icon on the toolbar, Outlook launches but only the new message form appears--the rest of Outlook stays hidden, running in the background. Outlook doesn't consume any CPU time unless the user is actually sending a message; the rest of the time it waits silently until it's needed again.
How can I get to my Hotmail account using Outlook?
For instructions on how to configure Outlook 2002 or 2003 to use Hotmail, click here:
HYPERLINK http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;287424
How can I password protect my Outlook mail account?
You can set passwords for "identities" in Outlook Express. Click on the FILE menu > Identities > Manage Identities. Your current identity is probably called "main identity" (that is the default if only one is set up). Click on the Properties button and check "require a password". You'll then set up your password. Once you have this all set up, you'll be prompted for a password when you open OE.
Where can I find information about my mail incoming and outgoing servers?
You may have these stored on your computer in the program you have been using for E-mail.
If that is Outlook Express or Microsoft Outlook, here's what to do:
1) Open Outlook Express or MS Outlook.
2) Click the Tools menu and click on Accounts.
3) Select your E-mail account and click on the Properties button.
4) Under account properties, click on the Servers tab.
Write down what is entered for "Incoming mail (POP3)" and "Outgoing mail (SMTP)."