FAQ Outlook 2003

Why shouldn't I use Outlook Express?

We recommend you do not use any version of Outlook other than 2003 due to security concerns and feature support. For example, other versions of Outlook are prone to security holes and permit the running of viruses. Computing Services only supports Outlook 2003.

Why does Outlook prompt me to authenticate twice: once when I first sign on and a second time when I first send a mail message?

Outlook prompts the first time to authenticate you to the incoming or IMAP server; the second time it prompts to authenticate you to the outgoing or SMTP server.

Why do random characters sometime appear in the messages that I send?

To avoid this, we recommend that you disable mail as the text editor and that you use the plain text mail format in Outlook. For more information, see the section Setting your Mail Format.

Why do my menu choices appear differently than other's who use Outlook 2003?

Outlook menus can appear differently depending on whether you have disabled or enabled mail as the text editor. For more information, see the Setting your Mail Format section.

Some of the personal Inbox folders that I had in my previous mail client don't appear. How can I change this?

By default, Outlook only displays folders to which you are subscribed. If the folders don't appear, it's probably because, even though you created them, you didn't subscribe to them. Follow the steps to subscribe to all of your personal folders in the Folders and Bulletin Boards section.

How do I create a signature or "reply to" line in Outlook?

Outlook has one default signature for new messages and offers a different default signature for replies and forwards. You may also create as many other signature files as you want and select them when composing a new message. See the Setting your Mail Format section.

When I delete messages, they still appear in my Inbox. How do I remove or "expunge" them?

You can permanently remove the messages manually, or configure Outlook to remove them automatically when you exit the program. See the Delete/Purge Messages section.

When I enter a name in the "To" field of a new message, Outlook assumes to know who I'm sending the message to. How do I turn off this feature?

By default, Outlook enables an auto-complete feature for "guessing" the name of frequently used mail recipients based on the first few letters of the name that you type. You can configure Outlook to turn off this feature. See the Auto-complete section.

Why can't I view certain e-mail attachments? Outlook says they're blocked.

Outlook BLOCKS certain file attachments that have the potential to carry a virus to your computer. There are several ways that you can work around this security feature. See the Securing section.

Can I re-configure the way Outlook displays my mail messages?

Yes. Outlook offers different alternatives for viewing your mail in through the reading pane and through different view options. See the Viewing your Inbox section.

Outlook offers calendar and notes features. Can I use Outlook to read my Andrew Calendar schedule?

No. Although Steltor, the developer of Oracle Calendar developed a program called "Outlook Connector" it still does not properly integrate with Outlook to the point where it is a viable option at Carnegie Mellon. We are working with the vendor to remedy this, but as progress is slow, we recommend that you continue to use Andrew Calendar for scheduling/calendar purposes.

My previous client stored my sent messages in a folder called "sentmail". Email that I have sent in Outlook doesn't appear in that folder. Where is it?

Different clients default to storing sent messages in different folders; for example:

• Webmail - defaults to storing sent messages in a folder called "Sent Mail"
• Outlook - defaults to storing sent messages in a folder called "Sent Items"

You can create a rule in Outlook that will dictate where your sent messages are stored. If you use Outlook AND Webmail (when reading email off campus), you may want to create a rule in Outlook that stores sent messages to the same folder as Webmail (i.e., Sent Mail). See the Sent Mail section. 

I can access my Outlook "Sent Items" from my office computer, but not from my home computer. Why?

By default, Outlook stores your "Sent Items" locally (i.e., on your local computer, not on the server). Because of this, these mail messages will not be accessible from any other machine. If you want to store your "Sent Items" on the server, you will need to configure an Outlook "rule". See the Sent Mail section.

How do I establish a separate e-mail account or identity for sending certain mail messages?

If you have a need to change your "From" or "Reply-to" information when sending email, you may have used something called an "Identity" feature in your previous mail client. Outlook offers a few different methods to handle this type of email. See the Using Multiple Identities section.

How do I access the personal address book that I created in my previous mail client?

You'll need to export the address book from your previous mail client and import it to Outlook. See Exporting an Address Book.

Can I hide Favorite Folders?

Outlook allows you to create a list of folder "favorites." These can be mail folders that you use frequently. To hide Favorite Folders, click the Folder List button at the bottom of the Navigation pane. To display Favorite Folders, click the Mail button at the bottom of the Navigation pane.

I need to report a spam or malicious e-mail activity. In Outlook, how do I copy and send the e-mail header?

Follow these steps to forward e-mail headers in Outlook 2002:

1. Open the mail message.
   Note: You will need to double-click the mail message to open it; viewing it in auto preview mode won't work.
2. Select View > Options.
3. Click in the Internet headers box (you can click anywhere within that box)
4. To highlight all the text, press Ctrl-A.
5. To copy the text press Ctrl-C.
6. Click Close.
7. With the mail message still highlighted, click Forward.
8. Press Ctrl-V to paste the headers into the body of the message.
9. Enter the "To" address and a reason for forwarding, then send the message.

Why do I have to re-open my Inbox every time that I launch Outlook?

This is a default setting, but you can configure Outlook so that it ALWAYS opens to your Inbox. See the Viewing your Inbox section. 

I don't like the way that my Inbox mail is grouped. Can I change it?

This is a default setting, but you can re-configure Outlook to list your email by date or other criteria. See the Viewing your Inbox section.

How do I access the group address books that I used in my previous mail client?

Although your personal address book can be exported from your previous mail client and imported to Outlook, group addresses don't transfer well. You will need to re-enter your group distribution lists into Outlook. See Exporting an Address Book.

How do I share my personal address book with others?

Outlook does not offer a solution to shared address books. In some situations, the best solution may be to develop a mailing list through the Andrew Mailman application; for help, see Using Mailman Lists.

In my previous mail client, I used local mailboxes that were stored on my own computer. Can I configure local mail in Outlook?

Local mailboxes are those that you stored on a specific computer. In other words, the mail in these folders is NOT stored on a mail server and is not accessible when you use a different computer.

In your previous mail client, these folders may have appeared as another "account" under your Cyrus account. There is no method of directly copying over local folders to Outlook's local mail store, but there are some options for working around this situation.

Should I consider backing up my Outlook address book and preferences?

Outlook stores data such as your address book, email messages, settings and preferences LOCALLY (i.e., on your local computer). If you need to reinstall your machine for any reason, you risk losing this data. You can decide to back up your Oulook data on a regular basis. See the Backing up Outlook Data section.

Can I use Outlook to read and review mail when I'm not connected to a network?

Yes. Messages in remote mailboxes can be stored on your computer's hard disk so that you may access these messages when your computer is not connected to a network (when traveling, etc.). Through Outlook's disconnected mode, these messages can be read and otherwise manipulated in the normal manner, and any changes made to messages while in disconnected mode will be reflected in their online counterparts the next time a network connection is made. See the Using Outlook in Disconnected Mode section.

Outlook doesn't display graphics in my e-mail messages. Why?

To help protect you, Outlook is configured to block pictures and other Internet content until you determine that it is safe to view. Instead this content is displayed with a placeholder until you right-click to view it. For more information, see the Securing section.

How do I configure Outlook to display one line per header?

Outlook allows you to configure your options in a number of ways through the customize view feature. For more information, see the Viewing Your Inbox section.

I have problems when I attempt to SEND mail in Outlook.

If you have configured Outlook to use port 587 and you're having problems with sending email, reconfigure Outlook to use 465 for the Outgoing server port and restart Outlook. For more information, see step 8 of the Configuring section.

In general, Outlook isn't working properly.

It's important that you update Outlook to the latest version. To do this, launch Internet Explorer and visit the Microsoft update web page. Note: You must use Internet Explorer to run Microsoft Update. Follow the on-screen instructions to update your computer.

Does Outlook notify the recipient that they were BCC'd on a message?

In some e-mail clients, the BCC recipient would see something like this in a message: "IMPORTANT! This message has been blind-carbon-copied to you. Do not reply-to-all or forward it without the author's permission." When using BCC in Outlook, the recipient will NOT see any special note.

What other e-mail clients does Computing Services support?

Computing Services supports Webmail, Microsoft Outlook (Windows) and Entourage (Mac).

Last Updated: 8/20/09