Email - Outlook 2003: Frequently asked questions

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All frequently asked questions

We're changing from Lotus Notes Email to Microsoft Outlook email. Does this mean Lotus Notes will disappear altogether?

No... Lotus Notes remains one of our primary business tools for the use of many of our core applications. These applications include things like the Course and Unit Repositories, Classlists, Room and Equipment Booking systems, and many other CDU databases. The only thing Lotus Notes will cease to do is provide email and calendaring services for staff.

How do I manage the SPAM email that arrives in my Inbox?

Most SPAM email that arrives at the University is filtered out by our email systems. The portion that remains and finds its way into your inbox each day represents about 1% of the University's daily email traffic.

You may notice that these messages that do get through are usually marked as [SPAM] in the subject line (or occasionally ***Spam***). Having these messages marked in this way means we can use Outlook to define a rule and a corresponding action to automatically clean out the SPAM email.

Open your Inbox and click Tools... select Rules and Alerts.
Click the New Rule button.
Select the Start from a blank rule option.
Highlight Check messages when they arrive, and click Next.
Check the box next to 'With specific words in the subject'.
In the lower portion of the window, click on the underlined 'Specific Words'.
Type in [SPAM], then click Add, and then OK.
Click Next.
Check the box next to 'Move it to the specified folder'.
In the lower portion of the window, click on the underlined 'Specified'.
Select your Junk E-Mail folder, and click OK.
Click Finish.

You have now defined a rule and matching action that will move any email message with [SPAM] in the subject from your Inbox to your Junk E-Mail folder. You can repeat this procedure to add different rules in order to clean up other types of nuisance email.... but remember: it is very easy to define a rule that unintentionally moves or deletes legitimate email messages. Think about the rules that you define.

How do I prevent emails from official contacts and sometimes family and friends from going into the Junk Mail Folder?

In Outlook... Access the TOOLS menu > OPTIONS > Preferences tab > Junk Email button > Safe Senders tab.

Explore the options visible in that area. The Junk Email filtering function in Outlook is not very clever, and sometimes it does make errors no matter who the email is from, based on how the sender constructs and sends their email to you.

For those legitimate senders who get 'junked' often, add them to your safe senders list. You can add either their full email address, or just the domain name... e.g. you may want to 'trust' all emails coming from the domain of another university or institution.

How do I move or disable the 'Email Preview' window in my Inbox?

The 'Email Preview' window is used to preview emails that you highlight in your Inbox, without necessarily opening them in a separate window. To move or disable this preview window, click the 'View' menu at the top of your Outlook screen and move your cursor to 'Reading Pane'. Three choices will be available to you: right, bottom, and off. Select whichever one suits you best.

How do I create and send a new email?

While using the ‘Mail’ window (click on the Mail button in the lower-left nav bar), click on the ‘New’ button found at the upper-left of the Outlook screen. Add recipients by typing their email address manually, or alternatively click the ‘To:’ button and then select them from the CDU’s global address book.

How do I add a recipient to the 'TO:' field in Outlook? Will it auto-complete the email address if I just start typing?

There are a number of ways to add a recipient to a new email message. During this transitional period in the CDU's email systems, the surest and best way is this: click on the 'TO:' button to the immediate left of the field itself... this will open the CDU Global address book, and display all possible email recipients. You can either scroll down until you find the name you are looking for, or just type the intended recipients firstname into the topmost search field... this will automatically jump you to that section of the address book. Simply highlight the intended name, then add them to your recipient list by clicking any of the field buttons at the bottom of the Global Address List (i.e. either TO, CC, or BCC). Repeat as necessary, then click OK to return to the new email message.

IMPORTANT NOTE: If you see a small globe icon next to any name in the address list, then you cannot select that name as a recipient. You must instead type their full email address like so: john.smith@mail.cdu.edu.au ...and you must include the 'mail' part of that address. Recipients like these are becoming less as the transition progresses, and there are very few that remain.

A quicker way to add recipients is this: after creating a new email message, start typing part of the intended recipients name directly into the 'TO:' field... this can be either their first or last name. As soon as you have done this... or have typed enough of their name to be distinctive... press the Ctrl and 'K' keys simultaneously. This will pop up the CDU Global Address book and take you straight to the best names based on what you have already typed. Use the arrow keys on your keyboard to move to the name you intend, then hit the Enter key.

IMPORTANT NOTE: you will notice that as you type names directly into the 'TO:' field in a new email message, Outlook will start offering suggestions for the completion of the address. During this transitional period in the CDU email systems, this method is not recommended. Many of the names it offers will be artefacts of the transition migration itself, and will not work. These erroneous entries will resolve themselves as more and more people are added to the Outlook system... until it becomes just like the auto-complete function previously found in Lotus Notes email.

How do I use the 'BCC:' function when sending an email?

By default, the 'BCC:' field in new Outlook emails will not be visible. To turn it on create a new email message, then click the 'Options' button at the top of the email window. In the 'Options' menu select the 'BCC' option... this will place a tick next to the option, and the 'BCC:' will be visible in all emails thereafter.

How do I create and send a new email directly from a contact in my Address Book?

While using the ‘Contacts’ window (click on the Contacts button in the lower-left nav bar), right-button click on any Contact to whom you wish to send an email, and select the option ‘New Message to Contact…’.

How do I add 'My Contacts' to my Address Book?

Go to the Contacts view, right-click on the Contacts (under My Contacts), and select Properties.
Go to the Outlook Address Book tab, click to select Show this folder as an e-mail address book, and then click OK.

If you find that this is greyed out, you will need to do the following:

How to Install the Outlook Address Book Service

On the Tools menu, click E-mail Accounts.
Under Directory, click to select View or change existing directories or address books, and then click Next.
If your Outlook Address Book is not listed, click Add.
Click to select Additional Address Books, and then click Next.
Click to select Outlook Address Book, and then click Next.
Click OK when you receive the prompt that the address book you added will not start until you click Exit from the File menu.
Click Finish.
Click Exit from the File menu, and then restart Outlook.

How do I search through all my email messages for a particular item?

At the upper margin of your Inbox there is a 'Search Bar'... if it's not visible, click the 'Find' button at the top of the Outlook screen. In the first field of this Search Bar, type the text you'd like to search for... this could be a name or any text at all. To the right of this search field there is a 'Search In' drop-down menu... by default this is set to 'Inbox', but can be changed to any of the folders that you may have beneath your Inbox. When you have defined your search, click the 'Find Now' button... and the search results will start to appear in the main window. To return to your normal Inbox after your search, simply click 'clear' on the Search Bar.

How do I save multiple email attachments all at once?

Simply click on and highlight one of the attachments, then click on the File menu... select the Save Attachments option... and then select All Attachments. Then choose where you'd like to save them and click OK.

How do I change the sorted order of my emails in the Inbox window?

At the very top of the column of all your emails, you will notice that the column heading says 'Arranged by:' When you click on this column heading it will offer you a range of choices on how your emails can be sorted. This includes sorting by: date, to, from, flag, size, subject, type, etc. Any of these choices will then re-arrange the email messages in your inbox according to the selected criteria. This functionality can be used in any email folder at all.

How can I open both my Inbox and Calendar views at the same time?

While looking at your Inbox view, simply right-click on the Calendar view button at the lower-left of your Outlook window, and select Open in new window.

How do I create a new appointment?

While using the ‘Calendar’ window (click on the Calendar button in the lower-left nav bar), click on the ‘New’ button found at the upper-left of the Outlook screen. An ‘appointment’ properties window will open, so just fill in the name, location, and timing details, then click ‘Save&Close’ at the upper-left of the appointment window. Another way to initiate this is simply to double-click the timeslot you want in the actual view of your week's schedule.

How do I create a new meeting, and invite others?

While using the ‘Calendar’ window (click on the Calendar button in the lower-left nav bar), click on the ‘New’ button found at the upper-left of the Outlook screen. An ‘appointment’ properties window will open, so just fill in the name, location, and timing details, then click the ‘Invite Attendees’ button at the upper-middle of the appointment window… this will add a ‘To:’ field to your new appointment… simply add invitees to the field as if it were a normal email. When finished, use the ‘Save&Close’ at the upper-left of the appointment window.

How do I Change the 'Reminder' time for any appointment or event in my Outlook Calendar?

The Outlook Calendar will make assign an appropriate reminder time depending how far ahead you a booking a given appointment... for example: for a birthday in the next calendar year, it will likely assign a reminder time of two days; whereas for an appointment in three weeks time, it will likely assign a reminder time of 18 hours; and finally for a an appointment being created for later today, it will assign a reminder time of 15 minutes. All of these default reminder times can be changed when you create the appointment.

To alter the default assigned reminder time: while creating a new appointment, simply use the drop-down list in the reminder section to change the timing to whatever you wish... you can also turn the reminder for that given appointment off completely by unchecking the adjacent check-box.

How do I create a new Contact?

While using the ‘Contacts’ window (click on the Contacts button in the lower-left nav bar), click on the ‘New’ button found at the upper-left of the Outlook screen. A Contact properties window will open… here all you really need to do is enter their full name (firstname lastname). All other details (and there are many) are completely optional… but most likely you’ll also want to enter some phone numbers and an email address. Once you’re happy with the details, click ‘Save&Close’.

How can I send one of my contacts to someone else?

You can send one of your contacts to a colleague by right-clicking on the contact you want to send and then selecting Forward. A new e-mail message will be created with that contact included as an attachment. Enter the e-mail address of the people you want to send the contact to and click Send.

When the recipients receive the contact, all they have to do is to drag the attachment onto their Contacts view button (at the lower-left of the Outlook window) and it will be added automatically to their contacts list.

How do I create a new Task or To-Do item?

While using the ‘Tasks’ window (click on the Tasks button in the lower-left nav bar), click on the ‘New’ button found at the upper-left of the Outlook screen. A Task properties window will open… name the task; enter starting and due dates; and assign a priority. You may click ‘Save&Close’ at this point, but before you do you may also wish to enter more supporting or explanatory detail about the task in the ‘Details’ field provided.

How do I change my email signature?

Click on the ‘Tools’ menu at the top of your Outlook screen… then select ‘Options’. A new window will open… select the ‘Mail Format’ tab. In the ‘Signatures’ section of this tab, click the ‘Signatures’ button. Another small window will open… highlight the signature currently in use, then click the ‘Edit’ button… you will then be able to edit the text and formatting of your signature directly. When you are done, click ‘OK’ in all the windows until they are dismissed. Your new signature will be applied to emails from that moment on.

How do I set an ‘Out of Office’ message?

Click on the ‘Tools’ menu at the top of your Outlook screen… then select ‘Out-of-office Assistant’. A new window will open… check the option: “I am currently out of the office”, and then fill in the corresponding area with the reply that you would like to give to anybody sending you email while you are away including your email signature (copy and paste this from an existing email). As soon as you click ‘OK’ and dismiss this window, your out-of-office message is active.

How do I access my email through a web-browser?

Using Microsoft Internet Explorer preferably, go to the CDU StaffNet website. Click on the 'Staff Mail' icon at the top of the page, and select 'Login to Outlook Web Access' from the webmail launchpad. You may then be prompted with a security message regarding the 'certification' of the Outlook website... select 'Yes - you would like to proceed'. When the Outlook Web Access login screen appears, login using your CDU-STAFF username and password. NOTE: You may elect to change the security option with regard to the use of a 'public' or 'private' computer... this will affect the duration of inactivity before the Outlook Web Access site locks you out, and forces you to re-authenticate.

Microsoft Word is set as my email editor. How can I change this?

In Outlook 2003 the default e-mail editor is Word, so you can take advantage of features such as:

AutoCorrect
Automatic spelling and grammar checking
Automatic Bullets and Numbering
Tables
Conversion of e-mail names and Internet addresses to hyperlinks
Themes
Autoformat

In addition, you can now set some options in Outlook that you could previously work with only in Word. For example, you can now create and set a default signature or stationery from Outlook if Word is set as your e-mail editor. You can also specify some spell checker options and fonts for new messages and messages you forward or reply to. If you change these options from Word, they change the equivalent settings in Outlook, and vice versa.

To turn Word on or off as your default e-mail editor for all new messages:

From the main Microsoft Outlook window, click the Tools menu, click Options, and then click the Mail Format tab.
Select or clear the Use Microsoft Word to edit e-mail messages check box.

How do I check the size of my Outlook mailbox?

In the navigation bar at the left of your Outlook window, highlight the 'Mailbox'... it's likely to appear as 'Mailbox - Jane Smith' or similar.
Right-click on this highlighted Mailbox, and select Properties For Mailbox - Jane Smith.
In the Properties window, click on the Folder Size button.

A size summary window will be displayed. It will show local Mailbox size, and server Mailbox size. The total values for these two should be roughly the same.

How do I see what email distribution lists are available?

When you open the Global Address Book by clicking on the 'book' icon on your Outlook toolbar, the names of all email distribution lists in the Global Address Book appear in boldface text with a small icon indicating multiple members. All such groups will appear first before all other entries in the Global Address Book.

How do I turn spell-checking on and off in Outlook? Or just check the spelling of the current email?

Check spelling now in the item that's currently open:

Open the item you want to check, and then click in the body of the item.
On the Tools menu, click Spelling.
When a word is selected, choose the options you want.

Activate or deactivate the automatic checking of spelling when sending any item:

From the main Microsoft Outlook window, on the Tools menu, click Options, and then click the Spelling tab.
Select or unselect the Always check spelling before sending check box.

Note: Any words you add during a spelling check are placed in the custom dictionary, called Custom.dic.

How do I change my password while away from the CDU?

At this time there is no way to do this yourself remotely. There will be in the future, but in the meantime: call the ITMS Support Desk on (08) 8946 6600 and request the password change.

What web browsers are supported when using Outlook Web Access?

Internet Explorer, Mozilla, Opera and Firefox will work with Outlook Web Access. For the richest experience we recommend Internet Explorer.

I have been told my Inbox is too full. How can I sort my email to identify the largest ones?

A basic re-sort according to size can be achieved by clicking on the column header titled Size above your list of emails.

When I have a long list of emails, how do I quickly jump to a certain point in the list?

Rearrange the view of your emails to help track down the one you're looking for.

A basic re-sort can be achieved by clicking on any of the column headers above your list of emails, e.g. From, Subject, Received, Size, or Flag. This will rearrange the list of emails according to the header you clicked on.
For a more advanced re-sort, click the View menu, select Arrange By, and select from the list of options.

To quickly jump to a specific section, re-sort your email, then simply begin typing. E.g. if you re-sort by From, then start to type the first letters of a persons name, the view will jump to the first available match.

Outlook will not let me send or receive certain attachments. Which ones and what can I do about this?

Correct. *.exe,*.bat, *.com, and *.pif files will be stripped from incoming and outgoing emails.

Microsoft has acted to protect people from files that are often used to run malicious scripts when opened. Unfortunately this makes file sharing less convenient for many people, but security must take precedence.

Microsoft Office 2003 file types most commonly shared between people, such as .doc, .xls, and .ppt files, are not blocked.

If you need to share files that have file types blocked by this feature, you have several options, including the following:

Rename the files to include a temporary file type that is not on the list of blocked file types. For example, you might rename MyFile.exe to MyFile.exe_EXTRA, and then attach the file to the e-mail message. You can include instructions in the message to save the file with the correct name, for example, MyFile.exe, when the recipients save the file to their computers.
Use a program, such as WinZip, to package files before you attach them to your e-mail message. In your message, you can include instructions explaining how to extract the files from the package to make it easy for recipients to access the files.
Post the files to a secure network share. In your message, you can include a link to the share that you have given the recipients access to.

Can I get access to someone else's email? Can I give them access to mine?

Yes. This can be accomplished in two steps:

Delegation of access to a Mailbox.
The addition of that Mailbox to the delegates Outlook window.

To delegate access:

Click the Tools menu, select Options, then select the Delegates tab.
Click the Add button to add the person to whom you wish to give access... you will select them from the Global Address List.
The Delegate Permissions window will appear... for Email access, grant them either Reviewer, Author, or Editor access (each will show a short description level of access).
Click OK.

IMPORTANT NOTE: The four steps above will give you access to the persons Inbox ONLY. The gain access to all subfolders you must contact the HelpDesk (ext: 6600) and request that the email administrator grants you 'full Inbox and subfolder access' to that persons account.

To add the Mailbox of someone who has delegated you access:

Click the Tools menu, select Email Accounts.
Select View or Change Existing.
Click Next.
Highlight your Exchange account, click the Change button.
Click the More Settings button.
Select the Advanced tab.
Click the Add button in the Mailboxes section.
Type in the full name whose mailbox you wish to add. Click OK.
Click OK once again.
Click the Next button, followed by the Finish button.

As long as you were delegated access, the persons mailbox should now be visible beneath your own mailbox in the left-hand navigation section of the Outlook window.

I have been using the mailing-list server for certain emails. Will this still work?

Yes. The mailing list server - on which you'll find mailing lists like CDU-General, CDU-Staff, and CDU-Students, amongst others - works independently of the new Outlook email system.

Email messages sent to these addresses will still be handled and distributed by the lists server.

I want to invite other people to a meeting. How can I tell if they're available?

As you are creating a new meeting in the Outlook Calendar, click the Invite Attendees button.
When you have added your invitees from the Global Address List, select the Scheduling tab.
The availability of all the people you have invited will be displayed, with a colour-key at the bottom to indicate their status at the time of your meeting.

I want to set up an email distribution list that my colleagues can use as well, and want to be able to manage this list. How can I?

If you would like to create a distribution list that can also be used by your colleagues, then contact the ITMS Support Desk. You should provide a list of members and designate a 'manager' of that list. This list will then be visible in the CDU Global Address List, and the designated manager of the list will be able to add and remove members at any time.

Once you have been made a manager of a given distribution list, you can modify it at any time:

Open the Address Book by clicking on it's icon in the Outlook toolbar.
Scroll until you find the distribution list you'd like to modify (all such lists are usually at the top), and right-click on lists name.
Click on the Modify Members button. You can then Add and Remove members using the appropriate button.

I want to set up an email distribution list, but only for my own use. How can I?

If you have no need to share your distribution list with your colleagues, then you can create your own list and store it in your Outlook Contacts area.

To create a distribution list in your own Contacts folder:

On the File menu, point to New, and then click Distribution List.
In the Name box, type a name.
Click Select Members.
In the Show names from the list, click the address book that contains the e-mail addresses you want in your distribution list.
In the Type name or select from list box, type a name you want to include. In the list below, select the name, and then click Members. Do this for each person you want to add to the distribution list, and then click OK.

If you want to add a longer description of the distribution list, click the Notes tab, and then type the text.

The distribution list is saved in your Contacts folder by the name you give it.

How do I configure the options for the Outlook spell-checker?

From the main Microsoft Outlook window, on the Tools menu, click Options, and then click the Spelling tab.
Select the options you want.
The following spelling checker options that you set in Outlook apply to both Outlook and Microsoft Word editors:
- Always check spelling before sending.
- Ignore original message text in reply or forward.

When set in Outlook, the following options apply only to the Outlook e-mail editor:

Always suggest replacements for misspelled words.
Ignore words in UPPERCASE.
Ignore words with numbers.

How do I change the nationality of Outlook's spelling dictionary?

From the main Microsoft Outlook window, on the Tools menu, click Options, and then click the Spelling tab.
In the Language list, click the option you want. In most cases: 'English (Australia)'.

When I type a name into the address bar, how do I force Outlook to look up and complete the address?

After you have typed a portion of either the first or last names of the intended recipient, press Ctrl+K.
If the name is unique enough, it will fill in the appropriate recipient.
If the name is ambiguous in any way, it will present a short list of possible names for you to select.

How do I tell Outlook which address book to check first?

When you first open the Address Book, the default address book (usually your Global Address List) is displayed. You can change the default address book and also set other Address Book preferences, such as which address book to check first when sending a message.

To change the order in which address books are checked:

Open your Address Book by clicking the Address Book icon in the Outlook tool bar.
Click the Tools menu, and select Options.
Select what options you want with regard to address checking order, e.g. check Global List 1st, and Contacts 2nd, or vice-versa.

I am used to using a comma to separate email addresses. What does Outlook use?

Outlook uses semi-colons by default, but can be made to also allow the use of commas.

On the Tools menu, click Options.
Click E-Mail Options and then click Advanced E-Mail Options.
Under When sending a message, select the Allow comma as address separator check box.

Note: A semicolon can still be used to separate e-mail addresses when you select the check box.

How do I turn off the setting that marks email as 'read' if I preview it in the reading pane?

On the Tools menu, click Options, and then click the Other tab.
Click Reading Pane.
Select the options you want.

How do I make sure that meeting invitations stay in my Inbox after I accept them?

On the Tools menu, click Options, and then click E-mail Options.
Click Advanced E-mail Options.
Clear the Delete meeting request from Inbox when responding check box.

How do I stop 'doc' attachments from opening in 'Reading Layout' in Microsoft Word?

Open Microsoft Word.
Select the Tools menu, then select Options.
On the General tab, unselect 'Allow Starting in Reading Layout'.
Click OK.

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