How to Ask a Question So You Get the Help You Need

Before asking a technical question by e-mail, or in a newsgroup, or on a website chat board, do the following:

1. Try to find an answer by searching the archives of the forum you plan to post to.
2. Try to find an answer by searching the Web.
3. Try to find an answer by reading the manual.
4. Try to find an answer by reading a FAQ.
5. Try to find an answer by inspection or experimentation.
6. Try to find an answer by asking a skilled friend.

Be sensitive in choosing where you ask your question. You are likely to be ignored, or written off as a loser, if you:

• post your question to a forum where it's off topic
• post a very elementary question to a forum where advanced technical questions are expected, or vice-versa
• cross-post to too many different newsgroups
• post a personal e-mail to somebody who is neither an acquaintance of yours nor personally responsible for solving your problem

The first step, therefore, is to find the right forum. Again, Google and other Web-searching methods are your friend. Use them to find the project webpage most closely associated with the hardware or software giving you difficulties. Usually it will have links to a FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) list, and to project mailing lists and their archives. These mailing lists are the final places to go for help, if your own efforts (including reading those FAQs you found) do not find you a solution. The project page may also describe a bug-reporting procedure, or have a link to one; if so, follow it.

On mailing lists, newsgroups or Web forums, the subject header is your golden opportunity to attract qualified experts' attention in around 50 characters or fewer. Don't waste it on babble like “Please help me” (let alone “PLEASE HELP ME!!!!”; messages with subjects like that get discarded by reflex). Don't try to impress us with the depth of your anguish; use the space for a super-concise problem description instead.
One good convention for subject headers, used by many tech support organizations, is “object - deviation”. The “object” part specifies what thing or group of things is having a problem, and the “deviation”part describes the deviation from expected behavior.

Stupid:

HELP! Video doesn't work properly on my laptop!

Smart:

X.org 6.8.1 misshapen mouse cursor, Fooware MV1005 vid. chipset

Smarter:

X.org 6.8.1 mouse cursor on Fooware MV1005 vid. chipset - is misshapen

More generally, imagine looking at the index of an archive of questions, with just the subject lines showing. Make your subject line reflect your question well enough that the next guy searching the archive with a question similar to yours will be able to follow the thread to an answer rather than posting the question again.

Out of courtesy, do not hijack someone else's thread. Start your own. You may think you have the same problem but you might not. Keep your question separate from others. 

Write in clear, grammatical, correctly-spelled language

We've found by experience that people who are careless and sloppy writers are usually also careless and sloppy at thinking and coding (often enough to bet on, anyway). Answering questions for careless and sloppy thinkers is not rewarding; we'd rather spend our time elsewhere.
So expressing your question clearly and well is important. If you can't be bothered to do that, we can't be bothered to pay attention. Spend the extra effort to polish your language. It doesn't have to be stiff or formal — in fact, hacker culture values informal, slangy and humorous language used with precision. But it has to be precise; there has to be some indication that you're thinking and paying attention.
Spell, punctuate, and capitalize correctly. Don't confuse “its” with “it's”, “loose” with “lose”, or “discrete” with “discreet”. Don't TYPE IN ALL CAPS; this is read as shouting and considered rude.

If you are asking questions in a forum that does not use your native language, you will get a limited amount of slack for spelling and grammar errors — but no extra slack at all for laziness (and yes, we can usually spot that difference). Also, unless you know what your respondent's languages are, write in English. Busy hackers tend to simply flush questions in languages they don't understand, and English is the working language of the Internet. By writing in English you minimize your chances that your question will be discarded unread.
If you are writing in English but it is a second language for you, it is good form to alert potential respondents to potential language difficulties and options for getting around them. Examples:

• English is not my native language; please excuse typing errors.
• If you speak $LANGUAGE, please email/PM me; I may need assistance translating my question.
• I am familiar with the technical terms, but some slang expressions and idioms are difficult for me.
• I've posted my question in $LANGUAGE and English. I'll be glad to translate responses, if you only use one or the other.

Be precise and informative about your problem

• Describe the symptoms of your problem or bug carefully and clearly.
• Describe the environment in which it occurs (machine, OS, application, whatever). Provide your vendor's distribution and release level (e.g.: “Fedora Core 7”, “Slackware 9.1”, Windows 7 Home or Windows 7 Professional, etc.).
• Describe the research you did to try and understand the problem before you asked the question.
• Describe the diagnostic steps you took to try and pin down the problem yourself before you asked the question.
• Describe any possibly relevant recent changes in your computer or software configuration.
• If at all possible, provide a way to reproduce the problem in a controlled environment.

Do the best you can to anticipate the questions the person answering will ask, and answer them in advance in your request for help. Don't ignore their questions, don't make them go back and forth with questions to try and figure out your problem. 

If you are asked a direct question, don't ignore it. Please give a concise answer. People are very quick to dump a question when they don't get straight answers. 

Remember to describe your problem with details, try to anticipate any questions, be clear and concise, spelling counts, and use good manners. 

Writing Effective Email

Do people respond to your emails in the way you really want them to? Or do they seem to ignore them, or miss important information? Are you even sure that you're making the best possible impression with your emails?

When you compose an email message, there are a few very simple rules that you can follow to ensure that your emails make a positive impression as well as get you the response you want. I'm going to give you some examples to illustrate the points I'm making with both good and bad examples at the end of each section.

Subject Lines are Like Headlines

A newspaper headline has two functions: It grabs your attention, and it tells you what the article is about, so that you can decide if you want to read further. Email subject lines need to do exactly the same thing! Use a few well-chosen words, so that the recipient knows at a glance what the email is about.
If your message is one of a regular series of emails, such as a weekly project report, include the date in the subject line. And for a message that needs a response, you might want to include a call to action, such as "Please reply by November 7".
Remember that everyone tries to reduce the amount of "spam" email messages they receive. If you make appropriate use of the subject line, you increase the chances that your email will be read, rather than mistaken for spam and deleted without so much as a glance.
Of course, just as it would be ridiculous to publish a newspaper without headlines, never leave the subject line blank. Emails with blank subject lines are usually spam and if they aren't, they're highly annoying!

Bad Example

Subject: Meeting
Hi Cameron,
I just wanted to remind you about the meeting we have scheduled next week. Do let me know if you have any questions!
Best wishes,
Katie

This email is an example of poor communication for several reasons. Let's focus on the headline. As you can see, it's titled "Meeting".
Why is this a bad headline?
There's no information about the meeting. If your calendar is full of meetings, you might even wonder which one Katie is talking about. And there's certainly no clarity about the subject including when and where the meeting's being held.
What's more, the lack of specific information makes it look like a spam email. This email risks being deleted without being read!
Also, the tone of the message is that of a friendly reminder. There's nothing wrong with that, but essential details are missing. If Cameron hasn't heard anything about the meeting, or has completely forgotten about it, he'll have to write back for more information.

Good Example

Subject: Reminder of 10am Meeting Sched. 10/05 on VMWare Process.
Hi Cameron,
I just wanted to remind you about the meeting we have scheduled for Monday, October 5, at 10:00am. It's being held in conference room A, and we'll be discussing the new VMWare Process.
If you have any questions, feel free to get in touch (x3021).
Best Wishes,
Katie

See how specific this new headline is?
The great thing about this headline is that the reader doesn't even have to open the email to get most of the relevant information.
And the precise nature of the headline serves as a useful prompt. Every time the reader glances at his saved emails, he'll be reminded about that specific meeting.

Make One Point per Email

If you need to communicate with someone about a number of different things, consider writing a separate email on each subject. I don't necessarily agree with this but this particular method has its merits:

This way, your recipient can reply to each one individually and in the appropriate time frame. One topic might only require a short reply that he or she can send straight away. Another topic might require more research. By writing separate messages you should get clearer answers while helping other people manage their inboxes better.
If you do want to put several points in an email - perhaps because they relate to the same project - consider presenting each point in a separate, numbered paragraph. This makes each point stand out, significantly increasing the likelihood that each point will be addressed.
As with traditional business letters, each individual email should be clear and concise, with the purpose of the message detailed in the very first paragraph. Sentences should be kept short and to the point. The body of the email should contain all pertinent information, and should be direct and informative.

Bad Example

Subject: Revisions For Sales Report
Hi Jacqui,
Thanks for sending in that report last week. I read through it yesterday and feel that you need more specific information regarding our sales figures in Chapter 2. I also felt that the tone could be a bit more formal. The report is going to be read by our Executive Team, and needs to reflect our professionalism.
Also, I wanted to let you know that I've scheduled a meeting with the PR department for this Friday, regarding the new ad campaign. It's at 11:00, and will be in the small conference room.
Please let me know if you can make that time.
Thanks!
Celeste

Celeste got a good headline in there, and she was pretty clear on the changes she wanted Jackie to make to that report.
But what did she do wrong?
Well, that second paragraph about the meeting is pretty important, and yet she lumped it into the email that detailed the revisions. If Jacqui doesn't put it straight in her calendar, she'll have to remember that the meeting details were in the email titled "Revisions For Sales Report", which is not very logical.
Combining those two important communications increases the chance that either the meeting or the revisions will be forgotten. Let's look at how she could have done it better:

Good Example

Subject: Revisions For Sales Report
Hi Jacqui,
Thanks for sending in that report last week. I read through it yesterday and feel that you need more specific information regarding our sales figures in Chapter 2. I also felt that the tone could be a bit more formal. The report is going to be read by our Executive Team, and needs to reflect our professionalism.
Thanks for your hard work on this!
Celeste

AND

          Subject: Friday 10/9, 11am Meeting w/PR Dept

Hi Jacqui,
I wanted to let you know that I've scheduled a meeting with the PR department for this Friday, 10/9, regarding the new ad campaign.
It's at 11:00am, and will be in the small conference room. Please let me know if you can make that time.
Thanks!
Celeste

By separating those two important communications, Jacqui will be able to find what she needs quickly in her inbox.
As well as this, separating the two topics helps her keep her saved emails relevant. Once she's done with the revisions email she can delete it, but keep the meeting reminder email until the end of the week.

Specify the Response You Want

Make sure to include any call to action you want, such as a phone call or follow-up appointment. Then, make sure you include your contact information, including your name, title, and phone numbers. Do this even with internal messages. Remember, the easier you make it for someone else to respond, the more likely they are to do so!

Bad Example

From: homestaging@prettyhomes.com
Subject: Proposal
Lynn,
Did you get my proposal last week? I haven't heard back and wanted to make sure.
Can you please call me so we can discuss?
Thanks!
Joanne

There are several pieces of important information missing from this email.
The first thing that's missing is information about the proposal. What if Lynn got several proposals? Which one is the writer talking about? Also, did she send it by post, or through email?
Also, the writer gave Lynn no information on how to get in touch. Where is her office number, her cell number, or her business name? Lynn will have to go and find that information.
And, most critically, she didn't give his full name and title at the bottom of the mail - despite the fact that her name doesn't form part of her email address.

Good Example

Subject: Checking On Home Staging Proposal
Dear Lynn,
I just wanted to check that you have received the home proposal I emailed to you last week. I haven't heard back and wanted to make sure it went through.
Can you please call me by Thursday so we can discuss? This is when our discount offer expires, and I want to make sure you don't miss it!
The quickest way to contact me is by cell phone.
Thanks!
Joanne Doe, Owner
Homestaging, Inc.
555.135.4598 (office)
555.135.2929 (cell)

Joanne has now given Lynn all the information she needs. She knows she emailed the proposal last week, that she'd like her to call by Thursday, and that she should use her cell phone to make contact quickly.
Most importantly, Joanne included her name and title, so Lynn now knows who he is, and put her contact information at the bottom.

 

Be a Good Correspondent

Make sure that you go through your inbox regularly and respond as appropriate. This is a simple act of courtesy and will also serve to encourage others to reply to your emails in a timely manner. If a detailed response is required to an email, and you don't have the time to pull together the information straight away, send a holding reply saying that you have received the message, and indicating when you will respond fully.
How frequently you should check your mail will depend on the nature of your work, but avoid interrupting a task you're working on to check your mail simply because you wonder if something interesting has come in.
Always set your Out of Office agent when you're going to be away from your email for a day or more, whether on leave or because you're at meetings.

Internal Email

Internal emails, just like other emails, should not be too informal. Remember, these are written forms of communication that can be printed out and viewed by people other than those for whom they were originally intended! Always use your spell checker and most definitely avoid slang.

Above all, remember that email is surprisingly quite public. Never put anything in writing that you couldn't say to your mother.

How to Create and Use Your Email Signature

You can create fun or professional personalized signatures for your email messages that include text, images, your electronic business card, a logo, or even a copy of your handwritten signature (I don't recommend making your signature public).

 Note: This article is written for Microsoft Outlook 2010. This information is also available for Microsoft Office Outlook 2003 and Microsoft Office Outlook 2007.  Just click on the links to find the information.

Your signature can automatically be added to outgoing messages, or you can manually add the signature to only the messages that you choose. I do not however, recommend that you add it to every email including replies. It becomes redundant and self-indulgent.

Create a signature

1. Open a new message. On the Message tab, in the Include group, click Signature, and then click Signatures.
2. On the E-mail Signature tab, click New.
3. Type a name for the signature, and then click OK.
4. In the Edit signature box, type the text that you want to include in the signature.
5. To format the text, select the text, and then use the style and formatting buttons to select the options that you want.
6. To add items other than text, click where you want the element to appear, and then do any of the following:

Options	How to
To add an electronic business card	Click Business Card, and then click a contact in the Filed As list. Then click OK
To add a hyperlink	Click Insert Hyperlink, type in the information or browse to a hyperlink, click to select it, and then click OK
To add a picture	Click Picture, browse to a picture, click to select it, and then click OK. Common image file formats for pictures include .bmp, .gif, .jpg, and .png.

7. To finish creating the signature, click OK.

 Note    The signature that you just created or modified won't appear in the open message; it must be inserted into the message.

Add a signature to messages

Signatures can be added automatically to all outgoing messages, or you can choose which messages include a signature.
 Note    Each message can contain only one signature.

Insert a signature automatically

1. On the Message tab, in the Include group, click Signature, and then click Signatures.

2. Under Choose default signature, in the E-mail account list, click an email account with which you want to associate the signature.
3. In the New messages list, select the signature that you want to include.
4. If you want a signature to be included when you reply to or forward messages, in the Replies/forwards list, select the signature. Again, use this feature judiciously. Otherwise, click (none).

Insert a signature manually

• In a new message, on the Message tab, in the Include group, click Signature, and then click the signature that you want.

 Tip    To remove a signature from an open message, highlight the signature in the message body, and then press DELETE.

Outlook Keeps Asking for a Password

Many Outlook users over the years have complained that Outlook keeps asking for a (network) password repeatedly. The problem is exacerbated when “Enter Network Password” pop-up message appears every 20-30 seconds - how frustrating! Even after you enter your correct user name and password the pop up keeps flashing and unfortunately, enabling the "Save Password" or "Remember Password" options do not solve the problem.

 

Two possible reasons for this problem:

• You have a corrupted Outlook profile (this is the most common)
• Your registry has incorrect Protected Storage System information (Please do *NOT* attempt this if you are inexperienced or unsure of working in the registry)

Fix your corrupted Outlook profile:

Create a new outlook profile and connect this profile to the .pst file (Microsoft Outlook Personal Folders data file that contains your contacts, emails, calendar, tasks, etc.) of your previous (corrupted) profile:

1. Create new outlook profile: http://www.howto-outlook.com/faq/newprofile.htm#create 
2. Locate the .pst file used by damaged profile: http://www.howto-outlook.com/faq/aboutpst.htm#location 
3. Configure new profile to use .pst file of old, corrupted profile. This can be done by following the given below steps (these steps are for Microsoft Outlook 2010):

1. Open Outlook.
2. File tab -> Info -> click Account Settings (Outlook 2007 Account Settings option is available in Tool menu, in Outlook 2003 and 2002 Tool -> Options).
3. E-mail tab-> click your email account. (in Outlook 2003 and 2002 Mail Setup -> Email Accounts -> View or change existing e-mail accounts - > Next)
4. In the "Account Settings" dialogue box Click "Change Folder".
5. Click New Outlook Data File-> click Office Outlook Personal Folders File-> click OK.
6. Browse and locate the .pst file of old profile-> click OK.

Resolve Your  Incorrect Registry information Problem:

Close all  programs, create a backup copy of the registry

1. Click on Start > Start Search
2. Type in Regedit and hit Enter
3. Locate the folder : HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User Shell Folders
4. Edit Menu > New > Expandable String Value
5. Name it AppData
6. Double-click the new entry and type in: "%userprofile%\Application Data" (without the quotes) in the "Value data field" box.
7. Click "OK" and close the registry editor.

Note: Before following this solution make sure that you have created a backup copy of registry.

Microsoft Outlook Calendar: Recurring Meetings

Set end dates and limit the number of occurrences

With Outlook, it is SO easy to schedule a meeting that has multiple occurrences on a regular basis. That being said, I would *always* recommend that you:

1) always set an end date
2) limit the recurring series to a specific number of occurrences.

This is because recurring meetings are going to require modifications at one point or another. Over time attendees change, locations or times change for various reasons (vacations, unforeseen circumstances, hirings/firings/quittings, etc.). Outlook saves each of these unique changes as a meeting exception. Meetings with a very large number of exceptions result in a meeting series that is difficult to manage. Not surprisingly, it can introduce unexpected behaviour. You can always create a new meeting series when the current one ends. When thinking about the number of occurrences, consider the frequency. In the period of a year, a twice a week meeting will have about 90 more occurrences than a monthly meeting during that same period.

End a recurring meeting before the original end date

Rather than cancelling a recurring meeting, your best bet is to change the end date for the series. This allows you and your attendees to keep a record of the meetings that occurred in the past. If you cancel the recurring meeting for good, you're going to lose the history. Instead, set a new end date and send the update to all attendees. This ends the meeting series early, but still keeps your history intact.

Note If you end the meeting series early, exceptions associated with the recurring meeting are lost, To learn more about exceptions, see the “Set end dates and limit the number of occurrences” section.
For more information about cancelling all future meetings in a series, see: Cancel all future meetings in a series

Microsoft Outlook Rules

In Outlook, it is often in your best interests to create rules that will send specific emails or types of emails into folders so that you can view them later. It helps to keep your Inbox clean and free of clutter, and groups emails of a like nature together for easy access and reading.

You can easily create a rule, either from a template or from scratch. For example, if you are a member of the popular mailing list Freecycle you may want to make sure all of your Freecycle emails end up in one folder together. It's as easy as adding the Freecycle email to your contacts, and then creating a rule in a few clicks:

http://office.microsoft.com/en-ca/outlook-help/create-a-rule-HP005242897.aspx

Managing your email by using rules has been around as long as Outlook has been. Outlook can easily help you to stay organized and up to date.

http://office.microsoft.com/en-ca/outlook-help/manage-email-messages-by-using-rules-HA010355682.aspx

If you can't find the assistance you need in Outlook by pressing F1 (help), Microsoft themselves are extremely helpful:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/291608

Additionally, there is tons of help just a quick Google entry away:

http://voices.yahoo.com/understanding-outlook-rules-create-edit-and-492780.html
http://www.wikihow.com/Manage-Email-Using-Microsoft-Outlook-Rules
http://www.computerhope.com/issues/ch000781.htm
http://www.cba.org/bc/practice_resources/main/outlook.aspx (you may find this one especially helpful as it's written for lawyers, so even a child of five could understand this [law humour] - someone fetch me a child of five!)
http://smarterware.org/4057/three-microsoft-outlook-rules-that-prioritize-your-email

And if you overdo your rules, create rules that conflict, create so many that they can't run, they're very easy to disable.

http://office.microsoft.com/en-ca/outlook-help/turn-on-or-off-a-rule-HP005242975.aspx

If you ever want to get rid of all rules at once and start over, it's this simple:

Windows XP and older: Start > Run > outlook.exe /cleanrules
(note the space between outlook.exe and /cleanrules)

Windows Vista and newer: Start > Start Search > outlook.exe /cleanrules
(note the space between outlook.exe and /cleanrules)

And as always, you can always ask me here or on Facebook, Twitter, or even LinkedIn.

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Social Engineering and Outlook

Note: all links are in red to offer you more information and make them more noticeable for you.

First, let's define social engineering:

Social engineering is the act of manipulating people into performing actions or divulging confidential information.

Online criminals can use sophisticated technology to try to gain access to your computer, or they can use something simpler and more insidious: social engineering.

Social engineering is a way for criminals to gain access to your computer. The purpose of social engineering is usually to secretly install spyware or other malicious software or to trick you into handing over your passwords or other sensitive financial or personal information.

Some online criminals find it easier to exploit human nature than to exploit holes in your software. That is to say, they would rather trick you into giving up information than trick your computer because it's easier.

New scams appear daily. To keep up with the latest scams, check Microsoft's fraud section HERE. You can also learn to familiarise yourself with some of the more obvious telltale signs of a scam.

Scams can contain the following:

• Alarmist messages and threats of account closures.
• Promises of money for little or no effort.
• Deals that sound too good to be true.
• Requests to donate to a charitable organisation after a disaster that has been in the news.
• Bad grammar and misspellings.

What does a scam email commonly look like? Read HERE. What are some popular scams that never seem to die down? Read on!

Scams that use the Microsoft name or names of other well-known companies. These scams include fake emails or websites that use the Microsoft name. The email might claim that you have won a Microsoft contest, that Microsoft needs your logon information or password, or that a Microsoft representative is contacting you to help you with your computer. (These fake tech-support scams are often delivered by phone.) For more information, see Avoid scams that use the Microsoft name fraudulently. This also applies to AOL, Norton, IBM, Facebook, and your bank among others.

Lottery scams. You might receive emails that claim that you have won the Microsoft lottery or sweepstakes. These emails might even look like they come from a Microsoft executive. There is no Microsoft Lottery. Delete the email. For more information, see What is the Microsoft Lottery Scam? This also applies to the Nigerian 419 scam and so many others.

Rogue security software scams. Rogue security software, also known as "scareware," is software that appears to be beneficial from a security perspective but provides limited or no security, generates erroneous or misleading alerts, or attempts to lure you into participating in fraudulent transactions. These scams can appear in email, online advertisements, your social networking site, search engine results, or even in pop-up windows on your computer that might appear to be part of your operating system, but are not. For more information, see Watch out for fake virus alerts.

The bottom line to social engineering is to at least recognize certain principles: poor spelling and grammar, scare tactics, you may not know the sender or it would be unusual to receive an email from them, the email contains a link that you are not familiar with and that you didn't solicit, and more. A great trick is to hover your mouse over a link to see if the actual link matches the information given.

Here is a great visual to demonstrate the items in an email that should set off warning bells and BIG RED FLAGS.

 

Did You Delete Your PST File?

Say you decide to clean out files on your hard drive to make space, and you accidentally not only delete the PST (personal folders) file, but you empty your Recycle Bin! What do you do?

Optimally you have a recent backup. Backups of your important data (anything you can't afford to lose is important) is critical. So are restore points so if the computer prompts you to create a restore point, you should do it.

Failing that:

To create a new Outlook Data file, click on File > New > Outlook Data file and follow the steps. The data file will be empty however.

If you deleted your PST file and emptied the recycle bin, chances may be slim to none for recovery.

Did you create a recent restore point on your PC?

Try these steps, but there's no guarantee:

To restore a deleted file or folder

1. Open Computer by clicking the Start button , and then clickingComputer.
2. Navigate to the folder that used to contain the file or folder, right-click it, and then clickRestore previous versions. If the folder was at the top level of a drive, for example C:\, right-click the drive, and then clickRestore previous versions.
   You'll see a list of available previous versions of the file or folder. The list will include files saved on a backup (if you are usingWindows Backup to back up your files) as well as restore points, if both types are available.

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-CA/windows7/Recover-lost-or-deleted-files

E-mail Privacy

In the workplace, technically you are not entitled to complete privacy in your email. It is after all, given to you so that you can do business on your employer's behalf.

Your email is the property of your employer and both yourself and your employer are liable for the contents. It is not intended for personal use and it can be viewed at any time, including after you leave even if you delete everything.

So how do you keep your personal email private when even the head of the CIA couldn't? His mistake was that he did not recognise the threat, and grossly underestimated it. His perceived threat was his spouse and didn't even conceive that the FBI would go looking through email servers.

Let's face it, anything that goes out over the Internet is at risk. To be honest, you should never put in an email anything you wouldn't want your mother to read.

That being said, if you want email privacy then there are steps you should take. You can mask your IP address which is traceable with any number of utilities that can accomplish that. I will not name names here since I am of the belief that one should have nothing to hide. Web mail providers like Google's Gmail and Yahoo keep log in records and IP addresses for 18 months.

In the U.S. the Fourth Amendment requires the authorities to get a warrant from a judge to search physical property. Rules governing e-mail searches are far more lax: Under the 1986 Electronic Communications Privacy Act, a warrant is not required for e-mails six months old or older. Even if e-mails are more recent, the federal government needs a search warrant only for “unopened” e-mail, according to the Department of Justice’s manual for electronic searches. The rest requires only a subpoena.

Did you know that U.S. law enforcement agencies requested data from Google for 16,281 accounts from January to June of 2012 alone, and Google complied in 90% of cases?

You can encrypt your email messages. Of course the encryption key is cumbersome and encryption does not hide the frequency of emails.

You can get a self-destruct timer, there is even one for your phone. It self-destructs the email address 10 minutes after a mail is sent. Nothing prevents your recipient from capturing screen shots though.

Saving emails into a shared Drafts folder rather than sending them doesn't work. This tactic had long been used by terrorists — Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, the mastermind of the 9/11 attacks, and Richard Reid, “the shoe bomber,” among them — and it doesn’t work. E-mails saved to the draft folder are still stored in the cloud. Even if they are deleted, e-mail service providers can be compelled to provide copies.

You can use a separate device just for sensitive communications, but nothing yells philanderer/terrorist/drug dealer like a second cell phone.

Get an alibi. The sneakier you are, the weirder you look when you suddenly start carrying a second phone, a pager, become knowledgeable about encryption, etc.

Robust tools for privacy exist as they do for being anonymous, but they're just not integrated in a way that make them easy to use. All it takes is human error (reply to all, forgetting to mask your IP, and a couple dozen other ways to screw up), and your privacy is shot to heck.

The bottom line is that if you don't want what you say on a phone or in email to end up on the front page of a major metropolitan newspaper, then don't say it.

Backing Up Outlook Data

It's important to back up your data, all data - any data. It's no different with Outlook.

Reasons to back up Outlook data:

• Computer hard drive crash
• Corruption that can't be repaired
• Accidental deletion
• Damage to your storage medium (USB, CD, partition on your HDD, etc.)
• Save a tree, you won't have to print everything.
• Clean up and organise.
• Play it safe.
• Keep your sanity.

Data loss can happen to anyone, even a seasoned professional.

Before you can back up your data, you need to know where to locate it. The first thing you need to do is unhide system files, and hidden files and folders using Windows Explorer.

Microsoft covers this in their knowledge base (they cover most everything and are a good resource):

HTTP://support.Microsoft.com/KB/141276

Now you can search for your Outlook data file, also called Personal Folders, and known as a PST for short.

For Outlook 2007 and previous on Windows XP the default location is;
C:\Documents and Settings\%username%\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook\

For Outlook 2007 and previous on Windows Vista and Windows 7 the default location is;
C:\Users\%username%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Outlook\

For Outlook 2010 on Windows XP the default location is;
C:\Documents and Settings\%username%\My Documents\Outlook Files\

For Outlook 2010 on Windows Vista or Windows 7 the default location is;
C:\Users\%username%\Documents\Outlook Files\

You can also locate the file this way:

Right click the root folder (probably Outlook Today)-> Properties-> button Advanced-> field Filename

If you have multiple PST aka Data Files you can get an overview by clicking
  File-> Data File Management if you use Outlook 2007 or anything older
  File-> Account Settings-> Account Settings-> tab Data Files if you use Outlook 2010

NOTE: While making a copy of the PST-file will effectively backup your Outlook data, it will not include any mail account configuration settings (mail profile), templates or signatures.

Backing up the PST-file is quite easy; you just copy the PST-file to your safe location *while Outlook is closed.* A safe location can be one of the following;

• another physical hard drive in your machine
• another physical hard drive in another machine
• an external hard drive
• a USB memory stick
• a Flash memory card
• a CD-R(W)
• a DVD+/-R(W)
• a backup tape

I recommend running a backup whenever you make a significant change to the contents of your Outlook data file, or even daily.

For myself, I have written a small batch file that runs every evening after I close Outlook that copies my PST file to another drive on another computer.

The batch file reads like this: COPY %LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft\Outlook\*.PST u:data\outlook /y

u:data\outlook is the location that my PST file is copied to. You can change it to suit your particular location.

It's written in Notepad, saved as a batch file. Then I use the Windows Scheduler to set it to run at my specified time. I have a copy of the batch file backed up in case I ever break it, delete it, do something stupid. I can wait for the scheduler to run at the appointed time but any time I close Outlook I can trigger a back up by simply double-clicking the batch file.

And as always, backing up Outlook will not work unless Outlook is CLOSED.

As always you can post questions on my blog if you want clarification or even help.    

  

Outlook's Command Line Switches

Outlook's command line switches are manually typed commands that help you to troubleshoot or even repair Outlook when it has problems. Some of them will allow you to automate Outlook's behaviour to a certain degree.

For example, you may have a reminder that just won't dismiss or maybe you find that you're sending multiple copies of an email you sent only once. Perhaps Outlook's behaviour and funtion has suddenly changed. The active window opens in the background instead of the foreground. For these behaviors and more, there are command line switches to either fix or help you troubleshoot the problem.

How you get to the command line to type in a switch depends on your Operating System. If you are using Vista or later, you can click on Start > Start Search and enter the command there. If you're using Windows XP or earlier, you can click on Start > Run > and then enter the desired command there.

For example, you have a reminder that won't go away and it annoys the heck out of you. There's a simple fix:

Windows XP and earlier: Start > Run > outlook.exe /cleanreminders (or click the Windows Logo + R)
(note that there is a space between outlook.exe and /cleanreminders)

Windows Vista and newer: Start > Start Search > outlook.exe /cleanreminders
(note that there is still the same space between outlook.exe and /cleanreminders

Above is a problem solving command.

A troubleshooting command would be to open Outlook in safe mode. A good reason for opening Outlook in safe mode is to disable all third party Add Ons to Outlook that might interfere with its normal function. Some operating systems will allow you to open Outlook in safe mode by simply holding down the Ctrl key while you open Outlook. Outlook then prompts you and asks if you want to continue opening Outlook in safe mode. Otherwise, you can type the command as follows:

Windows XP and earlier: Start > Run > outlook.exe /safe (or click the Windows Logo + R)
(note that there is a space between outlook.exe and /safe)

Windows Vista and newer: Start > Start Search > outlook.exe /safe
(note that there is still the same space between outlook.exe and /safe)

There are all kinds of things that can interfere with Outlook's normal function; antivirus that actively scans incoming/outgoing email, anti-spam, FAX software, synch software that works with your handheld, etc.

There are even command line switches that you can use for (limited) automation, such as always opening with Outlook displaying your calendar.

Here is a list of Outlook switches and what they can do for you:

Outlook Command Line Switches

And a great tutorial is found here: Outlook Command Line Switches Tutorial

As always, feel free to comment on my blog and even ask questions.

  

Easy Outlook Workarounds

Outlook errors with Hotmail too many devices synching

After configuring Outlook to use a Hotmail account on multiple devices or an account with a large number of folders an error occurs when you try to synch:

There are too many devices syncing with this account. To synch using Outlook, try removing another device that is connected with this account such as a phone or another computer.

There is a limit placed on the total number of folders, including subfolders that can sync with Hotmail including use of multiple devices. The more devices you use to sync a large number of folders, the more likely you are to reach this limit.

Workaround: Sync only the folders you absolutely need.

Empty Deleted Items can cause full Exchange Mailbox deletion

When you try to empty your Deleted Items folder, the entire contents of your Exchange mailbox (all content and folders) can be deleted. This issue can occur for the following reasons:

1. Outlook 2010 is installed with an Exchange account in Online Mode, but with an .OST file associated with the profile that could be created after switching from Cached Mode at some point in the past. Or you installed Outlook 2013 (upgrade or side-by-side) and use the Online Mode profile.

• The Exchange account must be in Online Mode (not Cached Exchange Mode) and the Cached Exchange Mode Sync Settings administrative template policy setting is configured.

Workaround Download and install the MSI-based Setup update to Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2013 Preview to fix this issue.

Important This download is only for people who installed the MSI-based Setup version of Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2013. Anyone who installed using Office Click-to-Run automatically receives this update.

Search isn’t returning results

When you do a search in Outlook, no results are returned. Instead search returns the following message.

We couldn’t find what you're looking for.

Workaround Office Setup isn’t setting the registry keys correctly or not all keys are configured. You can do a repair to reconfigure the registry keys by doing the following:

2. Go to Control Panel > Programs and Features.
3. Click Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2013 > Change > Quick Repair.
4. Restart your computer.
5. Give some time to make sure indexing has time to work, and then test search.

Error when connecting to Exchange 2003

When you configure Outlook 2013 for an Exchange 2003 account, you can get the following error message:
The resource that you are trying to use is located on an unsupported version of Microsoft Exchange. Contact your e-mail administrator for assistance.
Workaround Outlook 2013 isn’t supported on Exchange 2003 and connectivity is blocked. Please connect Outlook 2013 to Exchange 2007, 2010, or 2013.
This is no different than Outlook 2000 being unable to connect to Exchange 2010. You have to upgrade.

Adding a new Hotmail account times out

When adding a new Hotmail account to Outlook the operation never completes or times out with an error "An encrypted connection to your mail server is not available
Workaround Manually add the Hotmail account by doing the following:

1. Open Outlook.
2. Click File > Account Settings > Account Settings > New > E-Mail account.
3. Select Manual setup or additional server types, and click Next.
4. Select Exchange ActiveSync, and click Next.
5. In the Server Settings dialog box, enter your account information.
6. In the Mail Server field, enter m.hotmail.com and click Finish.

Vertical scrollbar is missing

The vertical scrollbar is missing.
Workaround Edit the registry and delete the HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\15.0\Word\Options\WordMail\VerticalScrollbar registry key, and then restart Outlook.
NOTE: This edits the registry, proceed with caution and always make a backup.

Where I Look For Outlook Help

As a Microsoft Outlook MVP, you'd think I'd know everything there is to know about Outlook right? WRONG!  I just know how to search really well, and I do my research. I also pay attention to those people I think are very intelligent and knowledgeable when it comes to Microsoft Outlook!

So here are my fave places to research the most accurate Outlook info:

http://www.slipstick.com/
http://www.howto-outlook.com/
http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/office/forum/outlook
http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/outlook-users/
http://support.microsoft.com/ph/8753#tab0

And of course
https://www.google.ca/

I listen closely when other MVP's talk about Outlook and I read their answers on the Outlook forum and Yahoo Group mailing list. They are bright people and well worth my time and effort to hear their advice. 

I am an Outlook sponge!

Customise your Tasks View

In Outlook Tasks, you can find your tasks and view their status with a quick glance. If you choose the appropriate view for your needs, you can save a surprising amount of time. As a quick example, you can prioritise the items that are most critical on your list without scrolling through all the other tasks that are still marked as incomplete. If you prefer to deal with a priority task or if you want to sort your tasks by project, name, or who you assigned it to, the options in Tasks can help you organise your tasks the way that works best for you and the project at hand.

To discover the task view that works best for you in Outlook 2010, in the Navigation pane on the left side of the window click Tasks. On the Ribbon, click the View tab, and then, in the Current View group, click Change View.

For a basic view of your tasks and main details, click Simple List. In this view, you see columns for Task Subject, Due Date, Categories, In Folder, and Sort by: Flag Status.

The Advanced View Settings dialogue box is available for each view. You can use it to add or remove categories, set various filtering parameters, and even adjust type size and font.

To reset a Tasks view that you’ve customised back to its original settings, click the View tab, click Reset View, and then, when the dialogue box asks you if you’re sure you want to reset the view, click Yes.

Try experimenting with different views, options, settings, fonts. If you don’t like the way your tasks appear, you can always reset the view to the default settings or choose a new one. The purpose here is to choose which view helps you sort your tasks so that you aren't digging for information. Create unique views that provide the information you need. This is your chance to customise Outlook to meet your needs.

Outlook 2007 users: The processes for changing or customising your tasks views vary slightly. To find out more about customising views in Outlook 2007, go to Customise Your View.

Things I Love About Outlook

 

• You may choose to use Microsoft Outlook to be in sync with all your personal and business mail accounts. You can configure Exchange, IMAP, POP3 accounts as well as use the Hotmail Connector for Hotmail and now Outlook.com ALL at the same time! You may also opt to use Microsoft Outlook for your personal email account alone or along with your corporate or business needs. To be precise, it is highly customisable to your needs, preferences and requirements. It's a one stop email client.
• It's been around since the 1990's and it integrates with the rest of Microsoft Office.
• It integrates with Windows Desktop Search.
• It has sticky notes you can use as reminders or for lists. You can even drag and drop them onto your desktop. They're very handy! 
• I love the calendar! I can schedule reminders, either one time or with a recurrence so I don't forget to do things like change the back up tapes or take a vitamin pill. I can even invite others to participate, like when it's time to give our dog Dazzle her regular Revolution dose for flea, tick, and heartworm control!



Dazzle

 

• I just invite my husband and when he accepts the request it goes into his calendar and reminds him when the medication is due. I love it's reminder function! I can snooze something I don't need to do right this moment. I also use the calendar to help set goals and time lines for myself.
• If you have a handheld PDA or Smart Phone, you can sync the device with Outlook. Skype talks to Outlook. ACT! talks to Outlook.  
• While it's not quite foolproof (reading some of the questions on the Microsoft Outlook Forum will show anyone that nothing is foolproof), it's mostly pretty straightforward.
• For you Network Administrators/System Administrators, Outlook plays well with Microsoft Exchange and Active Directory plus you get OWA (Outlook Web Access) so you can check your work email from any browser.
• Outlook's superior rules raise the bar. You can sort email, automatically send them into particular folders, and even set automatic responses for some. With newer versions of Outlook with Exchange as the mail server, you can even customise your Out of Office for internal and external users with different messages for each.
• Outlook's improved security features are great. You have to now make a conscious decision to bypass them. It has great junk mail filtering and, as long as you keep Outlook up to date, it will block web bugs, downloaded images, disallows executable attachments, and even prevents ActiveX applets from executing. 
• You can share mailboxes or even assign tasks to others. When you assign a task, you'll even get status updates, too.   
• Voting buttons! You can use them to help facilitate work flow, choose a restaurant, or even with training. Example: we send a link via email monthly to employees to a training presentation. Once they read it, they can use the voting button to say that yes, they have read and understood the training.
• When entering dates, you never have to type in the entire date. Outlook will offer a date for you. You can simply hit enter to accept it. If a date is in the current month, just enter the day and Outlook will enter the rest of the date for you. For instance, if the current month is March and you enter 14, Outlook assumes you mean March 14 of the current year and fills in that date.
• If you use Outlook 2010, you have access to Information Rights Management. Information Rights Management (IRM) allows individuals and administrators to specify access permissions to documents, workbooks, and presentations. This helps prevent sensitive information from being printed, forwarded, or copied by unauthorised people. After permission for a file has been restricted by using IRM, the access and usage restrictions are enforced regardless of where the information is, because the permission to a file is stored in the document, workbook, or presentation file itself. In other words, you can prevent someone from forwarding, pasting, or even printing your email.  

Which Outlook is which?

There is obvious confusion these days between Microsoft Outlook, Outlook.com (the new Hotmail), and Outlook 365. What are they?

Microsoft Outlook is part of Microsoft Office that you install on your PC or laptop. You set it up as a client to receive your email be it Exchange, POP3, IMAP, or you use the Hotmail Connector to get your Hotmail into Outlook. It is a suite of applications that work together that are installed locally on your PC. You can read more here: Microsoft Office Information

Outlook.com is the new Hotmail. Hotmail started out years ago as HoTMaiL - web-based HTML email. It evolved into Hotmail, became Windows Live, and has now been renamed to Outlook.com. This is confusing, but Outlook.com is simply just the new Hotmail. You can access it online or still use the Hotmail Connector to pull it into Microsoft Outlook.

If you currently have a Hotmail email address, you can go through the steps to convert it to an Outlook.com email address. It's very easy to do and the steps are presented to you one at a time. You can read more here: Outlook.com Information

Outlook 365 is essentially Outlook in the cloud. It is secure, anywhere access to Outlook, calendars, mail, etc. It's part of Office 365 and even includes file sharing. Here is a breakdown of Office 365:

 Cloud-based professional email

 Video conferencing and IM

 Share files inside and outside your organization

 Easy and secure administration

 Financially backed reliability

 Predictable monthly costs with no up-front infrastructure costs 

To find out more about Office 365, you can go here: Office 365 Information

As always, feel free to post and ask questions.

Where Can I Find Microsoft Outlook Help?

Where do you find understandable online help for Microsoft Outlook? Easy! There are people all over the place who are knowledgeable. They've created websites to help you troubleshoot Outlook, and there are forums too.

Here are some excellent resources for you:

http://www.howto-outlook.com/ - This website is excellent for someone who knows a little, but not a lot though I still find it extremely helpful for anyone of any skill level. It's well-written and easy to understand. It has a FAQ and How To sections, explains quite a bit about Outlook, and will cover most of your basic questions as a new Outlook user.

http://www.slipstick.com/ - This website is excellent for people of all skill levels in Outlook. It's more sophisticated, covers more complicated issues,

http://www.msoutlook.info/ - TONS of helpful information here. It's organized into neat categories that makes it easy to look up your particular problem.

http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/support/?CTT=97 - as always, Microsoft has excellent support for their products.

http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/office/forum/outlook?tab=unanswered - this is the Micrcosoft Outlook forum. Log in (you can use your Hotmail, Windows Live, or Outlook.com credentials), ask a question. Knowledgeable users or even Microsoft MVP's will answer you (maybe even me!).  Be sure to provide as many details as possible: version of Office, version of Operating System, antivirus (what type, do you have it actively scanning incoming/outgoing email), errors (include the entire error message and any numbers). Don't ever post your email publicly. It's an unwise practice and the moderators will remove it. No one needs to have it or any of your passwords in order to work to resolve your issue.

Out of Office

If you are going to be out of the office for a period of time, say for an afternoon or longer, it is customary to create an Out of Office message (OOF) so that your senders know that you are currently not available.

If you are in an Exchange environment (connect to a Microsoft Exchange mail server):

• In the Inbox, click the Tools Menu, and then click Out of Office Assistant.
• Click I am Currently Out of the Office.
• Type the message you want to send to others while you are out, in the text box.
• Click OK when finished.

If you are a home user, you can use Out of Office but you need to leave Outlook turned on and running in your absence.

If this is not feasible, log onto your webmail and create the away message. Your ISP (Internet Service Provider) should also have this feature available and almost all of them have a webmail feature on their website.

Outlook Calendar Features

Basic Calendar Features of Microsoft Outlook

• The purpose of this blog is to define the difference between Appointments, Meetings, and Events and to detail how to create them.
• Appointments are activities that you schedule in your calendar that don't involve inviting other people. You can set reminders for your appointments. You can also specify how your calendar appears to others by designating the time an appointment takes as busy, free, tentative, or out of office.
• You can schedule recurring appointments. You can view your appointments by day, week, or month. You can schedule an appointment in your own calendar and others can give you permission to schedule or make changes to appointments in their calendars. Appointments can also be made private.

Calendar Features: Meetings

• A meeting is an appointment you invite people to or reserve resources for (a meeting room for example). You can create and send meeting requests and reserve resources for face-to-face meetings or for online meetings. When you create a meeting, you identify the people to invite and the resources to reserve, and you choose a meeting time. Responses to your meeting request appear in your Inbox. You can also add people to an existing meeting or even reschedule a meeting.

Creating a Calendar Entry

• After you open Outlook, click the Calendar on the Navigation Pane (this used to be called the Outlook Bar in versions older than Office 2003). You must do this in order to set Outlook's focus on the calendar component.
•  To create a new entry, click on the New Entry icon in the upper right hand corner of the calendar, or you can click on File > New > Appointment, or Meeting Request, or Live Meeting, or Conference Call, etc.
• Enter a subject and location.
• Select a start date and time, as well as an end date and time.
• Click on the Scheduling button to add attendees, if appropriate.
• Set the Reminder time if you want a reminder to pop up. The default is 15 minutes but you can change it from the drop down menu.
• If you wish to set a recurrence for this entry, choose the recurrence button at this time.
• You may also set the appointment as busy, free, tentative, or out of the office.
• You may add additional details about the meeting in the blank pane under the time/date of the meeting.

Inviting Attendees

• Click on the Scheduling button to invite attendees or stay on the main pane and click on the To button. 
• You can either type the names or email aliases in or click on the Add Others button at the bottom of the pane.
• Under certain circumstances (an Exchange server environment which is normally seen in businesses and schools, very rarely for the average home user), you may see their schedule to know if they're available.
• When finished, click Save and Close.  
• When attendees receive the invitation if they choose to accept it, the meeting is automatically scheduled for them and a reminder will pop up at the correct time. When they accept, you will automatically receive notification of acceptance.