Introducing Windows 10

Here's a quick rundown:

- Return of the Start menu. After being inexplicably removed from Windows 8, the Start menu is back, and includes a new personalizable space for favorite apps, programs and websites.

- Apps in windows. With Windows 10, Microsoft has standardized the format for apps from the Windows Store and regular desktop programs. Both now run in traditional windows that can be resized and minimized from the bar at the top.

 - Multiple desktops. A feature Mac users have enjoyed for years: the ability to create and swap between different desktops.

- A soup-ed Snap. The "Snap" feature, which allows users to work on multiple apps at once from the same screen, has been redesigned with a new quadrant layout to allow for up to four programs at once.

- New Task view button. A new button on the task bar takes you straight to a single screen that displays all your open apps and files (the old Alt + Tab trick).

 Microsoft will allow business customers to choose specific Windows features to upgrade one at a time, rather than being forced to transition all at once from an older version.

Microsoft says Windows 10 "will run across the broadest range of devices ever," from consumer products like PCs, tablets, Xboxes and phones to enterprise data centers and "Internet of Things" connected devices. There will be just a single app store for all these formats, and Microsoft says it will be possible for developers to write an application once and then deploy it across device types.

  

   

Distribution List Size Limits - Microsoft Exchange with Outlook

There is a limit (29 KB) to how large a distribution list stored on the server can be.

Distribution lists are saved lists of email addresses for use when sending a message to a

number of recipients. Generally, personal distribution lists will be stored in your personal Contacts list on the Microsoft Exchange server.

The limit for distribution lists stored on the server, is based on the size of the individual

contacts, not the number of contacts. Each distribution list can not exceed 29KB. This

limit applies whether the members of the distribution list are selected from your Contacts

folder, entered as full email addresses, or selected directly from the Global Address list

(GAL). Any single distribution list cannot exceed 29KB.

If you use very basic information for each contact (for example, only the name and the email address), your distribution list limit may be as high as 125 to 130 contacts.

If you have additional information on each contact (address, phone/fax numbers, birthdates, etc.), your distribution list limit may be significantly lowered.  

 

Speeding Up Microsoft Outlook

If you've been using Microsoft Outlook for any length of time, you know that it has the potential to slow down... *WAY* down. Outlook can become pretty much useless if you don't perform some maintenance and upkeep.

Luckily for you, I have a few things you can do to make Outlook perform at a much improved level. None of it requires any change to your email server configuration (Exchange, IMAP or POP3).
You must understand however that some of these suggestions may seem a bit more rudimentary than others, and some may give you a light bulb moment! Since I can't comment on anyone's skill level, I'll cover the basics to help you improve your Microsoft Outlook experience.

1: Windows Updates

Most people don't understand that with Windows updates, the updates for Microsoft Office are also included. Make sure you allow the updates to install. Why? Microsoft may might update Exchange. Sometimes, those updates can either break or cause problems with the communication between Outlook and Exchange and Microsoft might issue a patch to the server or client to resolve a speed issue or patch a security hole. Don't use Automatic Updates strictly, visit the Microsoft update site to catch up on non-critical updates as well. Microsoft Windows Updates

2: Archive

I have truly lost count of how many times I see users with thousands of emails in their Inbox and Sent Items. This can cause serious issues, especially when using PST files. Instead of just letting those folders grow to ridiculous numbers, set up auto archiving so that your Inbox retains only a portion of those emails. When you archive, you create a new data file so Outlook doesn't have to struggle against the burden of an oversize PST or OST file. You truly do not need that Merry Christmas email from your boss from the 1990's!

3: Download complete items

When you use Outlook with either an IMAP or POP3 mail account, you should have Outlook set up to download the complete message (instead of just the header). If you do this, Outlook won't have to synch with the server every time you click on a new item (as it will already be in the data file.) How you do this will depend upon which version of Outlook you're using. Look for the setting "Download Complete Item Including Attachments" or similar.

4: Use Cached Exchange Mode

If you use Cached Exchange Mode in Outlook, you effectively take a copy of your data from the server and cache it on your local machine (OST). This can make a huge difference in speeding up your Outlook experience because Outlook doesn't have to read the data from a server across a network or outside the network. Instead, all it has to do is read the locally stored data file. This option (obviously) is available only when connecting Outlook with an Exchange server.

5: Compact your PST file

When the Outlook PST file gets out of hand, a built-in tool can keep the size of that file under control. One of the issues is that even when you delete email from your Inbox, the size of the PST file may remain the same, it's called whitespace. If you're using Outlook 2010, you can go to Account Settings | Data Files and select the data file to be compacted. Once you've selected the file click Settings | Advanced | Outlook Data File Settings and click Compact Now. Depending on the size of your data file, this process can take some time.

6: Repair your PST file

Scanpst is THE go-to tool when Outlook is acting off kilter. It will scan through your data file and look for data inconsistencies and errors. Here's the thing about Scanpst -- it's not always the easiest tool to find. Do yourself a favour and search through your C drive to locate the Scanpst.exe file. Make note of its location (usually within the Office installation folder). Be forewarned - Outlook must be closed while using it and it can be a time-consuming experience. Make sure you back up that data file before you start the repair tool. If Scanpst finds errors and repairs them, run it again. Repeat until no further errors are found. Then open Outlook.

7: Cut back on the published and shared calendars

It's easy to publish and share your calendars with others. The problem is that the more you do it, the more of a burden you place on Outlook. The more data Outlook has to share and pull down from the Internet, the slower it will perform. Just know that the more data you have to push and pull, the slower your connection will be.

8: Disable RSS

By default, Outlook will sync RSS feeds from Internet Explorer to the RSS reader in Outlook. If you have a lot of RSS feeds bookmarked in IE, that syncing could easily bring Outlook to a crawl. Disable this feature (if you don't use Outlook as an RSS reader) from within Outlook 2010 by going to Options | Advanced and then unchecking both options under RSS Feeds.

9: Disable add-ins

How many times have you installed some program only to find it installed something else behind your back? This can happen to Outlook as well as Internet Explorer. Sometimes those add-ins can cause major Outlook slowdowns. To find out what add-ins you have installed in Outlook 2010, go to Options | Add-ins. Select COM Add-ins from the drop-down and click the Go button. The resultant window will list all add-ins available to Outlook. Search through this list and uncheck any that might seem suspect. If you want to test how Outlook runs without any Add Ins, open it in safe mode: Start > Start Search > outlook.exe /safe (note the space between outlook.exe and /safe).

10: Get rid of Antivirus integration

Configuring your antivirus to actively scan incoming and outgoing email is a great way to slow Outlook down, and it accomplishes nothing. There is no need to scan outgoing email since you're not going to detect anything malicious going out. If you can send it in an email, your antivirus is already compromised so scanning won't do you any favours. As for scanning incoming email, your real time scanner will catch everything it's updated for anyway. How you disable email scanning depends on your antivirus solution. Some are easily handled (check services for the email scanner and disable it) and some not only require an uninstall but you must download a utility off their website to complete the uninstall, then you have to reinstall but make sure you omit the email scanning portion.

If you know of other ways to speed up Outlook, I am interested in hearing from you and any comments you may have, as always.

 

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 Calendar: Meeting Forward Notifications

Today I'm blogging about the Microsoft Outlook Calendar. I covered it briefly here:

http://kathleenorlandoutlookmvp.blogspot.ca/2012/05/welcome-to-microsoft-outlook.html

But it was a very simplified overview. I think it's time now to cover a bit more of an in depth look at one of the calendar functions in Microsoft Outlook.

I recommend that you use at least Microsoft Office 2007, patched to SP3. SP3 provided many enhancements to the Outlook Calendar. This blog is going to cover the Calendar specifically for Outlook 2007 SP3 or later.

If you use an older version of Outlook, please refer to:

Outlook Meeting Requests Do's and Don'ts

First, this blog is for Exchange users. If you have an Exchange mailbox you are likely at a school, university, or in the workplace. If you connect to Microsoft Exchange 2007 or later with Microsoft Outlook 2007 SP3 or later, you've been introduced to Meeting Forward Notifications.

If you are not aware of them, what happens is that when some meetings are very important, important enough for the meeting notice to be forwarded to additional participants, if you are the person who originated the meeting you are then notified each time the meeting is forwarded to someone new who wasn't originally invited as an attendee. So basically, you send an important meeting request to Users A, B, and C. If one of them decides that Users D and E need to attend and they forward the meeting request to them, you are notified.

This is of course subject to Exchange settings. Meeting Forward Notifications to remote users not on your Exchange server may be disabled, as it might be to people outside your organisation.

NOTE: Delegates do not receive Meeting Forward Notifications.

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.

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

Too Many Devices Syncing With This Account

After configuring your Hotmail account with Outlook 2013 or other devices you receive the following error:

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

How do you correct this?

First off, you should understand that Outlook 2013 is a pre-release version and should not be used with important data, such as important email accounts or documents. At this time it is a Home Premium Preview.

There will be a fix released for this issue in March so until then, try this workaround:

Microsoft has confirmed that some users are getting “too many devices syncing with this account” errors when using Outlook 2013 connecting to a Hotmail or Microsoft account. If you receive this error message, you may receive similar errors when trying to access your email account from other devices, such as other PCs and mobile phones.

**We have identified a fix for this issue which is anticipated to release in March. The fix will only be available for the Release version and will not work on the Office 2013 Preview. As an interim solution you can configure Outlook 2013 to use the POP protocol to access your Microsoft email accounts. The following instructions will guide you through the configuration process:

Configuring Microsoft Outlook 2013 for POP3 Hotmail

1. In Outlook 2013, click on the File menu, and then click Add Account.
2. Click to select Manual setup or additional server types, and then clickNext.
3. Click to select POP or IMAP, and then clickNext.
4. On the Internet POP and IMAP Account Settings screen, type the following setting information:
a. In the Your Name box, type your name as you want it to be displayed to recipients.
b. In the Email Address box, type your email address. For example, typeyourusername@hotmail.com.
c. In Account Type, select POP3.
d. In the Incoming mail server box, typepop3.live.com.
e. In the Outgoing mail server (SMTP) box, typesmtp.live.com.
f. In the User Name box, type your Hotmail account name. For example, typeyourusername@hotmail.com.
g. In the Password box, type your Hotmail password.
h. Click to select the Remember Password check box, if you want to save it.
i. Leave the Require logon using Secure Password Authentication (SPA) check box unchecked.
j. Click More Settings.
k. Click the Outgoing Server tab, and then click to select theMy outgoing server (SMTP) requires authentication check box.
l. Click the Advanced tab, and then click to select theThis server requires an encrypted connection (SSL) check box under Incoming Server (POP3).
Note The Incoming Server (POP3) box should be set to port 995.
m. Select TLS for Use the following type of encrypted connection under Outgoing server (SMTP), and then clickOK.
Note The Outgoing Server (SMTP) box should be set to port 25. If port 25 is blocked in the network or by your ISP, you can set SMTP port to 587.
5. On the right side of the POP and IMAP Account Settings screen, clickTest Account Settings.

If you do not receive errors, your email account is set up correctly. Go to step 6.

If you receive an error, make sure that you have entered all the information correctly, and then clickTest Account Settings again. If all the information is correct and you continue to receive errors, go to the "Next Steps" section for more help.

6. Click Next, and then click Finish.

For more information on setting up a POP3 or IMAP connection, please refer to this article:Set up email in Outlook 2010 or Outlook 2013

What Happens When Outlook Won't Open

A recent post on the Microsoft Outlook forum caught my eye, about Outlook not opening. It happens to the user regularly and the application won't open from the desktop shortcut, the Start Menu, or the pinned location. The user had to restart to get Outlook going again, but the problem would re-occur. They wanted to know if there was a patch or hot fix for the problem.

Actually, the problem is usually pretty easy to troubleshoot and doesn't require a fix or patch.

First, make sure that Outlook is actually closed before you try to open it. Check by opening your Task Manager and then clicking on the Processes tab. Look for OUTLOOK.EXE. If it's running while Outlook is closed, this is why you can't open it.

Usually, if you have to restart the whole PC in order to open Outlook it's because it hasn't closed properly when you exited the program. Something is holding it open.

Shutdown issues are not always readily apparent and will show with sometimes confusing symptoms. You have to restart the PC in order to open Outlook, your nickname (often called auto complete or auto suggest) cache is corrupted and comes up empty, you may see data files issues or messages stating that Outlook did not close down properly and may have errors, you may notice a "gears" icon in the bottom right corner of Outlook, you may be unable to back up your data file. You may also notice Navigation Pane resets or corruption, or the Outlook icon in the system tray/notification area may have an X through it. There are a host of funky little behaviours that result from Outlook being unable to close properly.

So what do you do? First, ensure Outlook is closed. If it isn't, end the process in the Task Manager. Then instead of opening Outlook as you usually would, you would follow these instructions:

Vista, Windows 7: Start > Start Search > outlook.exe /safe
(note the space between outlook.exe and /safe)
Then hit enter.

Windows XP and earlier: Start > Run > outlook.exe /safe
(note the space between outlook.exe and /safe)
Then hit enter.

What this does is to disable all Add Ins that integrate with Outlook; FAX software, sync software that works with your smart phone, anti virus (don't worry, you are not left unprotected - more on that later), anti spam software, etc. This disables all of them all at once. If Outlook performs normally and as desired, then you know an Add In is the culprit and it's a matter of finding it, and usually that's the case.

Close Outlook and open it normally. Find your Add Ins (where they're located depends on the version you're using). Disable them all manually and restart Outlook. Enable one Add In at a time, and test Outlook by sending/receiving, and closing/opening. Test each Add In the same way until you find the one that broke Outlook's functionality.

Anti virus is a common culprit. You don't need to have it integrate with Outlook at all. Your real time AV scanner will catch everything it's updated for. Scanning your mail with anti virus causes more headaches than it prevents.

From an old post of mine:

Turning off your anti virus integration with Outlook is not a security issue
or it wouldn't be recommended. If your anti virus engine is updated regularly
and kept current, your real time scanner will catch anything it's updated
for since any attachment will be saved to the HD first before opening and
scanned. When you integrate anti virus with Outlook it also acts as a proxy
between Outlook and your mail server, hence the frequent problems
*especially* if your polling frequency is short.

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.

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.