Outlook and Anti-Virus

Do you ever experience the following problems:

Mail is lost or not delivered

Errors when sending and/or receiving mail

Mail being duplicated, either in your inbox or you send the same email repeatedly to your recipients 

HTML code being visible in a message

Fonts showing 10 times larger
(font size 110 instead of 11)

Mail stuck in the Outbox

Poor send/receive performance

Inability to send large attachments

Other issues

Disable the integration between Outlook and your anti-virus software. It will NOT compromise your security since your real-time virus scanner uses the same definitions as your Outlook anti-virus component. The extra integration of your anti-virus with Outlook is not needed and will often cause interference. In other words, you gain no extra protection from integrating your anti-virus software with Outlook.

Additionally, Outlook does not allow you to double-click certain attachments that could contain a virus and this is by design. In case you have another attachment that does have a virus within it, the real-time scanner would prevent you from opening it.

Disabling your anti-virus integration with Outlook is not always easy and depends on what anti-virus solution you're using. You may be able to disable it within Outlook by unchecking it in your Add Ins. You may be able to disable it from the anti-virus console. You may be able to turn off the anti-virus email scanning service. Or you may have to uninstall and reinstall, omitting the portion that integrates with Outlook. In some cases, in addition to uninstalling you may have to download a utility from the anti-virus vendor to complete the uninstall before you can reinstall the software.

In this case, it is best to have a look to see what might be your best solution but when in doubt you can ask. Many anti-virus vendors have forums online where you can ask questions and post problems, they also have a comprehensive knowledge base, you can read the documentation provided by your vendor, you can use Google to search for information, or you can ask someone you know, or even ask here!

As a last resort, if your anti-virus will not allow you to disable its integration with Outlook, you can always use Microsoft Security Essentials as a FREE alternative.

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.

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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.