MS OUTLOOK 2000
LAST UPDATED:
08 November 2007 18:25:14 -0600
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SPECIAL LINKS FOR OUTLOOK AND MAIL MERGE
TURN ON AUTOARCHIVE
TOOLBAR
BUTTONS--PART 1 OF 2: ADDING A BUTTON
TOOLBAR
BUTTONS--PART 2 OF 2: REMOVING A BUTTON
SHOW OR HIDE THE OUTLOOK BAR
SPECIFY
THE FOLDER TO OPEN WHEN YOU START OUTLOOK
SET AUTOARCHIVE
PROPERTIES FOR A FOLDER
SELECT DIFFERENT ACCOUNT AS DEFAULT
SELECT A DIFFERENT
OFFICE ASSISTANT
RESTORE TOOLBAR
TO ORIGINAL CONFIGURATION
RENAME AN ICON ON THE
OUTLOOK BAR
RESTORE ORIGINAL BUTTONS AND MENUS ON A BUILT-IN TOOLBAR
REMOVE BUTTONS FROM TOOLBAR
OUTLOOK
BAR GROUPS--PART 1 OF 3: RENAMING A GROUP
OUTLOOK
BAR GROUPS--PART 2 OF 3: REMOVING A GROUP
OUTLOOK BAR
GROUPS--PART 3 OF 3: ADDING A GROUP
OUTLOOK WEB SITE FOR UPDATES
IMPORT ARCHIVED ITEMS INTO A NEW FOLDER
GETTING HELP
FROM THE OFFICE UPDATE WEB SITE
GETTING
HELP FROM THE HELP MENU
GET RID OF THE OFFICE
ASSISTANT
DISPLAY
BACK AND FORWARD BUTTONS
DELETE OLD ITEMS
AUTOMATICALLY
DELETE
DIRECTLY FROM A FOLDER
DELETE AN EMAIL ACCOUNT
CREATE AN IDENTITY FOR AN ADDITIONAL USER
CREATE A BACKUP COPY OF A
FOLDER
CREATE
A SHORTCUT ON THE OUTLOOK BAR
CREATE
A SHORTCUT ON THE OUTLOOK BAR--PARTS 1 and 2
CREATE A POP3 EMAIL ACCOUNT--ONLY IF USING INTERNET-ONLY INSTALLATION
AUTOMATICALLY START OUTLOOK WHEN YOU TURN ON YOUR COMPUTER
ASKING FOR HELP
FROM THE OFFICE ASSISTANT
MAKE A FLOATING TOOLBAR
ANOTHER WAY TO START OUTLOOK AUTOMATICALLY WHEN YOU TURN ON YOUR
COMPUTER
SHOW
ALL THE COMMANDS ON THE MENUS
SHOW OR HIDE A TOOLBAR
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-GB;q225000
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;Q182608
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;Q192258
In our previous tip, you learned how to manually archive your old
emails. But why do it the hard way? Simply turn on AutoArchive, and
Outlook 2000 will do it for you!
Click Tools, Options, then select the Other tab. Click AutoArchive.
Select the AutoArchive Every box to have AutoArchive run when you
start Outlook. Then enter a number in the Days box to specify how
often the archiving process will run. Type a filename in the Default
Archive File box--this is the file in which your old items will be
transferred. Click OK.
Now that you've turned on AutoArchive, you need to tweak the
AutoArchive properties for each folder--we'll cover that in our next
tip.
Have you ever noticed that if you have your Inbox open, an icon for
New Mail Message is in the top-left corner, but if you select your
Calendar, that space is now occupied by a New Appointment button? What
if you want to be able to quickly enter a new appointment without
switching views? Simple--add a New Appointment button to your toolbar.
First, click View, Toolbars, Customize. Select the Commands tab.
Under Categories, click File. Under Commands, find Mail Message. Click
it and drag it to the toolbar. When you release the mouse button,
you'll have a New Mail Message icon on your toolbar that you can use
from any view.
In our previous tip, we showed you how to add a new button to your
Outlook 2000 toolbars. If you went a little overboard and your
toolbars are now too crowded to navigate, you'll probably want to get
rid of a few buttons. Fortunately, they come off just as easily as
they went on.
Click View, Toolbars, Customize. With the Customize box open, drag
the unwanted icon off the toolbar (keep in mind you don't have to drag
it anyplace in particular). Voila! No more icon.
When you fire up Outlook in the morning (or whenever), is your
Calendar the first thing you peruse? Why not set it up so it opens
automatically when you start Outlook? It will save you a few clicks.
Click Tools, Options. Select the Other tab and click Advanced
Options. Select the folder you want to appear upon startup in the
Startup In This Folder Box--in this case, it's Calendar. Then, click
OK twice.
The Outlook Bar--the gray column on the left side of your Outlook
window--is a handy way to get to your shortcuts. The Outlook Bar
shortcuts can be almost anything--folders, Web sites, even documents.
Outlook usually comes with three groups of shortcuts--Outlook
Shortcuts, My Shortcuts, and Other Shortcuts. Click around and see
what's there.
If you don't see the Outlook Bar, click View, Outlook Bar. On the
other hand, if you don't use it, save yourself some screen real estate
and get rid of it by clicking View and clearing the check box next to
Outlook Bar.
In our previous tip, you learned how to turn on AutoArchive to
automatically store old Outlook 2000 items. But you're not ready to go
yet--you still need to set the AutoArchive properties for each folder
you want to have archived automatically.
Right-click the folder you want to AutoArchive, and select
Properties. Click the AutoArchive tab. Select the Clean Out Items
Older Than checkbox and enter a number in months--this is how often
archiving will run.
Next you need to pick a file in which the archived items will be
stored. Click Move Old Items To. Type a filename (if you already have
an archive file, click Browse to find it). Click Apply, then click OK.
In previous tips, you learned how to specify an account other than
the default account to send a message. If you find yourself doing this
a lot, you might want to make another account the default. Then when
you create a new message, Outlook will automatically send the message
from that account (unless you say otherwise).
Click Tools, Accounts. One account will have the word Default in
italics and parentheses. To select another account, simply click on
it, then click Set As Default. Finally, click Close. Easy as pie.
An assistant can be very useful around a busy office, and the
Outlook Office Assistant is no exception. But if you find yourself
tiring of the perky little paper clip, fire him and hire a new
Assistant. It's easy to select a different Assistant.
Click on the Office Assistant. If the Assistant isn't visible,
click Help, Show The Office Assistant. Click Options in the
Assistant's balloon. Select the Gallery tab, and click Back or Next
until you find an Assistant you like better. Outlook comes with seven
Assistants to choose from. Once you've made your selection, click OK.
In our last two tips, we showed you how to add and remove buttons
from Outlook toolbars. But what if you just want the toolbars back the
way they were originally? There's no need to remove all the buttons
manually--just restore the original configuration.
Simply click Tools, Customize, then select the Toolbars tab. Click
the name of the toolbar you want to restore and click Reset. Poof!
Your toolbar is restored to its original pristine condition.
You're one of those people who likes to fix everything, right? If
so, you've probably done a lot of customization when it comes to your
toolbars--moving buttons around, deleting buttons you don't use,
creating new ones, and so forth.
But what happens if you want to restore your toolbars to their
original condition? Simply click Tools, Customize and click the
Toolbars tab. Click the name of the toolbar you want to restore, then
click Reset. Voila--your toolbar is restored to its original pristine
condition.
Variety is the spice of life, right? So why should you be stuck
with an Outlook Bar that has the same things everyone else has? What
if you want to refer to your Calendar as "My Fantastic Life"? We have
good news--you can. Here's how to give any icon on the Outlook Bar a
new moniker:
Right-click the Calendar icon (or whichever icon you're renaming).
Choose Rename Shortcut; the icon's name should now be highlighted,
which means you can change it. Type in whatever you'd like to call
your calendar, whether it's "My Fantastic Life" or "The Most Exciting
Job in the World." Press Enter, and you're all set!
In our previous tip, we showed you how to add a new button to your
Outlook 2000 toolbars. If you went a little overboard and your
toolbars are now too crowded to navigate, you'll probably want to get
rid of a few buttons. Fortunately, you can remove them just as easily
as you created them.
Click View, Toolbars, Customize. With the Customize dialog box
open, drag the unwanted icon off the toolbar (keep in mind you don't
have to drag it anyplace in particular). Voila! No more icon.
When you installed Outlook 2000, maybe you thought you had the most
recent version. Not so, my friend. Microsoft is constantly releasing
enhancements and improvements to its software. To find the latest
tweaks, go to
http://www.microsoft.com/office/outlook/default.htm
You'll find downloads, enhancements, technical support, and more!
When you install Outlook 2000, the Outlook Bar contains three
groups: Outlook Shortcuts, My Shortcuts, and Other Shortcuts. But you
aren't stuck with those names. Why not flex your creative muscles and
rename them something more personal?
Simply right-click the group you want to rename, and select Rename
Group from the context menu. Type a new name, then press Enter.
In our previous tip, you learned how to rename a shortcut group on
the Outlook Bar (right-click and select Rename Group). It's just as
easy to remove a group, if you find you don't use it.
Right-click the group you want to remove, and select Remove Group
from the context menu. Poof--it's gone!
As you know, when you install Outlook 2000, the Outlook Bar has
three groups: Outlook Shortcuts, My Shortcuts, and Other Shortcuts.
But there's no rule that says you're limited to three. You may want to
add more groups--perhaps to keep your business and personal shortcuts
separate.
To add a new group to the Outlook Bar, right-click the background
and select Add New Group from the context menu. Type a name for the
group--perhaps Personal--and press Enter.
Now your new group is ready for you to add shortcuts to it!
The beauty of archiving old items is that you can get them back if
you need to do so. You just need to import them back into Outlook.
Click the new folder in the Folder List. Click File, Import And
Export. Choose Import From Another Program Or File, and click Next. On
the next screen, choose Personal Folder File (.pst) and click Next. In
File To Import, enter the name of your archive file. If it's not
automatically displayed, click Browse to find it. Click Next.
Under Select The Folder To Import From, click Archive Folders if
you want everything. But if you know which folder's archives you want
to restore, choose only that folder. If you want to send it back to
that folder, choose Import Items Into The Same Folder In, and make
sure that Personal Folders is selected in the box. Click Finish.
Have you ever checked out the Microsoft Office Update Web site? If
you haven't, you're missing out on tips and tricks, downloads,
software patches, technical help, and more. It's easy to find and easy
to use.
Simply click Help, Office On The Web. You'll be connected to the
Update site. Browse around--you're sure to find something you can use!
We all need a little help once in a while. And fortunately,
Microsoft provides lots of ways for you to find help when it comes to
Outlook 2000. Say you've forgotten how to create a new message (hey,
it could happen). Simply click Help, Microsoft Outlook Help. If the
Office Assistant is turned on, it appears (more on the Assistant in
the next tip). If it's not turned on, the Help window pops up.
There are several ways to find answers using the Help window. You
can click the Answer Wizard tab, type your question--in this case,
"How do I create a new message?"--in the window, and click Search. You
can also select the Index tab and search for a specific word, like
"message."
Some people love the Office Assistant. They find it helpful that
it's always hanging around, blinking at you. Others find it as
attractive as the guy at the office who's always talking about his
cat. If you fall into the latter camp, just get rid of the software
sycophant.
Click Help, Hide The Office Assistant. Ta-da. No more helpful
blinking little paperclip.
If you browse the Internet a lot, you get used to the features that
browsers provide. But with a few clicks of your mouse, you can make
Outlook 2000 act more like a browser, complete with Back and Forward
buttons for navigation.
Select View, Toolbars, Advanced. Ta-da! Now you have the Advanced
toolbar on your desktop, which includes two buttons with arrows on
them: Back and Forward.
In the last few tips, you've learned how to store old messages by
archiving them automatically. But what if you just want to get rid of
them? If you know you'll never need your old messages, there's no
point in them hogging space somewhere else on your hard drive. Just
have Outlook delete them automatically.
Right-click the folder that contains the old items, and select
Properties. Click the AutoArchive tab. Select the Clean Out Items
Older Than checkbox and enter a number in months--this is how often
archiving will run. Click Permanently Delete Old Items. Click Apply,
then click OK.
A reader asks, "My Sent Items folder has almost 400 sent emails
that I would like to delete. Is there some way to delete directly from
the Sent Items folder without having to get rid of the messages again
from the Deleted Items folder?"
To trash old email messages directly from a folder--rather than
sending them to Deleted Items and then deleting them again--simply
hold down the Shift key while you press Delete.
There are lots of reasons you might want to delete an email
account--you got a new job, signed on with a different ISP, or maybe
got your kid a new computer so he can stop hogging yours. Whatever the
case may be, there will come a time when you need to delete an email
account.
Begin by clicking Tools, Accounts, Mail. In the Account box, select
the email account you want to delete, then click Remove. Easy, huh?
Just make sure you don't delete the wrong one!
In our previous tip, you learned how to add an email account to
Outlook 2000. But what if you and another family member share an email
account? You certainly don't want your emails to get sent out with
your wife's name on them, do you? So create an identity for an
additional user.
Begin by firing up the Internet Connection Wizard. Just click
Tools, Accounts, Mail; click Add; then click Mail. Follow the
instructions, but make sure you use a different name on the first
step. The email address, server names, account name, and password will
be the same as for the original account. Click Finish. Now when you
use that account, it will have your name on it.
In our previous tip, you learned what the Outlook Bar is and what
it's for--quick access to shortcuts. But you're not limited to the
default shortcuts within Outlook. Why not make your own additions to
the My Shortcuts group by adding a folder?
First, click My Shortcuts. Right-click anywhere on the gray
background, and select Outlook Bar Shortcut from the context menu.
Choose the folder you want to add to the Outlook Bar, then click OK.
Now you have whichever folder you chose on the Outlook Bar, and you
can jump directly to it whenever you please. Neat, huh?
The Outlook Bar isn't just for shortcuts to Outlook features like
the Inbox and Calendar. You can also create a shortcut to any file
folder on your hard drive. Say you keep all your marketing reports in
a folder called "Marketing." If you want easy access to those
documents when you're sending a status report to your boss, why not
put a shortcut to that folder on the Outlook Bar?
On the Outlook Bar, click the group to which you want to add the
shortcut. Right-click anywhere in the gray background of the group and
select Outlook Bar Shortcut from the context menu. Click File System
in the Look In box. Navigate to your Marketing folder and select it.
Click OK.
Now that folder shows up in the Outlook Bar. When you click on it,
its contents are displayed in the Folder List window.
CREATE A SHORTCUT ON THE OUTLOOK BAR--PART 2 OF 2
In our previous tip, you learned how to add a shortcut for a file
folder to your Outlook Bar. You can also add a shortcut to a Web page,
so you won't have to switch between Outlook and your browser.
Go to the Web page you want to create a shortcut to. (You must have
the Web Toolbar displayed to do this. If you don't see it, click View,
Toolbars, Web.) Click File, New, then select Outlook Bar Shortcut To
Web Page. That's all there is to it!
These days, email accounts are like telephones--almost everyone has
at least one, and most people have two: one for work, one for personal
use. If your whole family is wired, you may have several email
accounts. Fortunately, it's easy to add a POP3 email account to
Outlook 2000.
First, click Tools, Accounts and select the Mail tab. Click Add,
then click Mail. Type the name you want to use for the account, like
"Joe Schmoe" (this is the name that will appear on outgoing messages)
and click Next. Type in the email address of the account and click
Next. Enter the names of your ISP's incoming and outgoing mail
servers, then click Next. Type the name and account number your ISP
has provided for you and click Next. Choose how you want to connect to
the Internet--if this is your home account, you'll probably choose
Connect Using My Phone Line or I Will Establish My Internet Connection
Manually. Click Next, then click Finish. Ta-da! You've got yourself a
new email account.
The golden rule of using a computer is "back up." If you've ever
lost all your precious data, you know how important it is to have a
copy of everything on your system. So take a few minutes and back up
your email folders. You'll thank us later.
To begin, click File, Import And Export. Choose Export To A File,
and click Next. Select Personal Folder File (.pst) and click Next.
Choose which folder you want to back up. If you want to copy all your
mail folders, choose Inbox and then select Include Subfolders. Click
Next. Specify a name and location for your backup file. You should
keep at least one copy on a floppy or zip disk. Click Finish. There's
nothing like being prepared.
A reader asks, "Is there a way to have Outlook start automatically
when I boot up my computer?"
Yes, there is. Click Start, Settings, Taskbar. (If you're using
Windows 98, click Taskbar And Start Menu.) Select the Start Menu
Programs tab and click Add. Next, click Browse. In the Look In box,
click the drive on which Outlook 2000 is installed. (This will usually
be C, but not always.) Find the folder that contains Outlook.
Double-click Outlook, then click Next. In the Folder List, click
StartUp, then click Next. Type a name for the shortcut, such as
Outlook, and click Finish.
From now on, Outlook will start automatically when you turn on your
computer.
In our previous tip, you learned how to find help using the Help
window. But if you have the Office Assistant turned on, it's the first
thing you'll see when you click Help, Microsoft Outlook Help.
If the Office Assistant is turned on, it hangs out in the
background while you work. Not only will it pop up now and then to
assist you with common tasks, it can also help you search for an
answer to your question.
To bring up the Assistant, click Help, Microsoft Outlook Help. To
get help creating a new message, simply type your question in the
Assistant's window and click Search. Several topics will appear in the
Assistant's balloon. One of them is likely to be what you're looking
for.
Recently, you learned how to automatically start Outlook when you
turn on your computer--simply add it to your Startup folder.
A reader wrote in with an easier way to put Outlook in your Startup
folder. First, find an Outlook shortcut on your desktop. Right-click
it and select Copy. Click the Start button, then select Programs,
Startup. Right-click while you have Startup selected and choose Paste.
Have you noticed that the menus in Outlook 2000 (and in all
Microsoft Office 2000 programs) don't always show all the included
commands? The default setting is to display only the commands you've
used most recently. To see all of them, you need to click the double
arrows at the bottom of the menu.
If this bugs you, it's easy to show all the menu commands. Click
Tools, Customize, and select the Options tab. Then, deselect the
option Menus Show Recently Used Commands and click Close. Keep in mind
that this will affect all of your Microsoft Office programs.
Would you like a little more screen
space with which to work? If you don't use the Advanced toolbar, why
not get rid of it?
Simply right-click any toolbar, then click Advanced on the shortcut
menu, clearing the checkmark next it. If you decide later that you
want it back, repeat the process and select Advanced. This will work
for any toolbar, including custom toolbars you've created.
