If your Exchange account is configured to store messages, calendar items, contacts, etc. in your Personal Folders (.pst file), then you will only be able to view your appointments when using the Outlook client on your main computer. Personal Folder data is stored on your hard drive. In order to view your calendar data from both Outlook and Outlook Web Access (OWA), you need to store your data (calendar items, messages, etc) on the Exchange server.

To change your account configuration to the Exchange server from Personal folders, open Outlook. In the Tools menu, select E-mail Accounts. Click Next. Under "Deliver new e-mail to the following location": Select Mailbox-yourname... Click Finish

Note: This change only affects future information you receive and appointments you enter. Any calendar items, messages, etc. that are already stored in Personal Folders will still be in your Personal Folders unless you move them to your Exchange mailbox.

Yes. When you delete the message, you will be asked if you want to send a cancellation and delete the meeting or if you just want to delete it from your calendar.

If you delete the email notification before you accept a "tentative" meeting, you will also delete the meeting from your calendar as well as any agenda or meeting materials originally sent with the meeting request.

No. Only the organizer of the meetng will see the 'Tracking' button, which allows you to see who as accepted, declined, etc.

When an Exchange account is deleted (generally this happens when the person leaves ISU), meetings they have organized will not be deleted from attendees calendars.

To view someone's free/busy times, you can either:

• Open a New appointment. Click on the Schedule tab and add the person whose free/busy times you want to view.

Or, you can...

• Create a Group View (From the Actions menu, click 'View Group Schedules'. Click 'New'.)
• Add the person or persons to the Group View and click 'View Group Schedule' whenever you want to view the group calendar. This will show you their free/busy schedule.

Open the event that you want to delete. Select 'Open the Occurence'. Click 'OK'.

Click Delete (X).

If the person's Outlook is configured to display the Reading Pane, and they preview the notification, it will appear as 'Tentative' on their calendar. If the Reading Pane is turned off, but they open the meeting notification, then the meeting will appear on their calendar as 'Tentative' even if they have not yet accepted the meeting.

No. You can't add a single additional date to a recurring appointment. You can copy the information from your existing recurring appointment to a new one, however.

To see a shared calendar for the first time, you need to scroll to the bottom of the 'My Calendars' list, select 'Open a Shared Calendar' and enter the name (last name, first name) of the person whose calendar you want to view. Or, you can click on 'Name...' and browse to the person’s name. Once you've selected a shared calendar the first time, it should appear in your 'My Calendars' list until you delete it (right-click on the calendar name and select 'Delete')

You can create recurring appointments whenever you have regularly scheduled meetings (monthly staff meeting; a meeting every Wednesday night for six weeks, etc.).

To schedule a recurring appointment, create an appointment for the first meeting time, click on 'Recurrence.' Outlook will use your initial appointment as a start date. Set the end date by specifying a date for the recurring appointments to end or a number of occurrences for this recurring appointment. You can also specify no end date. If the meeting will occur on more than one day of the week, click on the days the meeting/appointment will occur.

Yes. Calendars can be displayed side by side. Microsoft recommends no more than 10 for optimal viewing. These need to be calendars that you either have permission to view (shared calendars) or additional calendars of your own.

You can click in the checkbox beside the calendar in Calendar mode or select 'Open a Shared Calendar' and then click the checkbox.

To see a calendar in its own window, right-click on the calendar you want to see and select 'Open in a New Window.'

If you preview messages in the Reading Pane or if you have the Reading Pane turned off, but you open the meeting notification (even if you haven't accepted or declined yet), then the meeting will appear on your calendar as Tentative.

In Outlook 2003, you can also choose to auto-accept meetings. To do this, select Tools | Options | Preferences. Click on the 'Calendar Options' button. Click on the Resource scheduling button. Check the box for 'Automatically accept meetings and process cancellations.' Meetings will only be auto-accepted when Outlook is running (this means they will not ibe auto-accepted f you are accessing your calendar via Outlook Web Access).

There are several ways to add people to your contacts.

1. When you receive an email from someone and want to add them to your Contacts list, you can click on the icon to the left of their email address on the From: line. In the drop-down menu, select 'Add to Outlook Contacts'.
2. Click on the Address Book icon on the Tool bar. Select New Entry. Select New Contact. Enter your contact information.
3. Click on the drop-down arrow next to 'New' on the tool bar. Select 'Contact.' Enter your contact information.

The Calendar system in Outlook/Exchange will be most useful to you and others if you keep as much information in your calendar as possible.

If there are times that you are going to be busy, in meetings, traveling, or need to ensure that you will be in the office, you will want to mark those times as 'Busy' on your calendar. The Free/Busy schedule does not indicate what your activities are, it simply indicates that you do not have that time available.

In addition, each meeting invitation you receive gives you the option to 'Accept', 'Accept Tentatively' or 'Decline.' If you have a conflict that wasn't on your calendar, you can choose to 'Decline' the meeting and, if necessary, detail the reasons in the space provided.

Anyone with an Outlook/Exchange account can issue a meeting invitation to you; you decide whether that meeting time will work for you or not.

The Global Address list, which you access as part of your Outlook Address Book, lists all ISU Net-Ids, whether the person has an Exchange account or not. The Global Address list also lists Exchange groups and resources. You can select names from both your Contacts list and from the Global Address List when scheduling meetings or sending messages.

Go to the Tools menu, select Mailbox Cleanup...View Mailbox Size

Click on Mail in the Navigation bar on the left. Click on 'New' in the tool bar or go to the File menu, click on New, and select 'Mail message'.

Outlook archive files are stored on your main computer in a file with the extension '.pst'. In Outlook, your archive files will be listed under 'All Mail Boxes' and under 'Archive Folders'.

Outlook will AutoArchive Mail, Calendar entries, Tasks, etc. after a specified amount of time. At present we recommend that you autoarchive information after six months. If you find that your Exchange mailbox is filling up, you can adjust the autoarchive settings (Tools...Options...Other...AutoArchive).

Go to the Calendar (select Calendar in the left Navigation bar). Click 'New' or go to the File menu, click on New, and select 'Meeting request'. Indicate Subject, Location, Start time, and End Time. Add meeting notes or an agenda.

To invite others to the meeting and check availability, click on the 'Scheduling' tab. Enter the names or (email addresses if they are not on Exchange) of the people you want to attend your meeting or click on 'Add Others' and select Exchange users from the Global Address List. If you are inviting people who also have Exchange accounts, you will be able to see the times that are already marked off on their calendars and can schedule the meeting during a time that is open for them.

When you have finished selecting attendees and you have entered all the applicable meeting information, click 'Send'.

In order to use the Outlook client in conjunction with the Exchange server when you're either at home or at another location outside the IASTATE network, you will also need to run VPN (Virtual Private Network).

For more information on installing VPN software, go to:

http://www.it.iastate.edu/pub/wng334/wng_334.html

Alternatively, you can use Outlook Web Access to get your email and check your calendar when outside the IASTATE network.

When you switch from using Outlook without Exchange to using Outlook with Exchange, you also go from saving items in Outlook's Personal Folders to saving current items in your 'Mailbox' on the Exchange server. If you've been using Outlook for calendaring before the switch to Outlook-Exchange, you may have Calendar items in your Personal Folders Calendar that you want to transfer to your 'Mailbox'/Exchange Calendar.

To do this, follow these steps:

• In Outlook, when you're in the Calendar you want to transfer items from, click on View...Arrange By...Current View...By Category.
• From the Edit menu, click on Select All
• From the Edit menu, click on Copy to Folder
• Select the Calendar you want to copy to (this should be the item labelled 'Calendar' under 'Mailbox - Last, First')



• Click OK

If the Calendar view is still by Category, go to View...Arrange by...Current View...Day/Week/Month

You should be able to copy all the existing dates from the Calendar in your Personal Folder without affecting any appointments you've already entered in your new Exchange Calendar.

If you're already using Outlook (but not Outlook-Exchange) as your mail program, then the changeover process is similar to the instructions in Setting up Outlook for Exchange, but not exactly the same.

When you're in Outlook, go to Tools...E-Mail accounts...Add a new e-mail account.

You may receive a message that says you need to use the 'Mail' control panel. If so, you will need to quit Outlook. Go to Start...Control Panel...Mail...E-Mail Accounts...Add a new e-mail account.

From this point, your procedure will be the same as the steps outlined in Setting up Outlook for Exchange.

Once you've finished the setup, run Outlook and go to Tools...E-Mail Accounts...View/Change existing e-mail accounts. Your new Exchange account should be listed as 'Microsoft Exchange Server' (for Name) and 'Exchange (Default)' (for Type). All other listed accounts should be removed (highlight the account and click 'Remove'). This will not delete the mail in your Personal Folders.

Under 'Deliver new e-mail to the following location:' make sure that 'Mailbox - [Your name]' is selected. If 'Personal Folders' is selected, click on the drop-down menu and change it to 'Mailbox...' Choose Finish. Close and reopen Outlook if instructed to do so.

You have several options for what to do with your old Eudora email.

1. You can leave it in Eudora and use Eudora as your email archive. When you want to refer to that email, you can open Eudora and search for the email in question. The primary issue with this method is that eventually you will switch computers and, although you can copy all your Eudora mailboxes to the new computer, you would also have to install and maintain Eudora on your new computer just to read those old emails.

2. Clean out your Eudora email of all old messages you definitely no longer need. Or, choose a few key mailboxes to convert. Then go through a step-by-step conversion process to bring your old email into Outlook. Tips for cleaning up your old email and step by step instructions for converting will be posted on the Tech News site soon.

3. Convert everything from Eudora to Outlook. If you do this--convert all your old email from Eudora to Outlook--you may find, especially if your mailboxes are very large, that the conversion process takes a long time. However, it is possible to do if you carefully follow the step by step conversion instructions which will be posted on Tech News.

Important: whatever you decide to do with your old Eudora email, it is important to note that you do not need to convert your old Eudora mail to Outlook at the same time you set up your Outlook-Exchange account. Because the old messages will go into archive folders, this process can be done at any time. If you feel, once you've reviewed the conversion procedure, that you need to do the conversion, but anticipate that you'll be calling hotline support while you're converting, I'd urge you to wait to convert your old email until after we've completed initial training throughout the state (during which time, getting new users up and running on Outlook will be a hotline priority). Initial training will run through October and November, 2005.

At some point (we have not set this date yet), we will drop support for Eudora. If you have problems with Eudora after that date, our advice will be to switch to Outlook/Exchange. In addition, Outlook/Exchange offers you features Eudora doesn't have--scheduling meetings, tracking your schedule, sharing calendars--that you may find useful and worthwhile.

There are several ways to setup Outlook/Exchange. However, generally you will want to keep your current mail on the Exchange server and archive your older mail (for example, you might archive all mail older than six months).

Because server storage is not unlimited, each user is allowed up to 100 MB of email storage on the server. You will need to clean up and archive your mail so that you do not exceed this limit. Outlook will automatically archive (autoarchive) mail older than a specific date (the default setting is to autoarchive incoming mail that is more than 6 months old). You can still access this information in Outlook (archived information also includes your calendar dates, tasks, etc.) but it will be stored on your main computer rather than on the server and will not be available when you access your email via Outlook Web Access or from another computer. For more information on managing space in Outlook, archiving, and personal folders, see Managing Mailbox Space and Personal Folders.

You must have an Outlook/Exchange account to participate in training. While we are planning to accomodate as many staff as possible in each training session and will be including those staff who can bring their own laptops to training, we will have limits on total numbers based on space and infrastructure. In addition, an important part of the signup process is creating your new account and forwarding your old account. If you have not signed up for training, this process--creating your Outlook/Exchange account--will not be completed.

If you sign up for training, you will be able to cancel until noon three working days before the scheduled class. For example, if your class is scheduled for October 19th, you can cancel out of the class up until noon on Friday, October 14th.

If you sign up for training and don't cancel more than three working days before the class (see Individual Timeline), your new email account will be automatically setup at midnight and your 'iastate.edu' email will be forwarded. There is no going back at that point. The EIT computer hotline can help you configure Outlook and make sure you are capable of sending and receiving mail. Additional documentation, including class training materials will be available online. However, we will not conduct the equivalent of training over the phone or provide one on one training for Outlook-Exchange.

Security concerns, specifically about the Outlook preview pane, go back several years to when Outlook was first introduced. Since then security layers have been integrated into Outlook to allow both viewing messages in the preview pane and opening the actual message to be as secure (and often more so) as other email clients. Whether using Auto Preview, the Reading Pane or opening the message full screen, steps are taken within the Outlook program itself to ensure a high level of security. See How Outlook helps protect your computer from viruses for details.

As with any email client, it is still important in Outlook to avoid opening attachments from people you don't trust or are not expecting an attachment from. Fortunately, Outlook 2003 filters many attachments that might be deemed harmful and limits the html/scripting within messages (Note: All HTML-based messages are treated as if they are in a restricted zone). It is also important to run anti-virus software on your desktop computer and to patch your software/OS regardless of your e-mail client (or OS).

Outlook, as you know, is a desktop email applicaiton. On its own it allows you to send and receive email, to maintain your calendar, to create a task list, and to keep an address book. Exchange is a central server. When used in conjunction with Outlook, it allows you to store your current email on a central server, to check attendees' schedules when planning a meeting, to share calendars, and to coordinate schedules. Outlook coupled with an Exchange server (usually referred to here as Outlook/Exchange) can back up your email, and give you access to calendars and email when you're on the road.

Yes and no. You will continue to receive all mail sent to your familiar email address ('net-id@iastate.edu'). When you send mail to others it will have 'net-id@iastate.edu' as the return address. To the world at large it will appear that your email address is 'net-id@iastate.edu'. However, you will also now have an account on the Exchange server. This account will be in the form 'net-id@extension.iastate.edu'. Two accounts are necessary so that you can take advantage of the full functionality of the Exchange server while continuing to benefit from an easy-to-remember email address and from the features provided through the central campus mail server.

If you are using a computer that's using an operating system even older than Windows 2000, you will not be able to switch to Outlook 2003. Your only option will be to use the Outlook Web Access to send and receive email. Outlook Web Access is an excellent web-based interface to the Exchange server. It does not, however, offer all the features available through Outlook 2003 combined with the Exchange server.

Remember, we do not support Windows 98 and Windows 95 computers. At some time in the future--once staff have had ample time to switch, we will no longer support Eudora.

No. Outlook Express and Outlook 2003 are two different applications. Outlook Express does not have the ability to link to the Exchange server and does not offer the new features (meeting scheduling, shared calendars, etc.) that Outlook 2003 and the Exchange server offer.

Your office should have a CD labeled Microsoft Office 2003. You can use this CD to install the current version of Microsoft Office, including Outlook 2003. To install or update Office, you'll need to be logged into your computer as Administrator. Insert the Office 2003 CD and follow the instructions that come up on the screen.

To complete the install, you will need a license key. Contact the EIT Hotline (515-294-1725) or Barb Crandell (crandelb@iastate.edu or 515-294-8658) to get the license key. If you do not have a Microsoft Office 2003 CD in your office, you can contact Extension Distribution (515-294-5247) to purchase a replacement CD.

Go to Start--Programs--MS Office-- If you can't tell just by looking at the programs list (Outlook 2003 will generally be listed as 'Microsoft Office Outlook 2003'), then open Outlook, Click on the Help menu and select About Microsoft Outlook.

When you go to the Outlook-Exchange training signup, you will click on the session group you want, then click on 'Sign up for work session or class'. You'll see a drop-down menu that says: '<--Select Name-->'. If your name appears in the drop-down list, you can select it and continue with your registration.

If your name does not appear in the drop-down list, click on '<--Add New Name-->', which is at the top of the drop-down list. You can then add yourself to the list and register for the training session you want.

Your computer must meet the current hardware support standards: at least Pentium III; 256 M of RAM; Windows 2000 with at least service pack 3 or (preferably) Windows XP.

In addition, you will need to have Outlook 2003 (part of MS Office 2003). Most machines that were purchased in the last two and a half years will already have Outlook 2003 installed. All ISUE field offices received an MS Office 2003 CD containing Outlook 2003 at one time. If you can't locate this CD and need a replacement, you can order one through Extension Distribution.

If you're already using Outlook with the Exchange server then you won't have to do anything differently than you do now.

However, if you're using Outlook as a stand-alone application (like Eudora), then you will need to apply for an Exchange account and forward your email from 'iastate.edu' (this will happen automatically when you apply for an Exchange account). You will also need to disable your current account setup (this won't affect any stored mail). In addition, Outlook/Exchange stores current mail on the Exchange server.

What this means is that you'll want to visit the Outlook-Exchange signup link in the right-hand column at Tech News and signup for a class (which will also activate your account setup). Although you will already be familiar with basic Outlook operations, the training will also cover things that will be brand-new with the Exchange server--central server storage for current mail, archives and backups, managing personal folders, and scheduling meetings.

We are going to be training staff on Outlook/Exchange during October and November, 2005. Signing up for training will trigger a process to create a new account, forward your 'iastate.edu' account to the new account, and set up Outlook for sending and receiving mail. Training will be offered throughout the state and we will be working with area directors to choose locations and times that will work for as many people as possible.

Update: Training has been scheduled and you can signup now.

We will kickoff the transition to Outlook/Exchange at Annual Conference where a session will be offered demonstrating some of the capabilities of Outlook/Exchange. During the months of October/November we will be scheduling 8 half day classes in each area (2 separate 2 day sessions each offering 4 class sections).

Do not switch to Outlook ahead of this schedule. It will make the transition from Eudora to Outlook/Exchange more difficult for you and it will not save you time later.

I've developed a set of Frequently Asked Questions for the Outlook-Exchange conversion, which we'll be adding to as we proceed. A link to the entire FAQ will be posted in the right-hand column in the next few days. However, I'm also going to be posting individual questions here and saved together in the category: Outlook-Exchange/FAQ.

So, on to the first question--Why are we switching to Outlook?

Outlook 2003 combined with an Exchange server provides additional capabilities that Eudora doesn't have. Eudora is an excellent program for sending and receiving email. However, Outlook 2003 combined with the Exchange server allows you to send and receive mail, schedule meetings, share calendar and scheduling information, and access your account and your current email from different computers and different locations.