Iowa State University

Microsoft Outlook

Most people at the Institute use Microsoft Outlook because it is an all in one solution for email, reminders and scheduling, notes, contact manager, task manager, and journaling.

If you are still using Eudora and would like to switch to Outlook please contact the computer help room or fill out a sheet and we will schedule a time for your account to be converted and go through the process with you.

Using Microsoft Outlook

Using Outlook

The easiest way to navigate through all the folders and areas of Outlook is to set the view to "folder list." First go to view and uncheck "outlook bar" then go to view and select "folder list." You should now see a windows-like folder tree with two main areas: "Outlook today" and "Public Folders."

"Outlook Today" is your personal area where you will keep personal contacts, your personal calendar, tasks, e-mail, notes and your journal. When you add items in this area it is not readily available by everyone else.

You'll notice that when you click on any of the folders under "Outlook Today" that you have the option to create a new item in the upper left hand corner. This button will create a new item in the folder you select depending on the type of folder you are in. For example, if you are in "inbox" it will create a new E-mail message and if you are in "calendar" it will create a new calendar item.

Folders

I recommend creating a new folder under "Outlook Today" called "E-mail Archive" and then under "E-mail Archive" create folders to store read e-mail. This will make it easier for you to organize your past emails. When you need to look for an old email you can quickly point to a folder and find what you are looking for. To create new folders first right-click on the parent (top) folder and select "new folder." Then name your folder and make sure to select the type of items that will go in this folder. In this case you would select "mail and post" items. Now you have an area to drag and drop E-mail messages after you have read them from your inbox. You can create new calendars in the same way as well as contact groups or task groups. I suggest friend, family, work, purchases, projects, classes, to start with, then you can make sub folders for multiple classes, or projects or places that you may purchase from often such as the book store.

creating a new folder

Public Folders

Public Folders are areas that the whole staff share. This is where reports will be sent and exchange will go. There will also be an area for the Office Calendar, Project Contacts and an area to share important files. Access is restricted in these areas so that users can only edit and delete the items that they post. To access public folders click on the plus sign. This will expand the folder list down. More information soon...

Personal Contacts

There are two ways to organize your Contacts folder. The first is to create multiple folders underneath the main Contacts folder for all the different categories (Friends, Principals, Superintendents). And the second, which is the recommended way, is organize your Contacts by category. In the lower right-hand corner of the contact form is a field to enter in the category. You can either type in your own category or choose from the selected list.

Once you have categories set up you can click and drag the whole category into a new email message - this is like creating your own personal distribution lists.

Instant Messaging

Exchange uses a combination of MSN, Outlook and Exchange to configure Instant Messaging. It can be confusing to setup, but very powerful once it is in place. The messenger has the ability to send voice, video and application sharing over the Internet.

To configure Instant Messaging follow these steps:

1. Sign-up for a new ".NET" passport:
   • Click here to access the registry page
   • Your e-mail address must be entered this way: "yourname@isbr.iastate.edu"
     (ex: "someone@isbr.iastate.edu")
   • Your password is the same as your e-mail account's password

Instant Messaging will automatically log on when you start your computer. If you would like to manually log on or log off select the "Tools" menu and choose Instant Messaging.

There is also an "options" choice that will let you customize your fonts and preferences.Do not change your e-mail address from the "isbr.iastate.edu" domain - this is our internal instant messaging domain. Because it is internal it will automatically recognize other Institute users without entering them in as contacts.

Viruses

Outlook has a poor reputation for attracting viruses. In most cases, this is due to individuals using Outlook without a protected Exchange server. Our Exchange server is protected by virus software that scans all incoming mail and attachments. This software is updated daily and will take care of any attacks that might happen. In addition, to prevent against hacking there is a Firewall installed on the server. The server is housed, monitored and backed up at the Institute.

It is always a good idea to keep updated virus software on your computer. If you do not have virus software at home you will not receive a virus through Exchange. However, we would still recommend purchasing virus software at home. Iowa State has a site license for McAfee VirusScan that the Computer Help room can help you download.

Maintenance

The Exchange Server is backed once a week and incremental nightly. This is a backup only used for disaster recovery on the server level. You can run a backup of your personal files, this way if something happens your important e-mails won't be lost. To do this go to: "File" and select "Import and Export" Then select "Export a File" and click "Next." Then select "Personal Folder File (.pst) and click "Next.

Highlight your Mailbox and check off "Include subfolders" and click "Next." This screen will ask you where to store the backup file. Chose a separate folder on your computer or a zip disk. Or, if you are at Teaching Matters choose a folder on the Server.

Advanced - E-mail Mail Merge

Outlook has the ability to create personalized mass e-mail messages by using a data source (excel, .csv or .tab) and Word.

The first step is to create a data source. I would recommend using excel to create columns with titles and your data underneath (see example to the right) and then save the data as a tab-separated file or a comma-separated file.

Once your data is ready, create a new email message and go up to "View" and down to "Toolbars" and check off "Mail Merge." You should now see a toolbar pop up above the body of your email. Click on the button that says "Main document setup" (you have to hold your mouse over the first button for the title to appear) and select "E-mail Messages."
 

Next, click on the button to the right that says "Open Data Source" and point to the data file that you just saved. You are now ready to write your email. When you want to insert a merged field (a title from your data source ex: firstname) click on the button that says "Insert Merge Fields" (see example to the right) and select the field you want to insert.
 

When you are done with the body of your message your are ready to send to all your address. Click the button to the far right that says "Merge to E-Mail" and select your email title in your data source. You can include a subject line here as well.

When you do this and press OK it will automatically send individual e-mails to everyone in your data file.

Coming Soon

• Syncing with your PDA
• Scheduling Meetings
• Configuring Groups
• Remote Access

Ames, Iowa 50011, (515) 294-4518. Published by: ISBR Computer Support, webadmin@isbr.iastate.edu. Copyright © 1998-2004, Iowa State University. All rights reserved.