Greetings! Welcome to Vol. 2, #3, of Exchange Messaging Outlook (formerly Exchange Center Update), an occasional newsletter about Microsoft Exchange, Windows Messaging and Microsoft Outlook, both for users of Windows 95 and NT 4.0 and for organizations using Microsoft Exchange Server.
Today's highlights:
Regular features:
Microsoft will soon release an update to Outlook, to be called version 8.02. This will be part of the Exchange Server 5.0 Service Pack 1 and Office 97 Service Release 1, both planned for mid-July. (For Word users, Office 97 SR1 will be an essential update, since it will include a converter to save documents in native Word 6.0 and Word 95 format.)
See MSKB article OL97: Summary of Changes in Outlook Version 8.02 (http://www.microsoft.com/kb/articles/q166/0/22.htm) for a detailed list of the 50 or so bug fixes, new features and improvements planned for this version including:
No word yet on download or ordering procedures. Stay tuned to our page at http://www.slipstick.com/exchange/ol802.htm.
Version 8.02 isn't the only update to Microsoft Outlook that's in the works. The promised version with IMAP, NNTP, LDAP and shared folders without Exchange Server is yet to come. If you want to test the next version of Outlook or have feature ideas, download the beta application and survey from http://www.slipstick.com/files/outlsurv.zip.
We've long suspected that Outlook 8.01, the version distributed with Microsoft Exchange Server 5.0, included some bug fixes unrelated to Exchange Server. The KB now confirms that with two articles:
Unfortunately, there are only two ways to get 8.01 -- with Exchange Server 5.0 or as a 120-day trial download. Of course, Outlook 8.02 will be out in considerably less than 120 days and will also cover these two fixes.
The third beta version of the Internet Mail Enhancement Patch for Microsoft Outlook still has a few warts, but I recommend it for anyone concerned about the many issues it addresses, including:
See http://www.slipstick.com/exchange/olimep1.htm for download, installation and usage details and a list of known problems. The biggest glitch is that IMEP doesn't support scheduled mail retrieval via modem; instead, you must depend on Windows' ability to automatically dial the Internet when you need it.
If you're using IMEP with Windows 95, dial your ISP and need to be able to cycle through several numbers, check out NetLaunch and DUN Cycler (http://www.primenet.com/~simpson/) or RAS+95 (http://www.lambsoftware.com/).
Now, if only Microsoft would create an IMEP for Exchange/Windows Messaging users.
ExLife and SMH, two of the popular utilities for automatically processing messages, both include a virtual folder for organizing unread items. The problem, in a nutshell, is that once you start moving incoming messages with rules, it's easy to lose track of where those messages are filed. I've had an interesting conversation going on in the microsoft.public.outlook97.usage newsgroup on how to accomplish something similar without an add-on. So far, I've come up with two methods, one specific to Outlook, the other for either Outlook or Exchange.
In either program, choose Tools | Find and set up a find operation to search your entire mailbox or Personal Folders file for unread items. Go ahead and click Find Now to see what you get. Notice that there is an In Folder column to show you where the messages were filed.
Here's the fun part: Just minimize the Find dialog. It will automatically be updated when new unread messages arrive. And if it's still open when you close Exchange or Outlook, it will open automatically the next time you start it up. In Outlook, you can also choose File | Save Search to keep the parameters handy.
The main limitation of this method is that you can set up a finder for only one set of Personal Folders or one mailbox at a time.
Now for my Outlook method. When I create a Rules Wizard rule that moves an incoming item to a folder, I also include an action to "notify me with specific words" -- and the words I put in the notice are "moved to <folder name> folder." The moved messages are added to the notification box, which I usually keep minimized. The message tells me where they were moved, but I can also just click Open to see any of those messages.
Do you have another method for tracking unread messages without SMH or ExLife? Let me know.
Rubberband Autoresponder
Reacts to incoming messages by sending out replies that can
include documents and other file attachments.
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/rwmech/
Pop2Mapi
Adds Internet mail connectivity to the workgroup postoffice
that comes free with Windows 95 and Windows NT.
http://titian.terabit.net/software/pop2mapi/
Nemx Office Messenger
Another workgroup-compatible Internet connectivity product,
renamed (from netApps Internet Series) and updated with several new
features -- antivirus support; shared folder access for mailing lists
and newsgroups; and dialup scheduling.
http://www.nemx.com/
PGP 5.0
Includes a beta security add-in for Exchange and Outlook.
http://www.pgp.com/
PageMaster 2.03
Pages you when selected messages arrive or when Schedule+ or
Outlook reminders are triggered.
http://www.omnitrend.com/pm.html
PPTP, Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol Beta
Otherwise known as Microsoft Dial-up Networking 1.2. Adds a
new Winsock as well as support for this protocol used to set up
private networks via the Internet.
http://www.microsoft.com/ntserver/info/PPTPdownWinsock.htm
ExLife
It just keeps getting better. Version 1.15 beta adds a new
action -- Address Manager, to automatically add the sender of incoming
mail to the Personal Address Book or Outlook Contacts, according to
rules you set.
http://www.mokry.cz/exchange/index.htm
Microsoft Exchange Deployment Conference
Pencil 28 Sep - 1 Oct on your calendar for the 2nd annual Microsoft Exchange Deployment Conference, to be held in San Diego, California. This is the place to be if your organization is considering an Exchange rollout or wants to take the next step with Active Server applications, Outlook-based groupware or other enhancements.
Get the answers from the Microsoft Exchange, Windows Messaging and Microsoft Outlook FAQs at http://www.slipstick.com/exchange/faqs.htm.
The Microsoft Outlook FAQ has a Table of Contents at http://www.slipstick.com/exchange/outlfaq.htm to help you find answers faster. New and updated items are at the bottom of the page.
Ask new questions and provide other feedback for the Slipstick Systems Exchange Center FAQs at http://www.slipstick.com/exchange/faqfdbk.htm.
ISSN 1523-7990
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