Exchange Messaging Outlook
Volume 10, Number 18

   
Greetings! Welcome to Vol. 10, No. 18, Dec 15 2005, of Exchange Messaging Outlook, a biweekly newsletter about Microsoft Exchange and Microsoft Outlook.

This is our last issue of EMO for 2005. I hope you have a wonderful holiday season and we'll see you next year!

Today's highlights:

Regular features:

 

Exchange 12 Beta

Exchange sever 12 beta was released to a small, select group of organizations this week. It's a closed beta, available only to a core group of organizations considered "technology early adopters". If your company isn't in the TAP program, you'll have to wait until it's released in a community preview, probably about six months from now.

What do we know about Exchange 12 at this point? To improve reliability, Exchange 12 will only run on 64 bit servers. Setup and deployment should be easier for many administrators because it will be based on server roles and only the components of Exchange 12 that they need will be installed. Exchange System Manager offers simplified navigation through a new graphical management console, which should help many administrators (and annoy long time Exchange administrators who know where everything is). Administrators can use the scriptable, command line shell based on the Monad scripting engine to automate routine and repetitive tasks.

Exchange 12 takes advantage of Outlook 12's new client detection and configuration feature which simplifies Outlook's account setup. While this is an Outlook 12 feature which Exchange 12 leverages, it is a welcome feature for any help desk and should reduce or eliminate end-user confusion when setting up accounts in Outlook. Because this is an Outlook feature, auto-configuration of accounts will work with any mail server. Prior to the release of Office 12, Microsoft will make available the information mail administrators need to configure their servers for automatic configuration.

For the end-users, Exchange 12 will offer speech enabled unified messaging, integrating voice, fax, and email in the user's Inbox. This means if you don't have an Internet connection and can't VPN into the server using a computer, you can call the server from any telephone and listen to your messages. As in previous versions, we can expect improvements to Outlook Web Access (OWA), including an Outlook 12-like interface.

It can't be a new version without security improvements and enhancements, and Exchange 12 has that covered with built-in anti-spam and phishing protection and automatic updates for anti-spam filters, block lists and reputation services. One of the first lines of defense against mail-born viruses is attachment filtering and Exchange 12 will allow administrators to block inbound or outbound attachments based on the extension, file name or content type.

Exchange 12 Homepage
http://www.microsoft.com/exchange/preview/default.mspx

Exchange Team Blog
http://blogs.technet.com/exchange/archive/category/10058.aspx

New Australian Time Zones Problems

The Commonwealth Games are scheduled to be held during March 2006 in Melbourne Australia and several Australian states including New South Wales, Victoria, Australian Capital Territory, South Australia and Tasmania, have changed the Daylight Savings transition end dates to the first Sunday of April 2006. To assist, Microsoft provided a patch so users can add these temporary Australian Daylight savings time zones to Windows.

When the Australian Parliament House tested the patch they found a "bug" that affects members who use the dual time zones feature in Outlook. The additional time zone reference within Outlook is not updated after the Microsoft Commonwealth Games patch is applied.

Because the time zone fix adds new keys to the Windows time zone settings, and doesn't touch Outlook's key for the second time zone, it's technically not a bug, although it will bug anyone who uses one of the affected Australian time zones as the second Outlook time zone.

The patch adds the following keys to the Time Zone options:

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Time Zones\AUS Eastern Standard Time (Commonwealth Games 2006)]
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Time Zones\Tasmania Standard Time (Commonwealth Games 2006)]
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Time Zones\Cen. Australia Standard Time (CommonwealthGames 2006)]

Outlook's second time zone reads the TZ2 value found at this key:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\xx.0\Outlook\Options\TimeZone

(where xx = your version of Outlook)

Even though Microsoft doesn't plan to release a patch to update Outlook's secondary time zone setting, parliament members can run a registry file to insure they have the correct time zone set, instead of going to Tools, Options, Calendar, Time Zones to verify. When the time zone changes end, they can revert back to the correct setting using another registry key file.

Australian Daylight Savings Changes for Microsoft Products for the Year 2006 http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=DDA845DE-9D70-487C-8F7C-093D4DFD1899&displaylang=en

More information, .reg files, and automated solutions will be available at http://www.slipstick.com/problems/autz.htm before the end of the year for Outlook 2003, 2002 and 2000.

Question Mark in the Message Body

A reader asks "When I send email from my Outlook 2003 account, there is a question mark "?" added to the body of my email. Any ideas of what is causing this problem?"

This is a fairly common problem and there several solutions. The first one you should try is to install S/MIME from OWA's Options. Make sure that the client has all of the latest IE updates, then use OWA to download the latest version of the S/MIME control. This will fix it in most cases.

If installing the S/MIME control doesn't fix it, it's possible that another application installed a downreved dhtmled.ocx and triedit.dll. The install program probably just looked in the Windows\System32 directory, did not see the files, so it installed them and registered them. The ones you need to use are located in C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\Triedit. Open a command prompt, change directory to C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\Triedit and then use regsvr32 to re-register the correct versions of dhtmled.ocx and triedit.dll. You can then go delete the older versions that are probably located in your windows\system32.

If neither of these solutions corrects the problem, does the client have a product called SolarWinds Professional edition installed on their desktop? This is a known cause and it's possible there are other programs that may also cause it. If other computers can send using OWA and not add question marks to the message body, compare the applications installed on each in an attempt to identify the cause.

Exchange 5.5 Support Ends

If your organization is still using Exchange Server 5.5 and you want or need support from Microsoft Product Support Services, you'll need to upgrade to Exchange 2003, as all forms of support for Exchange 5.5 are ending.

However, if your organization is a member of either Premier Essential support plan or Premier Support plan and have an AD migration plan approved by Microsoft, your company can pay an additional fee ($200,000 or more per year) plus a hefty fee per each hotfix you need, for Exchange 5.5 support. (Yes, several companies have signed on for this program.)

New security updates and hotfixes will not be released for Exchange 5.5 after December 31. Existing publically available updates will continue to be available, although you should have all of them installed on your Exchange 5.5 servers already.

For more information, see
http://www.microsoft.com/exchange/support/lifecycle/changes.mspx

Outlook Calendar "Can't Save" Bug

There are numerous reports that users are unable to create new Calendar items after installing Outlook 2003's SP2. While we have no idea what is causing it and it doesn't appear to be very widespread, the solution is to restart Outlook. If Outlook doesn't close completely (look in Task Manager) you'll need to force it closed (select Outlook.exe and click End Process), otherwise you'll need to reboot. So far, everyone affected by the problem reports this fixes the problem.
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New Utilities

ACTIVE DIRECTORY WEBMANAGER ENTERPRISE EDITION
http://www.thedotnetfactory.com/ADWebManagerEnterprise.aspx
Active Directory WebManager Enterprise Edition is a completely web-based user and group administration tool allowing granular delegation of user and group management. Its flexible architecture employs a unique LDAP Query-Based technology for delegation. This easy to use search-like delegation mechanism allows any information in your Active Directory to be used as the basis for delegation and restriction of account management activities. This technology is unique to Active Directory WebManager Enterprise and can fulfill almost any required business scenario without the need to restructure or re-permission your Active Directory. Common scenarios include delegation to Helpdesk, Business Partners, Divisional Admins, Department Managers, HR, and more.

ACTIVE DIRECTORY WEBMANAGER PROFESSIONAL EDITION
http://www.thedotnetfactory.com/ADWebManagerProfessional.aspx
Active Directory WebManager Professional Edition is a powerful web-based user and group management tool designed for use by dedicated network administrators. Its fast and efficient web interface allows these power users to more efficiently perform user and group management activities securely from anywhere. AD WebManager's visual interface provides a wealth of information at a glance via various icons and colored indicators. Administrators can immediately distinguish which users are locked-out, which are disabled, and which have or do not have a Microsoft Exchange mailbox. Group types are easily identifiable as security or distribution groups and it is apparent whether they are Microsoft Exchange mail-enabled.

ACTIVE DIRECTORY WHITEPAGES
http://www.thedotnetfactory.com/ADWhitePages.aspx
The Dot Net Factory's Active Directory WhitePages is a completely web-based corporate directory application designed with the non-technical user in mind. Its familiar Microsoft Office 2003 look and feel makes it easy and secure for employees to find information, update their personal data, and change their passwords.

ACTIVESEND
http://www.messageware.com/products/05_activesend.html
ActiveSend completely integrates Outlook Web Access with the computer desktop to provide increased Outlook-like convenience and productivity. On its own, OWA doesn't allow users to email files from within applications. The file must first be saved and then attached to a separate email message. With ActiveSend, Outlook Web Access users can send documents at any time while working within any application. ActiveSend also activates hyperlinks in email, documents and web sites to provide convenient single-click emailing capability.

DELETE DUPLICATED APPOINTMENTS
http://www.rsoutlook.com/us/prods/prod14.html
Delete Duplicated Appointments allows you to delete duplicated appointments with just a click of a button. Version 1. for

EXCHANGEFOLDERS
http://www.exchangefolders.com
Exchangefolders is an Exchange Server add-on. It enables you to setup groups of users which can share E-mail, Contacts and Calendars using their own existing accounts. One server-side installation does the job and gives you a lot of synchronization options. The best thing is that clients (e.g. Outlook) automatically adapt to ExchangeFolders, so workstations don't have to be modified.

IZEMAIL
http://www.izecom.com/EN/izemail_desktop.html
Izemail allows you to encrypt and sign your e-mail messages, just by pressing the "Send" button in your mail program. No need to exchange encryption keys or certificates, no need to go through complex enrollment procedures. Izemail allows you to send an encrypted and signed message to a person if you only know their email address. Still, Izemail uses widespread standards for email encryption such as S/MIME and PKI. This makes Izemail compatible with any technology that supports S/MIME and/or PKI.

OUTLOOK PST DIFF
http://www.mobiliti.com/outlook_pstdiff.html
Use Mobiliti's Outlook PST diff tool to compare two pst files. It copies the differences an output pst file, including Mails that are present in the first pst file only or Mails that are present in both pst files, but are different. In addition, it logs the differences in a text file. The differences can be viewed both as a pst and as a text file. Download for free! (Beta)

OUTLOOKFIX
http://www.cimaware.com/main/products/outlookfix.php
Repairs Outlook corruption, undeletes erased emails and other elements in Outlook, and lets you reduce an Outlook PST file splitting it, reducing the file size and solving the common 2 Gb size problem.

PASSWORD MANAGER
http://www.thedotnetfactory.com/PasswordManager.aspx
The Password Manager suite is allows end-users to reset forgotten passwords and unlock their locked-out accounts while seamlessly integrating into your existing environment. Password Manager offers multiple interfaces allowing users to change their passwords or enroll in the Password Recovery Service from Microsoft SharePoint, a standard web interface, Outlook Web Access, and soon from the Windows logon dialog. Password Manager is a flexible solution that eliminates the source of the number one help desk call -- password resets.

PICTURE ATTACHMENTS WIZARD
http://www.collaborativeinnovations.ca/
Picture Attachments Wizard provides you with a thumbnail view of any photos attached to an email. You can then open the images individually or view them in a slideshow or the new filmstrip mode. you can load picture files with a specific program and preview picture attachments as you add them to new e-mails. Requires Outlook 2000/XP/2003 on Windows XP. Version 1.1

PSTSTATION
http://www.addonmail.com/products/PSTStation.asp?idFrom=2
PSTStation is .pst maintenance and repair tool. PSTStation includes 3 integrated repair and maintenance functions : Scan, Recovery, and Backup. PSTStation can be used locally on files within a user Outlook profile, or remotely on selected .pst files. Each action can be configured separately for different profiles or specific .pst files. Version 1.1

SNARF
http://research.microsoft.com/community/snarf/ 
Created by Microsoft Research, SNARF (Social Network and Relationship Finder) is designed to provide a quick overview of unread mail, organized by its importance. The UI shows a series of different panes with unread mail in them; each pane shows a list of authors of messages. Clicking on a name shows all messages involving that person. Requires Outlook 2002 or 2003. Version 1.7.004

SPEEDFILER
http://www.claritude.com
SpeedFiler will help you organize, regain and maintain control of your email. SpeedFiler is a Microsoft Outlook add-in that makes it easier to file your incoming and outgoing messages, helping you keep your mail organized. If you send and receive lots of email, like to keep it filed, and have many folders in a hierarchical structure, SpeedFiler will save you time. Key features include the ability to quickly file received messages, file outgoing messages as you send them, find and jump to folders with ease and find-as-you-type folder search.

TRUMBA ONECALENDAR
http://www.trumba.com/
Trumba's OneCalendar is an online calendaring service which synchronizes with Outlook. Users of the service are able to share their calendar with others, either publically on a web page or only with trusted contacts. A free 60-day trial is available.

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Updated Utilities

ATTACHMENT OPTIONS
http://www.slovaktech.com/attachmentoptions.htm 
Now at version 1.8.15, Attachment Options was updated to include the extensions added to Outlook 2002 SP3. Outlook 2002 SP3 adds several file extensions to the list of extensions blocked by earlier SP's, including asp, tmp, vsmacros, vss, vst, vsw, ws.

ATTACHMENTS PROCESSOR
http://www.mapilab.com/outlook/attachments_processor/
Automatically removes attachments from incoming messages and saves them to your hard disk. A link to the file or a text file with attachment description and the link to it can be added to the message. Automatically packs outgoing / unpacks incoming message attachments, creates self-extracting archives and password-protected archives. Current version 3.1.1

ATTACHVIEW FOR OUTLOOK WEB ACCESS
http://www.messageware.com/products/05_attachview.html
AttachView secures access to OWA attachments and eliminates the need for local applications, providing document access for everyone, anywhere. The latest version improves security for attachment and document exposures that are not addressed by SSL and Forms-Based Authentication protocols. It supports over 300 different document types and protects all documents throughout OWA. AttachView 7 has achieved RSA certification for Two-Factor environments and now recognizes corporate devices inside and outside the organization. It also features an updated user interface and new group policy support.

BRIMESSENGER
http://www.btlnet.co.uk/services/Software/sms_composer.htm
BriMESSENGER helps businesses harness the power of SMS, which is recognized as the fastest growing method of communication - supporting the increasing demand for mobility, flexibility and extended opening hours. BriMESSENGER is a hosted application which supports instant message communication between any PC and any mobile handset (or pager). The PC user types an email and sends it to the mobile user. The email is received by BriMESSENGER and automatically converted into text format and sent to the recipient's mobile device.

E-MAIL FOLLOW-UP
http://www.mapilab.com/outlook/email_followup/
E-mail Follow-up reminds you to send a follow-up e-mail message if the reply has not been received in specified time. E-mail Follow-Up will watch for the messages and show you alert when the reply has not been received. Moreover, E-mail Follow-Up allows you to send follow up message using a predefined template to remind the recipient that the reply hasn't been received. Current version 1.6.1

HIDE FAX NUMBERS
http://www.SperrySoftware.com/Outlook/Hide-Fax-Numbers.asp
It appears that Business Contact Manager SP2 breaks the popular hide fax technique of prepending "Fax:" (or the letter F in front of the fax numbers), because the entries still show in the address book. The Hide Fax Numbers add-in from Sperry Software has been updated to overcome this difficulty, and it also now has two new buttons available on the toolbar when viewing a contact that allow you to Show/Hide the fax numbers. In addition, the add-in now supports the hiding of email 2 and email 3 addresses from the address book.

NNTP FOR OUTLOOK
http://www.mapilab.com/outlook/nntp/
An NNTP transport for Outlook. Use it with Outlook 2000 (Corporate/workgroup mode) and Outlook 2002/2003 to read and post to UseNet servers. New features added include dial-up support, a setup wizard for Outlook 2000 Profile Manager, and an articles cache to optimize the downloading from several accounts. Current version 1.32

PROPHET
http://www.avidian.com/
A personal sales opportunity management tool that works from within Outlook using both Outlook data and a separate database (which cannot be shared). Tighter and more seamless integration inside Outlook provides a faster load time and allows users to manage sales information right from their Outlook Inbox or Contacts. Sales Assistant allows users to send pre-set, timed emails to their contacts. New features include the ability for reports and form drop-down lists to be customized. The workflow engine also automatically creates Outlook emails, calendar events and task items associated with a process. Groups and Permissions' features support unlimited hierarchical sales structures so that the right people see the right information. Other features new to Prophet 3.0 include increased customization, advanced reporting options, and additional Opportunity Manager and Contact Manager features.

SHARE'N'SYNC
http://www.mapilab.com/groupware/share_sync/
Share'n'Sync is ideal for solving two tasks - organizing shared access to Outlook folders in small organizations and synchronizing folders on several computers. All types of Outlook folders and items are supported - email messages, contacts, notes, calendar, etc, as well as Business Contact Manager. The product is fully compatible with Exchange and SBS, allowing you to sync an Exchange server folder with your home PC. Three sync modes are supported: manual, scheduled and automatic. Version 1.0.1

SHAREO FOR OUTLOOK
http://shareo.4team.biz/
Share your Outlook calendar, contacts, journal, mail, tasks and notes folders with other Outlook users, without a server, with this utility. Version 2.20.0078

SQLVIEW.NET
http://www.sqlview.net
SQLView.NET is the missing link between Microsoft Outlook and SQL Server, SQLView enables you to store Outlook Contacts, Tasks, Appointments and Email in a SQL database. It's the only product that lets you use SQL tables as if they were Outlook folders. You can now create forms for Outlook Contact and other items using any of the Microsoft.NET technologies. (Formerly TabTag.)

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Other Resources

EXCHANGE 12 (BETA) INFORMATION
http://www.microsoft.com/exchange/preview/default.mspx 
Visit Microsoft to learn more about the upcoming release of Exchange Server 12.

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New Exchange Knowledge Base Articles

TechNet Support WebCast: The Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 Management Pack for Microsoft Operations Manager 2005
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=911853

A delegate sees a "This request is out-of-date" message in Outlook when the delegate views a meeting request that you accepted by using Outlook Web Access in Exchange Server 2003
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=908927

The Outlook Mobile Access and the Microsoft Server ActiveSync virtual directories are missing after you upgrade from Exchange 2000 Server to Exchange Server 2003 Service Pack 1
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=905807

When you use a CDO-based program in Outlook 2003 or in Outlook 2002 to read an EntryID property, the read fails, or Outlook silently exits
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=904635

An IMAP4 client is disconnected abruptly when you connect through a front-end server that is running Exchange 2000 Server
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=896898

You cannot view a recurring appointment that has exceptions in Microsoft Outlook Web Access, but you can view this appointment in Outlook in Exchange 2000
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=902152

When you use a Lotus Notes calendar connector on a server that is running Exchange 2000 Server, you may find that the performance of the server is decreased
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=907735

You receive a "Could not start the Microsoft Exchange System Attendant service on Local Computer" error message when you try to start the Exchange System Attendant service
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=910413

Applications that use Microsoft Collaboration Data Objects (CDO) may not recognize the daylight saving time transition changes for Australia in the year 2006
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=906865

The Information Store service stops responding after you install a hotfix in Exchange 2000 Server
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=908205

The display name in e-mail messages contains incorrect localized language characters after you synchronize Windows Mobile with Exchange Server 2003
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=907721

The Mailbox Management report shows incorrect free space
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=895178

Outlook Web Access users cannot access a URL in a plain text e-mail message
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=907867

You receive a "HTTP 404 error" when you click a URL that contains DCBS characters when you use Outlook Web Access together with Exchange Server 2003
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=908068

Microsoft Outlook Web Access and Microsoft Collaboration Data Objects (CDO) daylight saving time transition change for Australia in the year 2006
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=909933  

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New Outlook Knowledge Base Articles

How to manage messages in an OST when the client is in cached Exchange mode
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=908074

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