How do I set the Inbox to open automatically when Outlook email is launched
from an Icon?
A number of ways. One way is to include "/select outlook:Inbox" on the target
of the shortcut.
How do I turn off the Auto Preview and Reading panes as a preference
setting?
Including the "/nopreview" command switch turns off the Reading Pane and
removes it from the View menu. There are other ways to disable it as well. I
don't know of any way to select the view from a shortcut, but Outlook will
remember the most recent view used, so if you use "Messages:" instead of
"Messages with Autopreview", Outlook will start with that view the next time
as well.