Configuring Outlook 2007

[Don]

I need some help configuring Outlook 2007 for multiple IMAP accounts please.
I use Outlook in XP Home, XP Pro, XP MCE and Vista Home Premium. I chose to
set up my accounts as IMAP where possible because I jump between two
desktops and a laptop with two of them dual booting (Before you ask, yes, I
have legal licenses for all the Outlook installations). The POP accounts
will disappear when everyone gets used to the new account's addresses and I
get used to Outlook IMAP accounts. If reverting to POP would answer some or
all of these configuration questions, is there a simple way to keep them all
in sync across the three computers and dual boots? Would there be addins
that will fix some or all of these problems?

Is there a global setting to configure a view that will apply to every
folder? For example I want certain columns in the message list for every
single folder. It will be a royal pain to have to do that one folder at a
time. In Windows Explorer you can apply a folder view set in one folder to
every folder with the push of a button. Can I do that in Outlook? I have
created a new view that should do this but I can not get it to be the
default view instead of the "IMAP Messages" view.

I want to keep all my email accounts/folders collapsed. Unfortunately, the
root of an IMAP account does not turn bold and display the number of new
messages in the subfolders like is done in a POP folder. Instead I have to
expand each root and then the sub folders with new messages are bold and
have the number of new messages displayed. Is there a configuration setting
to change this behaviour so I don't have to expand the accounts to see which
accounts have new messages?

I have set replies and forwards to prefix each line of the original message
with the "greater than" mark (>). But it doesn't happen. I chose the >
because not all messages I write are rtf or html and the vertical line would
not be good. Am I missing something?

I get lots of messages with attachments, typically jpg and other pictures.
In POP folders in Outlook Express and other email clients these attachments
can be viewed inline in the preview pane. In Outlook 2007 either they can't
or I have not found the right setting to change. Since these are actual
attachments and not web beacons, web bugs or links to other external content
the setting to not allow download of such things should not impact this. Am
I overlooking a setting somewhere? (I assume in an IMAP account I have to
actually download the message and maybe even transfer it to a different
folder before I can view the attachment by any method at all)

I send mail to various maillists. When my messages come back to me they are
automatically copied to the junk mail folder and marked for deletion in the
inbox folder. I assume Outlook's junk mail filter thinks I don't send mail
to myself so when it sees that my account sent the message in question it
decides it is junk. To fix this I had to mark my addresses as safe
senders/recipients. That means when real junk mail, with my address spoofed
as the sender, arrives it will not be recognized as junk mail. Is there a
better work-around for this?

In my previous email client I was able to specify a global inbox for my IMAP
accounts. I am either missing something or the only way to do that in
Outlook is to set up a message rule or filter. Which is it?

Outlook can deal with IMAP, POP, SMTP, RSS and more types of accounts. So
why do I have to use Windows Mail or Outlook Express to subscribe to a
newsgroup?


Thanks for the help. This switch to Outlook has been a far more complicated
experience than I had anticipated.

Don

 

[Brian Tillman [MVP - Outlook]]

Is there a global setting to configure a view that will apply to every
folder? For example I want certain columns in the message list for every
single folder. It will be a royal pain to have to do that one folder at a
time. In Windows Explorer you can apply a folder view set in one folder to
every folder with the push of a button. Can I do that in Outlook? I have
created a new view that should do this but I can not get it to be the
default view instead of the "IMAP Messages" view.

Modify the default "IMAP Messages" view. The method is here:
http://www.outlook-tips.net/howto/grouping.htm You'll need to be in an IMAP
folder in order to see the view.

I want to keep all my email accounts/folders collapsed. Unfortunately, the
root of an IMAP account does not turn bold and display the number of new
messages in the subfolders like is done in a POP folder.

Doesn't do it for the root of the POP folders, either, only the folders
actually containing the new items.

Instead I have to expand each root and then the sub folders with new
messages are bold and have the number of new messages displayed. Is there a
configuration setting to change this behaviour so I don't have to expand the
accounts to see which accounts have new messages?

I'm not at my Outlook 2007 system right now so I can't check, but I though you
could have Search Folders in IMAP PSTs. If so, and were I doing this, I'd
probably create an Unread Mail search folder for each account, then add it to
the Favorite Folders section of the Mail view of the Nav Pane. That should
allow you to see which Inboxes had new messages.

I have set replies and forwards to prefix each line of the original message
with the "greater than" mark (>). But it doesn't happen. I chose the >
because not all messages I write are rtf or html and the vertical line would
not be good. Am I missing something?

The prefix character is only for Plain Text messages. For others, you'll get
the vertical line if you elect to prefix the replies.

I get lots of messages with attachments, typically jpg and other pictures.
In POP folders in Outlook Express and other email clients these attachments
can be viewed inline in the preview pane. In Outlook 2007 either they can't
or I have not found the right setting to change.

Attachment in Outlook will always be shown as attachments and will not be
viewable in-line in the Reading Pane like Outlook Express does. If your
sender embeds the images in the HTML, then you'll see them.

(I assume in an IMAP account I have to actually download the message and
maybe even transfer it to a different folder before I can view the
attachment by any method at all)

You won't have to transfer them to another folder, but they'll need to be
downloaded to the IMAP PST in order to see them.

I send mail to various maillists. When my messages come back to me they are
automatically copied to the junk mail folder and marked for deletion in the
inbox folder. I assume Outlook's junk mail filter thinks I don't send mail
to myself so when it sees that my account sent the message in question it
decides it is junk. To fix this I had to mark my addresses as safe
senders/recipients. That means when real junk mail, with my address spoofed
as the sender, arrives it will not be recognized as junk mail. Is there a
better work-around for this?

Usually, messages from mailing lists appear to come from the list address.
Sometimes the sender address for mailing lists can be chosen by the subscriber
to be either the actual sender or the list address. See if that's the case
for you. Absent that, the list owner should be able to make that
configuration change.

In my previous email client I was able to specify a global inbox for my IMAP
accounts. I am either missing something or the only way to do that in
Outlook is to set up a message rule or filter. Which is it?

In Outlook, all IMAP accounts get their own message stores. In Outlook 2007,
however, you get to specify the Inbox folder at Tools>Account Settings>E-mail
Accounts. I don't know if you can specify a single folder for all accounts
because I haven't tried it.

Outlook can deal with IMAP, POP, SMTP, RSS and more types of accounts. So
why do I have to use Windows Mail or Outlook Express to subscribe to a
newsgroup?

Because Microsoft didn't produce an NNTP transport for Outlook and, as far as
I know, never will. There rae third party NNTP transports for Outlook that
you can buy if you wish.