Outlook 2003 message grouping, how to switch off?

[Bo Berglund]

I just upgraded my Office 2000 to 2003 with service pack 2.
Now I have a problem opening my email folders (I have a personal
folder with all of my mail conversations for many years grouped into a
large number of subfolders).
What happens is every time I click on a folder Outlook pauses for
10-15 seconds and displays a message in the system tray about
formatting views or similar.
Then the folder comes up with the emails grouped like Today,
Yesterday, This week and similar. I never grouped my folders like that
anytime before so why is it doing this now?

I have found a place to switch it off for the currently selected
folder, but every new folder I open causes this to happen again and
again and the more messages there are the longer it takes. It drives
me nuts...

Where can I find a *global* setting to define that I don't want this
grouping at all???



Bo Berglund
bo.berglund(at)nospam.telia.com

 

[neo [mvp outlook]]

View > Arrange By > Current View > Define Views. Highlight Messages and
select Modify. Other Settings button. Uncheck Show Items in Groups. Ok
and apply the view. Any other folders that use the "Messages" view will
automatically pickup the view.

 

[Bo Berglund]

View > Arrange By > Current View > Define Views. Highlight Messages and
select Modify. Other Settings button. Uncheck Show Items in Groups. Ok
and apply the view. Any other folders that use the "Messages" view will
automatically pickup the view.

Sorry, I tried this now (did not see the Other Settings button as
needing attention before). But the same wait for "Outlook preparing
the requested view" still.
Do I need to close and restart Outlook?



Bo Berglund
bo.berglund(at)nospam.telia.com

 

[neo [mvp outlook]]

Shouldn't. How many items do you have in a folder?

 

[Bo Berglund]

Shouldn't. How many items do you have in a folder?

My PST file is about 1.5 GB and it holds something like 100-200.000
messages located inside about a hundred folders or so.
A folder can easily contain 5-10 thousand messages. That is why it
takes so long to group them unneccessarily....
Anyway the grouping still is there on all folders that I open after
conversion to OL2003.


Bo Berglund
bo.berglund(at)nospam.telia.com

 

[neo [mvp outlook]]

You are still getting the grouping after removing the setting from the
default Messages view? If yes, that shouldn't be happen unless the folders
now contain a one-off view. Try starting Outlook 2003 with the /cleanviews
command line switch. Modifiy the Messages view while still in the Inbox and
apply it.

As for the slowness, 100 to 200 per folder isn't bad. Only thing I can
think of is antivirus software or a slow hard drive (e.g. laptop drive that
spins at 4200 vs. desktop at 7200).

/neo

PS - 1.5 GB is big for a PST file. If you still using the Outlook 97-2002
PST file format, consider copying the items to a new Personal Folders file.
This way you can avoid the size limit placed on Outlook 97-2002 pst file
format.

 

[Bo Berglund]

You are still getting the grouping after removing the setting from the
default Messages view? If yes, that shouldn't be happen unless the folders
now contain a one-off view. Try starting Outlook 2003 with the /cleanviews
command line switch. Modifiy the Messages view while still in the Inbox and
apply it.

As for the slowness, 100 to 200 per folder isn't bad. Only thing I can
think of is antivirus software or a slow hard drive (e.g. laptop drive that
spins at 4200 vs. desktop at 7200).

/neo

PS - 1.5 GB is big for a PST file. If you still using the Outlook 97-2002
PST file format, consider copying the items to a new Personal Folders file.
This way you can avoid the size limit placed on Outlook 97-2002 pst file
format.

Oh my!
The shortcut I usually start OL from is having a /recycle switch
tacked to it. That's installed by the Office setup program.
Is there a list of valid start switches anywhere to read?

So I started OL from the command line with /cleanviews and now I have
another problem!
To the right of the mail list I now have a window showing the
*contents* of the selected email, which was not there before. It makes
my list of messages too narrow so I cannot see all columns. And it is
the dangerous autoview that is used by many trojan spreaders, right?

And I have found no way to get rid of it at all....

When I uncheck the groupings checkbox in the Define Views dialog for
Messages it seems to have no effect on my other folders, just the one
I am inside is affected and then when I move to the others OL still
groups the messages in this silly way.

What am I doing wrong????


Bo Berglund
bo.berglund(at)nospam.telia.com

 

[Bo Berglund]

For command line use, see
http://www.outlook-tips.net/howto/commandlines.htm.

I'm not sure about your original issue, except to say the grouping is a
new feature in OL2003, and is extremely useful once you get used to it.

It is about my upgrade from OL 2000 to OL 2003 and the fact that when
I open any of my zillion existing folders now there is a delay while
OL is "preparing the requested view" and then it comes up with the
message list grouped by Today, Yesterday etc. I do not want this so I
am trying desperately to find a way to switch this off for *all*
folders at once rather than walking through all folders one by one and
waiting for the group view to come up so I then can switch off
grouping.
Now I also need to switch off the reading pane for *all* folders in
one place but cannot find where this is done.

Can these things be done via the Registry or similar?

To turn the preview window off, go to View>Reading Pane, and select the
option you want there.

Yes, for the selected folder. But where for *all* folders???



Bo Berglund
bo.berglund(at)nospam.telia.com

 

[neo [mvp outlook]]

Its working here. (I have to apply the view twice to the Inbox in order for
all other to pickup the modified view.)

Here are my steps.

* Select View > Arrange By > Current View > Define Views > select Messages
view > Modify > Other settings.
* Change reading pane and Grouping
* Select OK and then Apply View
* Inbox should be changed at this point
* Select View > Arrange By > Current View > Define Views > select Messages >
select Apply View button

Now all message folders that had "Messages" view should be the way you want.

/neo

PS - tested on Outlook 2003 with Service Pack 2

Well, the only help I can give you is to confirm the behaviour you are
seeing MVP's, is this a known bug?

I go to a mail folder which is currently set to the "Messages" view,
select View>Arrange By>Current View>Define Views>select Messages
view>Modify>Other Settings Button, and turn off the reading pane.
OK/Apply View back out of the dialogues. The current folder IS modified
as expected, an still shows that the "Messages" view is applied. I then
go to another mail folder, which is also showing as having the
"Messages" view applied, but the reading pane is NOT turned off. Even if
I apply a different view, then go BACK to "Messages", the modified
version of "Messages" is not applied.

Is the clue in the fact that this is done under the "Current View" sub
menu? I can't find "Define Views" anywhere else, but it seams very
strange that a "global view" setting would be under a "current" menu.

You could try using the /nopreview switch to turn the reading pane off
globally.

Bo, the only saving grace I can offer is that, for me at least, the long
wait while OL prepares the view only happens the very first time I
access a given folder; after that it is very quick for the same folder.
I appreciate that if you have hundreds of folders, that isn't much
compensation

I also don't know that if you do manage to turn off the grouping
globally, you'll avoid the long wait when you first open a given folder,
because OL still has to prepare whatever view you do have applied, even
if it doesn't include grouping. There may be some speed gain though I
suppose.

Mark

-----Original Message-----
From: Bo Berglund [mailto:[email protected]]
Posted At: 06 October 2005 06:26
Posted To: microsoft.public.outlook
Conversation: Outlook 2003 message grouping, how to switch off?
Subject: Re: Outlook 2003 message grouping, how to switch off?

For command line use, see
http://www.outlook-tips.net/howto/commandlines.htm.

I'm not sure about your original issue, except to say the grouping is a

new feature in OL2003, and is extremely useful once you get used to it.

It is about my upgrade from OL 2000 to OL 2003 and the fact that when I
open any of my zillion existing folders now there is a delay while OL is
"preparing the requested view" and then it comes up with the message
list grouped by Today, Yesterday etc. I do not want this so I am trying
desperately to find a way to switch this off for *all* folders at once
rather than walking through all folders one by one and waiting for the
group view to come up so I then can switch off grouping.
Now I also need to switch off the reading pane for *all* folders in one
place but cannot find where this is done.

Can these things be done via the Registry or similar?

To turn the preview window off, go to View>Reading Pane, and select the

option you want there.

Yes, for the selected folder. But where for *all* folders???



Bo Berglund
bo.berglund(at)nospam.telia.com

--
No virus found in this incoming message.
Checked by AVG Anti-Virus.
Version: 7.0.344 / Virus Database: 267.11.10/119 - Release Date:
04/10/2005

 

[Diane Poremsky [MVP]]

if you use the clean views switch, it should apply to all folders.
http://www.outlook-tips.net/howto/grouping.htm

for the reading pane, use the nopreview switch - it's probably more
dependable than changing views (because you can end up with one-off
views).

--
Diane Poremsky [MVP - Outlook]
Author, Teach Yourself Outlook 2003 in 24 Hours
Coauthor, OneNote 2003 for Windows (Visual QuickStart Guide)
Author, Google and Other Search Engines (Visual QuickStart Guide)



Subscribe to Exchange Messaging Outlook newsletter:
(e-mail address removed)

No, still not working here. I wonder if it was fixed in SP2 - I don't
have that yet.

Alternatively, do the "other" folders need to be sub-folders? I'm
applying this to Inbox, but all other mail folders are directly under
"Personal Folders", not sub-folders of Inbox?

Mark

-----Original Message-----
From: neo [mvp outlook] [mailto:[email protected]]
Posted At: 06 October 2005 13:22
Posted To: microsoft.public.outlook
Conversation: Outlook 2003 message grouping, how to switch off?
Subject: Re: Outlook 2003 message grouping, how to switch off?


Its working here. (I have to apply the view twice to the Inbox in order
for all other to pickup the modified view.)

Here are my steps.

* Select View > Arrange By > Current View > Define Views > select
Messages view > Modify > Other settings.
* Change reading pane and Grouping
* Select OK and then Apply View
* Inbox should be changed at this point
* Select View > Arrange By > Current View > Define Views > select
Messages > select Apply View button

Now all message folders that had "Messages" view should be the way you
want.

/neo

PS - tested on Outlook 2003 with Service Pack 2

Well, the only help I can give you is to confirm the behaviour you are

seeing MVP's, is this a known bug?

I go to a mail folder which is currently set to the "Messages" view,
select View>Arrange By>Current View>Define Views>select Messages
view>Modify>Other Settings Button, and turn off the reading pane.
OK/Apply View back out of the dialogues. The current folder IS
modified as expected, an still shows that the "Messages" view is
applied. I then go to another mail folder, which is also showing as
having the "Messages" view applied, but the reading pane is NOT turned

off. Even if I apply a different view, then go BACK to "Messages", the

modified version of "Messages" is not applied.

Is the clue in the fact that this is done under the "Current View" sub

menu? I can't find "Define Views" anywhere else, but it seams very
strange that a "global view" setting would be under a "current" menu.

You could try using the /nopreview switch to turn the reading pane off

globally.

Bo, the only saving grace I can offer is that, for me at least, the
long wait while OL prepares the view only happens the very first time
I access a given folder; after that it is very quick for the same folder.
I appreciate that if you have hundreds of folders, that isn't much
compensation

I also don't know that if you do manage to turn off the grouping
globally, you'll avoid the long wait when you first open a given
folder, because OL still has to prepare whatever view you do have
applied, even if it doesn't include grouping. There may be some speed
gain though I suppose.

Mark

-----Original Message-----
From: Bo Berglund [mailto:[email protected]] Posted At: 06 October
2005 06:26 Posted To: microsoft.public.outlook
Conversation: Outlook 2003 message grouping, how to switch off?
Subject: Re: Outlook 2003 message grouping, how to switch off?

For command line use, see
http://www.outlook-tips.net/howto/commandlines.htm.

I'm not sure about your original issue, except to say the grouping is
a

new feature in OL2003, and is extremely useful once you get used to

it.

It is about my upgrade from OL 2000 to OL 2003 and the fact that when
I open any of my zillion existing folders now there is a delay while
OL is "preparing the requested view" and then it comes up with the
message list grouped by Today, Yesterday etc. I do not want this so I
am trying desperately to find a way to switch this off for *all*
folders at once rather than walking through all folders one by one and

waiting for the group view to come up so I then can switch off grouping.
Now I also need to switch off the reading pane for *all* folders in
one place but cannot find where this is done.

Can these things be done via the Registry or similar?




Yes, for the selected folder. But where for *all* folders???



Bo Berglund
bo.berglund(at)nospam.telia.com

--
No virus found in this incoming message.
Checked by AVG Anti-Virus.
Version: 7.0.344 / Virus Database: 267.11.10/119 - Release Date:
04/10/2005

--
No virus found in this incoming message.
Checked by AVG Anti-Virus.
Version: 7.0.344 / Virus Database: 267.11.10/120 - Release Date:
05/10/2005

 

[Bo Berglund]

Its working here. (I have to apply the view twice to the Inbox in order for
all other to pickup the modified view.)

Here are my steps.

* Select View > Arrange By > Current View > Define Views > select Messages
view > Modify > Other settings.
* Change reading pane and Grouping
* Select OK and then Apply View
* Inbox should be changed at this point
* Select View > Arrange By > Current View > Define Views > select Messages >
select Apply View button

Now all message folders that had "Messages" view should be the way you want.

/neo

PS - tested on Outlook 2003 with Service Pack 2

Yes!
Now the view is migrated to all other folders including the Reading
Pane setting. Apparently the double apply did the trick!

Thanks for your patience!

Bo Berglund
bo.berglund(at)nospam.telia.com

 

[Bo Berglund]

if you use the clean views switch, it should apply to all folders.
http://www.outlook-tips.net/howto/grouping.htm

for the reading pane, use the nopreview switch - it's probably more
dependable than changing views (because you can end up with one-off
views).

I tried /safe:3 and it removed the Reading Pane, but it also disabled
a lot of settings...
But the latest trick finally did it for me.

Bo Berglund
bo.berglund(at)nospam.telia.com

 

[Bo Berglund]

No, still not working here. I wonder if it was fixed in SP2 - I don't
have that yet.

Alternatively, do the "other" folders need to be sub-folders? I'm
applying this to Inbox, but all other mail folders are directly under
"Personal Folders", not sub-folders of Inbox?

No, once working it applies to all folders. I have SP2 installed.
I have a rather high number of them and they are now all OK.


Bo Berglund
bo.berglund(at)nospam.telia.com