OL98: (CW) User Profiles and Information Services

ID: Q182159

The information in this article applies to:


NOTE: These procedures only apply if you have installed Outlook with the Corporate Workgroup/Other (CW) option. This option allows you to use Messaging Application Programming Interface (MAPI) services. To determine your installation type, on the Help Menu click About Microsoft Outlook. In About Microsoft Outlook you should see "Corporate" if you have the Corporate Workgroup installation.

SUMMARY

In Microsoft Outlook 98, Information Services enable you to control how e-mail systems address and deliver your mail, as well as how your mail and folders are stored. This article discusses Information Services that are available with Outlook and how to add them to your user profile


MORE INFORMATION

User Profiles

A user profile is a group of settings that define how Outlook is set up for a particular user. For example, a profile may include access to a mailbox on Microsoft Exchange Server and specify that the Outlook Address Book appear in the Address Book dialog box. A profile can contain any number of information services.

Generally, you only need one user profile. If you sometimes need to work with a different set of information services, it may be helpful to create an additional profile to use those services. If more than one person uses the same computer, each person should have a separate profile to keep personal items secure.

You can copy an existing user profile, rename it, and then modify it as needed to create your profile. You can have Outlook start with the same profile every time, or you can select a profile to use each time you start.

To Add a User Profile

To add a User Profile to your computer, follow these steps:
  1. Click the Start button, point to Settings, and click Control Panel.


  2. Double-click the Mail (or Mail and Fax) icon.


  3. Click "Show Profiles."


  4. In the Mail and Fax dialog box, click Add.


  5. Follow the prompts of the Inbox Setup Wizard.


To Receive a Prompt for a User Profile

To have Outlook prompt for a user profile, follow these steps:

  1. Start Outlook.


  2. On the Tools menu, click Options.


  3. On the Mail Services tab, click "Prompt for a profile to be used" and click OK.


  4. On the File menu, click "Exit and Log Off."


This will take effect the next time you start Outlook.

Information Services

Information services are settings that make it possible to send, store, and receive messages and specify where to store addresses. Before you can use an information service, you must add it to your user profile.

You can have multiple information services in a user profile. For example, you can have multiple sets of Personal Folders in a single profile and you can have Internet E-mail, and The Microsoft Network (MSN) in the same profile. However, you can not have two of the same Mail services in a profile, for example, two MSN services. Personal Folders and Internet E-mail are the exception.

With information services, you can specify the delivery location for incoming mail, the location of your Personal Address Book, and the use of any personal folder file you create. You can also set up information services to send faxes or connect to other e-mail systems. For example, you might have two information services in your user profile, Microsoft Exchange Server for sending and receiving messages and a Personal Address Book for storing personal distribution lists.

Microsoft Exchange Server

The complete Outlook feature set is available with Microsoft Exchange Server, which supports a server-based message store, message transport, and global address book. In the Corporate Workgroup configuration, Outlook offers advanced e-mail features, group scheduling, personal information management, document explorer, and custom groupware applications.

NOTE: The Microsoft Exchange Server driver is included with Microsoft Outlook, but users must acquire a Microsoft Exchange Server client access license separately.

Internet E-mail

With an Internet Mail Only configuration, Outlook functions as a full- featured e-mail client integrated with desktop information management and the Outlook document explorer. You store messages locally in a .pst file, and remotely connect to and download messages from an Internet e-mail service provider. You store e-mail addresses in the Outlook Contacts module. The .pst file store and Internet E-mail transport are components of the Windows Messaging System included with Outlook.

Microsoft Mail

Using the Microsoft Mail provider, you store messages locally in a .pst file, but work connected primarily through the Local Area Network (LAN) to a postoffice. The postoffice provides the messaging transport and central address book or e-mail directory. In this configuration, Outlook functions as a full-featured e-mail client integrated with basic group scheduling, for example, sending and receiving meeting requests, personal information management, and the Outlook document explorer.

Adding an Information Service

To add an Information Service to a user profile, follow these steps:
  1. On the Tools menu, click Services, and click Add.


  2. In the Available Information Services box, click to select the information service you want to add, and click OK.


  3. Follow the prompts for adding specific information for the Information Service that you just selected.


If the information service you need is not in the list, you may need to install it through the Microsoft Outlook 98 Setup program.

An Information Service for Lotus cc:Mail is located in the ValuPack folder on the Microsoft Office 98 compact disc.

Additional Components

Outlook Address Book:

The Outlook Address Book is automatically created from contacts in your Contacts folder and includes an entry in the E-mail field or a Fax telephone number field, and you can have multiple e-mail addresses for each contact. When you update your contacts in the Contacts folder, the Outlook Address Book is updated as well. The Contacts folder appears as a separate entry under Outlook Address Book.

Personal Address Book:

A Personal Address Book is best used to store personal distribution lists you frequently address messages to, such as a list of everyone on the racquetball team. If you use Microsoft Exchange Server, you can also add an address for a public folder to the Personal Address Book. Personal Address Book files have a .pab extension and can be stored on a disk.

Personal Folders:

Personal folders are folders that you create to store mail messages on your hard disk or on another server. You add a main personal folder as a service to the User Profile and give it a file name. Personal folders have a .pst extension. For Microsoft Mail Postoffices, a personal folder is set up automatically because the Inbox and Outlook folders reside there.

Additional query words: 98 


Keywords          : kbdta CfgProfl 
Version           : WINDOWS:
Platform          : WINDOWS 
Issue type        : kbhowto

Last Reviewed: July 27, 1999