Setting Up E-mail Accounts and Connections
Outlook 2002 eliminates the frustrating split personality that plagued Outlook 98 and Outlook 2000. Configuring those earlier versions required that you make a choice between two modes—Corporate/Workgroup (CW) and Internet Mail Only (IMO)—with different menus, feature sets, and options for each one. In Outlook 2002, the confusing CW/IMO split is gone. You can connect to any combination of accounts from any supported mail server, including Internet-standard (SMTP/POP3/IMAP) accounts, Exchange Server mailboxes, Hotmail accounts, and older third-party servers with MAPI transports.
The first time you run Outlook 2002, it scans your system for compatible e-mail client software. If it finds a previous version of Outlook (97/98/2000), Outlook Express, Netscape Mail or Netscape Messenger, Eudora Pro or Light, Microsoft Internet Mail, Exchange Inbox, or Windows Messaging, it offers to import your account settings (server information, username, and so on) and any existing mail messages. If you accept this option, you're done—Outlook sets up mail accounts and copies all your messages to your Inbox. On a system with no existing e-mail settings, you jump straight to a wizard that offers to set up an e-mail account.
If you're setting up Outlook on a system where you haven't previously used an e-mail client, or if you have a new e-mail account, you'll need to go through a fairly painless setup process. Start by clicking the Mail icon in Windows'Control Panel, which opens the dialog box shown in Figure 9.1, and then click the E-mail Accounts button.
Figure 9.1. To configure Outlook accounts, data files, or profiles, you can use the Mail icon in Control Panel, which opens this dialog box.
You can also set up a new account from within Outlook, by choosing Tools, E-mail Accounts.
Regardless of which of these options you choose, choose the Add a New E-mail Account option and you'll end up at the dialog box shown in Figure 9.2.
Figure 9.2. When setting up a new e-mail account, Outlook gives you these options. For typical Internet e-mail accounts, POP3 is the correct choice.
Note
Like all previous Outlook versions, Outlook 2002 is incompatible with AOL e-mail accounts.
In Outlook, you can configure multiple e-mail accounts, but you must designate one of those accounts as your default account. You can configure each account's connection options individually, so that you check for new mail automatically, or only on demand.
Configuring Internet Standard E-mail Accounts
Before you can send or receive e-mail over the Internet, you have to configure Outlook to communicate with incoming and outgoing mail servers. Outside of the corporate world, the most popular e-mail configuration by far is an Internet-standard SMTP server that supports POP3 connections.
Note
On mail servers that use IMAP, messages are stored on the server itself rather than in your Personal Folders file. If you check this option, you will see an additional tab (IMAP) on the <Account> Properties dialog box, and the account name will appear in your folder list as a new icon at the same level as your Personal Folders file.
The IMAP protocol offers options that are especially useful over slow connections, but it also creates some configuration headaches when using Outlook. You can't automatically save copies of sent messages, for example, and you won't receive notifications of new mail, even if you've set up Outlook to do so. For a detailed list of problems and possible solutions, see Knowledge Base article Q185820, "Using an IMAP Server with Outlook."
When you choose POP3 or IMAP as the account type, you enter information on the Internet E-mail Settings dialog box shown in Figure 9.3.
Figure 9.3. Fill in the basic information here and click the Test Account Settings button to set up a POP3 account in Outlook.
The Internet E-mail Settings dialog box fills in only the most basic account information. For required information like the names of mail servers and the username and password you use to log on, fill in the information exactly as it's provided to you by your mail system administrator. In the User Information section, enter your name and e-mail address, exactly as you want mail recipients to see these details in the From: line on messages you send.
Tip from 
If you use more than one mail account, enter slightly different information in the Name field for each one. For example, in the account you use to send and receive mail through a corporate server, add your company name in parentheses after your username. When you receive replies to messages you sent through that account, you'll be able to spot them quickly just by looking at the name in the To field.
In the Server Information section, you must specify fully qualified domain names for both incoming and outgoing mail servers. At some Internet service providers, both names are identical, usually in the form mail.example.com. Other common configurations use smtp, pop, or pop3 as part of the full server name, with separate server names for incoming and outgoing mail servers. MSN users with POP3 access should specify pop3.email.msn.com and smtp.email.msn.com, for example. Most ISPs provide this information when you establish an account, and those that care about their customers also make it easily available on the Web.
Outlook automatically fills in the User Name box in the Logon Information section, using the first part of the e-mail address you entered earlier. If your logon name is different, change this value. If you want Outlook to supply your password automatically each time you connect to the server, enter it in the Password field and check the Remember Password box.
Note
Leave the Password box blank if you want to eliminate the possibility that another user can send mail from your computer using this account; in that configuration, Outlook prompts you for your password the first time you connect to the server after starting Outlook.
On mail systems that use Secure Password Authentication (SPA), a separate security package prompts the user for credentials when logging in to a server. This option is extremely rare at ISPs, with two noteworthy exceptions—The Microsoft Network (MSN) and CompuServe. If you use either of these ISPs, here's how to configure Outlook to authenticate passwords using SPA:
If you have an MSN POP3 account that was created before November 2000 and has not been converted to a Web-based mail account, leave the User Name and Password fields blank and check the Logon Using Secure Password Authen tication option. When you first attempt to connect to an MSN mail server in an Outlook session, you'll see an MSN password dialog box.
CompuServe users might choose this option or the simpler POP login. See the CompuServe configuration instructions for more details.
After you use this dialog box to create a new account, click the More Settings button and adjust the information on the General tab (see Figure 9.4). In particular, give the account a friendly name (the default is the name of the incoming mail server) and fill in the Organization and Reply E-mail fields.
Figure 9.4. If you have multiple e-mail accounts, be sure to change this default account name to something more descriptive.
After you've entered all the details, click the Test Account Settings button. This option, new in Outlook 2002, logs on to the POP3 server and sends a test message using the SMTP server. If you receive an error message, check your username, password, and server names carefully. If the test succeeds, click the Next button to add your account.
Hotmail and Other HTTP Accounts
If you have a free Hotmail account or an MSN account that has been set up for HTTP access, you can read and send messages from within Outlook—a feature that was not available in previous versions. Choose Tools, E-mail Accounts, select Add a New E-Mail Account, click the HTTP option, and select Hotmail or MSN.
Note
Microsoft disingenuously offers an "Other" option that allows you to enter the URL of an HTTP server from a non-Microsoft provider. As of this writing, no other Web-based e-mail providers are compatible with this option.
As with a POP3 account, you need to specify your username and password for an HTTP account. However, the server details are filled in automatically for you and you have limited connection options.
You can set up multiple HTTP-based Hotmail and MSN accounts in a single Outlook profile. If you have more than one Hotmail account, use the technique described in the previous section to give each account a descriptive name so you can identify it easily.
→ Hotmail accounts work differently from POP3 accounts. For more details, see "Managing Multiple E-mail Accounts".
Accounts on an Exchange Server
If you have an account on an Exchange Server, your setup options are dramatically different from those on a POP3 server. You must be online and able to connect to the Exchange server to perform this setup. Make sure you have the server name, your username and password, and any other required information before starting.
Caution
On corporate networks that use Exchange Server, administrators typically handle the work of setting up user accounts, and they typically have a low tolerance for users who screw up their mail settings. Before you change any of the details in your Exchange Server account settings, we recommend you contact your mail administrator.
To set up an Exchange account, choose Tools, E-mail Accounts, and select Add a New E-Mail Account. After you select Microsoft Exchange Server from the list of e-mail account types, Outlook presents the dialog box shown in Figure 9.5. Enter the name of the Exchange Server and your username, and then click the Check Name button. After making the connection to the server, Outlook changes the username display to include the correct form of your mailbox name and underlines it.
Figure 9.5. Click the Check Name button to verify your settings. After connecting with the Exchange Server, Outlook displays the username with an underline.
Connection Options
For each Internet e-mail account you set up, Outlook lets you specify separate connection options. These options are most useful when you have a full-time dial-up connection or a network connection that is sometimes not available—on a portable PC, for example. To change settings for an Internet e-mail account, choose Tools, E-mail Accounts, and select View or Change Existing E-mail Accounts. In the E-mail Accounts dialog box, select the account name, and then click the Change button. Click More Settings and select the Connection tab of the Internet E-mail Settings dialog box. Then adjust any of the three options shown in Figure 9.6:
Figure 9.6. Use the Connection page to specify connection options for each account separately.
Connect Using My Local Area Network (LAN)— The LAN option assumes you have a full-time connection to the Internet through a local area network. Unless you choose to work offline, Outlook checks for mail every 10 minutes. If you work in a corporate environment with a constant connection to a mail server, this most likely will be the best option for you. It's also the right choice for anyone with an "always on" Internet connection, such as a DSL line or cable modem.
Connect Using My Phone Line— This option uses the Dial-Up Networking (DUN) features in your version of Windows to make an Internet connection every time you send or receive e-mail. Choose an existing DUN connection from the list at the bottom of this dialog box, or click the Add button to create a new one. When Outlook attempts to connect with your mail server, Windows displays the DUN dialog box for the connection you selected.
Note
For detailed instructions on how to configure a Dial-Up Networking connection in Windows 2000, including hands-free options, see Chapter 16, "Connecting to the Internet," in Practical Windows 2000, by Ed Bott (also published by Que, ISBN: 0-7897-2124-4).
See Special Edition Using Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition and Special Edition Using Microsoft Windows XP Professional Edition, both published by Que, for details on setting up a Dial-Up Networking connection in Windows XP.
Connect Using Internet Explorer's or a 3rd Party Dialer— In this configuration, Outlook does not dial or disconnect automatically. This option is your best choice if you use the same phone line for voice calls and Internet access and you want to control exactly when you connect to the Internet.
On a computer that is permanently connected to the Internet through a corporate network, you can set all accounts for LAN access; this option allows you to receive mail from any Internet account.
On a notebook computer that is occasionally connected to the Internet via a corporate network and at other times uses a dial-up connection, choose the LAN option, and then check the Connect via Modem When Outlook Is Offline box (refer to Figure 9.6). This sets up a hybrid LAN/Dial connection option; if you attempt to check your mail and Outlook cannot find the specified server, you see a dialog box that offers to make a dial-up connection for you.
On a computer that uses more than one dial-up connection, you can configure a variety of dial-up options. Choose Tools, Options, and then click the Mail Setup tab to display the dialog box shown in Figure 9.7. Use these options to control whether Outlook dials and hangs up automatically after it finishes sending and receiving mail. Note that these options apply to all dial-up connections; you cannot apply separate dial-up options to individual accounts.
Figure 9.7. Use the options shown here to create a hands-free connection for checking Internet mail.
If you experience problems sending mail through multiple accounts from a single connection, see
"Working Around Anti-Spam Filters"
in the
"Troubleshooting"
section at the end of this chapter.
Advanced Options
For POP3 and IMAP accounts, click the Advanced tab of the Internet E-mail Settings dialog box to adjust any of the following options:
If your mail server uses nonstandard TCP/IP port numbers or requires a Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) connection to send or receive mail, use the boxes in the Server Port Numbers section. Outlook's default settings use widely accepted Internet standards, and the overwhelming majority of users will never need to change these settings; do so only if your mail server administrator provides specific instructions.
Use the Server Timeouts slider to control how long Outlook attempts to connect to the server before timing out and displaying an error message. The default is 1 minute; you can adjust this setting in 30-second increments to any value between 30 seconds and 5 minutes. Set a longer value if you get frequent error messages when trying to send or retrieve mail over a slow connection or a poor-quality phone line.
Check the Leave a Copy of Messages on Server box when configuring a copy of Outlook to retrieve mail from a location other than the one at which you normally receive mail. For example, if you occasionally check your office mail from a home PC, but you want to maintain a complete archive of messages on your office computer, check this option on the home PC and leave it unchecked at the office. Any messages you download at home will remain on the server; when you return to the office and retrieve your messages, they will be available for you.
Setting Up Alternate E-mail Profiles
In Outlook 97 and when using Corporate/Workgroup Mode in Outlook 98/2000, you were required to set up profiles to manage groups of accounts. Outlook 2002 allows you to set up multiple profiles as well, although this is rarely required. For virtually all users, a single profile containing all accounts is the correct configuration.
When you set up a new profile, you associate e-mail accounts and data files with that profile. This option allows you to use one profile to access mail directly from an Exchange server with another profile set up for remote access synchronized to an Offline Folders file. You might want to set up separate profiles if you have highly confidential work e-mail and you want to avoid any possibility of mixing messages and accounts between your work connection and your personal files.
To set up an Outlook profile, double-click the Mail icon in Control Panel and click the Show Profiles button. This option displays the dialog box shown in Figure 9.8.
Figure 9.8. Use the options at the bottom of this dialog box to select a profile when you start Outlook.
Click the Add button to create a new profile. A wizard will prompt you to add e-mail accounts and specify a data file. Click the Remove button to eliminate an existing profile. To work with a profile without opening Outlook, choose the profile and click the Properties button.
Normally, Outlook creates a single profile and uses it automatically each time you start. Choose the Prompt for a Profile to Be Used option if you want to select from a list of available profiles every time you start Outlook.