Microsoft Outlook can connectivity issue with Microsoft Exchange.  Troubleshooting and fixing these issues can range from a simple reboot to creating a new mail profile.

Restart Outlook and/or Computer

Many connectivity problems with Outlook can be resolved by simply restarting Outlook and/or the Computer.

1. Restart Outlook.
2. After restarting Outlook, verify connectivity.
3. If there are still connectivity problems, restart Computer.
4. Once computer is up and running, verify connectivity in Outlook.

Offline Mode

 Outlook 2010 and newer:

1. Click the Send/Receive tab.
2. Locate the Work Offline button.
3. Click the Offline button. 

Outlook 2007 and older:

1. Click File Menu.
2. Uncheck the Offline box.

At the bottom of your Outlook Window there will be a “Trying to Connect” prompt.  If  Outlook is “Connected” the problem is solved.

Rebuild PST or OST File

OST File

1. Close Outlook.
2. Open the Control Panel.
3. Select Mail icon.
4. In the next window, click Data Files.
5. Locate your data file, select and click Open File Location.
6. Locate the data file using Windows Explorer.
7. Rename the file extension from .OST to .OLD. 
8. Close these windows and open Outlook. 

PST File

1. Search for scanpst.exe using Windows Explorer.
2. Double click scanpst.exe to run the application.
3. In the next window, click Browse.
4. Locate your .pst file.
5. Click Start.
6. Scanpst will scan the data file eight times.  
7. If the scan finds errors, there will be a prompt to repair. For backup purposes, check the Make Backup Of Scanned File Before Repairing box.
8. Click Repair.
9. Close these windows and open Outlook. 

Repair Software Install

1. Open Control Panel.
2. Click Programs and Features.
3. Scroll down and highlight the Microsoft Office installation.
4. Click Change.
5. Select Repair.
6. Click Continue.
7. Allow the repair to complete.
8. Reboot your computer. 

Recreate Mail Profile

1. Open Control Panel.
2. Click Mail.
3. Select Show Profiles.
4. Click Add.
5. Name the new profile.
6. Follow the steps for the Outlook Account Setup Wizard.
7. Verify the new profile and set as the default or delete old profile. 

Office 365 has recently improved the user interface as well as, the included social and communication features.  Outlook starts in the now-familiar three-pane view, but without the ribbon menus of the full Outlook 2013.  

Navigation pane is located on the left of the screen.  To create, rename, empty or delete folders can be done with a right-click on the specific folder.

Tasks can be accessed through the Task tab at the bottom of the Navigation Pane.  Using color-coordinated icons can easily categorize tasks.  Also, flagged e-mails will show up in the general task list.

The View Pane is located on the right side of the screen.  In the view pane there are options to Reply, Delete and more options (…).  Deleting, printing and creating simple rules are located in the ‘More Options’ drop down menu.  For full control of creating/editing rules, setting automated replies or creating retension policies select Options in the Settings menu.

Your IM status will show next to the account name at the top of the screen.  The IM that is offered as part of Outlook is different than Microsoft Lync.  Microsoft Lync is used for chat, audio/video chat and meetings with anyone, within or outside of your organization.

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Takeaway:  Ten popular features that are missing from Outlook 2013.

Right-click Lookup

Outlook 2013 does not include ‘Lookup’ when right-clicking a word.  This feature is still available:

1. Open a new e-mail message.
2. Click inside the message body.
3. Select the Review tab.
4. Select ‘Research’ in the Proofing section.
5. Press [ALT] and select the word or phrase that you would like to look up.  Also, you can type the word or phrase in the ‘Search For:’ box.

Right-click AutoCorrect

Outlook 2013 does not include ‘AutoCorrect’ when right-clicking a word. This feature is still available but will have to be entered manually.  (Right-click Add to Dictionary is still available using a right-click.)

Import/Export Formats

Outlook 2013 only allows .pst (Outlook’s data file format) and comma-delimited data as import formats.  Previous versions allowed many file formats to be imported and exported.

Meeting Workspace

Outlook 2013 does not include Meeting Workplace.  Also, this feature cannot be added to the Quick Acces Toolbar.  Meeting Workplace was a website that supplied Attendees, Date, Time and Location for meetings.

Outlook Mobile Service

Outlook 2013 does not support Outlook Mobile Service (OMS).  OMS let you create and send text/multimedia messages to a mobile device from Outlook, similar to e-mail(s).

Windows Search

Windows 8 does not support using Windows Search to search Outlook e-mail. Previously, you could using Windows Search without opening Outlook to search for e-mail(s).

Calendar Publishing

Outlook 2013 does not support Calendar Publishing; the replacement is Office.com.  Microsoft cut service for previous versions on April 5, 2014.

Drag-and-Drop

Office 2013 does not support “dragging-and-dropping” e-mail(s) in the To-Do bar to create a calendar entry.  You can “drag-and-drop” an e-mail to a shortcut to create a calendar or task entry.

Notes and Journal

Office 2013 supports ‘Notes’ but ‘Journal’ is no longer available.

Suggested Contacts

Office 2013 does not support Suggested Contacts.  Suggested contacts gathers contacts that are not in your list and suggests them.

Takeaway: Ten popular tools and options that are unseen or removed from Office 2013.

Office 2013 has made minor adjustments and changes to the new cloud-based suite.

Creating from Existing

In previous versions of Office it was simple to create a new document from an existing one.  This would allow changes without changing the original.

Using Office 2013, the button “New From Existing” is gone;  there is a section under the File Tab for Recent Documents.

Outlook – Activities

There was an option to add a Contact’s Activities in older versions of Office.  For Office 2013, Activities option is replaced by Outlook Social Connection.

Word – Show Mark-Up

For Office 2013, the Show Markup drop-down, located in the Review Tab and Tracking Section for older versions, is removed but you can add it to your Quick Access Toolbar.

Backstage Exit

In previous versions, “Exit” on the File Tab would allow you to exit all open documents in one click.  In Office 2013, you can right click the program on your task bar and select “Close all windows” or add “Exit” to your Quick Access Toolbar.

Picture Manager

Unlike previous versions of Office, Clip Art Organizer and Picture Manager are no longer available.  Clip Art Organizer is replaced with Insert Media Dialog Box.  Picture Manager is replaced with Windows Photo Gallery.

Access – PivotTables & PivotCharts

For Office 2013, PivotTable and PivotChart are no longer tools in Access;  only Excel 2013 provides the PivotTable and PivotChart. 

Access – Upsizing Wizard

In previous versions of Access, it was simple to add an Access database to SQL Servers.

Using The Upsizing Wizard to migrate all or some objects to SQL Servers is no longer available with Access in Office 2013.

Excel – Workspace

Workspace files save the layout you have selected.  When you open a saved Workspace Files they are displayed in that layout.

Excel 2013 you can open a Workspace file but you can not save layouts as Workspace files or add it to the Quick Access Toolbar. 

Outlook – Journal

Journal tool in Outlook helps you manage your productivity and time spent on projects.  This tool will no longer be available for Office 2013 and will not be replaced by another tool.

Outlook – To-Do Bar

The Pinned Peek feature is replacing the traditional To-Do Bar in Outlook for Office 2013.  The Pinned Peak feature is not as detailed as the To-Do Bar, for example you can only view appointments for one day .  

Takeaway:   The most significant means of communication in the office is email.  Even though Outlook is the most used mail client for businesses, it can develop problems. Using these ten tips will quickly resolve issues that can impact communication.

1.  Scan PST file

When Outlook becomes troubling, you can use the Inbox Repair Tool provided by Microsoft.  This tool will backup, scan and repair your Personal Folder files (.pst).  The entire process could take more than a few minutes to complete.

2.  Archive Data

Archiving your data will prevent common problems that large PST files create.  Archived data will be moved to a different PST to alleviate the size and space of you primary PST.  After an archive is done, running scanpst.exe will be a safe way to check the file. 

3.  Rename OST

Some problems can be resolved by simply renaming the OST file and allowing Outlook to create a new one.  The OST file saves your e-mails, calendar entries, contacts and other items.  Outlook will open like new after renaming an OST file.

4.  Delete/Rebuild Profile

When deleting or rebuilding an Outlook Profile taking precaution is a necessary step; open Control Panel, select Mail option, select Show Profiles and then select Delete.  For POP accounts, you must save the user’s data by exporting a data file from Outlook.  For Exchange and IMAP accounts, you can delete and re-create the account.  

5.  Disable Add-Ons

Another simple fix is to disable add-ons.  To check the speed of Outlook, use outlook.exe /safe command will allow you to open Outlook in Safe Mode (no-add-ons running).  After testing the speed, you can disable add-ons that may be slowing your system down.

6.  Disable Virus Scan

Popular Anti-Virus tools have a feature that will scan all e-mails to and from your system.  Temporarily disabling this feature is a work-around but not a solution.  Outlook will be defenseless when this feature is disabled.

7.  Run in Safe-Mode

Another temporary fix is to open Outlook in Safe Mode.  Use outlook.exe /safe command will allow you to open Outlook in Safe Mode (no-add-ons running).  This is a work-around but not a temporary fix.

8.  Resetnav

Users can arrange their navigation bar according to their needs which sometimes causes Outlook not to work properly.  A fast way to rest the navigation bar is using outlook.exe /resetnavpane command.

9.  Migrate PSTs

 All user PST files should be stored on the C Drive of the user.  If all users are accessing a shared drive for their PST files, it will slow down Outlook and possibly your network.

10.  Adjust Permissions

To adjust user’s calendar permissions – open the calendar in Outlook, right-click the shared calendar, select Properties, and in the Permissions tab you can adjust user’s calendar permissions.

Surface RT

Surface RT was released on October 26, 2012.  Running Windows RT Operating System on a Quad-Core NVIDIA Tegra 3 Processor.  Storage options are 32 GB or 64 GB.  According to recent news, only 16 GB available for the 32 GB hard drive and 46 GB available for 64 GB hard drive.  Bundled with the Surface RT is Office Home & Student 2013 RT Preview.

Office Home & Student 2013 RT includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote.  Surface RT does not support Outlook.

The price for the Surface RT is $499.00.

Surface Pro

Surface Pro was release on February 9, 2013.  Running Windows 8 Pro Operating System on Dual-Core Intel i5 Processor.  Storage options are 64 GB or 128 GB.  According to recent news, only 23 GB available for the 64GB hard drive and 83 GB for the 128 GB hard drive.  Bundled with the Surface Pro is Full Office Suite Preview.

Surface Pro is a Business tablet that includes a pen and the pen digitizer.  The stylus helps make taking notes, drawing and marking up documents easy.  The price for the Surface Pen is $29.99.

The price for the Surface Pro is $899.00.

Not included with the purchase of the Surface RT or the Surface Pro is a keyboard.  Microsoft offers two options, Touch cover and Type Cover.  The Touch Cover is a pressure-sensitive keyboard and tablet cover; available in Red, Black, Cyan, White and Magenta.  The price of the Touch Cover is $119.99.  The Type Cover is thin “classic” keyboard and tablet cover; only available in Black.  The price of the Type Cover is $129.99.

Type Cover and Touch Cover

Takeaway:  Tips to change defaults for Outlook Calendar.

Work Week View:

Default “Work Week” is Monday through Friday, 8AM to 5PM.

1. Select File tab.
2. Click Options button.
3. On the left side of the window, click Calendar button (3rd down).
4. Under Work Time Section, enter your Start and End time.
5. Check the days of your Work Week.
6. Select the First Day of week.
7. Select the First week of year.
8. Click OK.

Reminder Alerts:

After creating or accepting an appointment, a “Default Reminder” is automatically set to 15 minutes.  

1. Select File tab.
2. Click Options button.
3. On the left side of the window, click Calendar button (3rd down).
4.  Under Calendar Options Section, select your reminder times.
5. Click OK.

Calendar Time Slots:

Time slots for Calendar Appointments are defaulted to 30 minutes.

1. Select Calendar View.
2. Right-Click on Timeline.
3. Select the interval you prefer.
4. Outlook will automatically update.

• 5 minutes:  Most space for details.
• 60 minutes:  Least space for details

Takeaway:  Alternative options for mail client’s that are not as costly as Outlook but offer the same features.

Outlook is one of the most widely used email clients in the business world.  For smaller companies, there are email clients that provide cost-effective solutions.  Other email clients offer a variety of features that are comparable to Outlook.  The most significant means of communication in the office is email; communication will suffer if the email client does not work well with the organizations requirements. 

Opera Mail

Opera Mail is free and offered for Windows, Mac and Linux.  This e-mail client supports POP, IMAP (no Exchange support), newsgroups, RSS, and Atom feed.  Opera mail has a fast and simple user interface, thread views, spam protection and allows you to browse websites.

Dreammail

Dreammail is free and offered for Windows XP/Vista/7.  This e-mail client supports POP3, RSS, and ESMTP/Google/Yahoo.  Dreammail has multiple accounts and multiple-users setup, templates, signature options, anti-spam, address book, message filtering and a web-mail tool.

iScribe

iScribe is free and offered for Windows and Linux.  This e-mail client supports POP3 and IMAP, as well as international standards.  iScribe has built-in baysian span filter, frequent updates and can be used from a portable drive.

Postbox

Postbox is $9.95 per license and offered for Windows and Mac.  This e-mail client is best for Gmail but it also supports POP and IMAP.  Postbox has native Gmail label support, fast access to your favorite accounts, social networking integration and you can add Dropbox services.

Evolution Mail

Evolution is free and offered for Linux (open source).  This e-mail client supports POP, IMAP and Exchange.  Evolution has calendar, tasks, contacts, memos, LDAP compatibility, folder search, encryption, multiple accounts, server support, default plugins, as well as, additional plugins.

Takeaway: Microsoft Office is not the only game in town; South Jersey Techies suggests some suitable alternatives for Microsoft Office.

Although Microsoft Office is one of the most popular productivity suites available, it is far from being the only choice available. Here are five alternatives to Microsoft Office that you might consider the next time you are looking to purchase an office suite.

1. Google Docs

Google Docs is a cloud based productivity suite that lets you create word processing documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and drawings. Because Google Docs is a browser based application, it isn’t quite as full featured as some of the other productivity suites. Even so, Google Docs is free, and there is nothing to install on your computer. The interface is completely intuitive and Google Docs can be used to create and edit Microsoft Office documents.

2. LibreOffice

LibreOffice is a free productivity suite that is designed to act as an alternative to Microsoft Office.  Like Apache Open Office, Libre Office offers a word processor, a spreadsheet, a presentation application, a drawing tool, and a database application. In fact, the launch screen is nearly identical to that of Apache Open Office. The reason for this is that in 2010 some of the OpenOffice developers broke away from OpenOffice and created LibreOffice. As such, there are a lot of similarities between the two suites. LibreOffice even supports the use of OpenOffice documents.

3. Kingsoft Office Suite Free 2012

Kingsoft Office Suite Free 2012 is, as the name implies, a free office suite. The free version includes a word processor, a spreadsheet, and a presentation application. These applications look and feel like Office 2010 applications, and the software fully supports the use of Office documents in addition to its own native file format. Also supported are standard file types such as RTF, TXT, and HTML.

4. Apache Open Office

Apache Open Office is a free office suite that can trace its roots back for well over a decade. This open source suite contains utilities for creating text documents, spreadsheets, presentations, drawings, and formulas. Open Office should be easy to use for anyone who is familiar with Office 2010. The word processor and spreadsheet look a lot like Word and Excel. The presentation application looks different than PowerPoint, but contains familiar controls. The suite is capable of opening (and saving) Microsoft Office documents and other common file formats.

5. Office Web App

The Microsoft Office Web Apps are an alternative to an on-premise Microsoft Office deployment. This free suite of cloud apps includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote. Furthermore, you get 7 GB of free storage space on SkyDrive, which is useful for storing your Office Web App documents. Office Web App that isn’t quite as full featured as Office 2010 or Office 2013, but Microsoft does have the basics covered. Besides, it is hard to argue with the price, which is free.

Three tips for making Outlook’s To-Do bar work for you

Takeaway: If you’re tempted to hide Outlook’s new To-Do bar, stop! Customize it and put it to work for you.

Outlook 2007 introduced the To-Do bar -a means of tracking appointments and tasks with a quick glance. The To-Do bar shows a Date Navigator with upcoming appointments and a list of tasks, but some users don’t take full advantage of it.

Most users spend most of their time in their Mail window and having quick access to other features, via the To-Do bar, without leaving their Inbox is not only convenient, it’s efficient. For instance, the Date Navigator displays upcoming appointments without opening your Calendar. If you decide to open your Calendar, simply click a date. You can also add new tasks, accept or decline meetings, and so on. These three tips will help you learn your way around so that you can customize the feature to suit your work habits.

1: Don’t dismiss it

Outlook displays the full bar, but you can free up space by collapsing it – don’t delete it! To minimize the bar, click the arrow in the top-left corner. You can then expand and collapse the bar, to suit your needs.

2: Customize the settings

To change the default arrangement of the Date Navigator, appointments, and tasks, right-click the To-Do bar’s header. At this point, you can also turn off the display for all three To-Do bar components, but don’t to so right now. Instead, choose Options. In the resulting dialog box, you can determine the display options that work best for you. For example, you can display more than one month, hide private items, and so on.

3: Customize the Task list

Most of us will use the Task list more than the other two components, so getting this part right will really make you happy. To customize the Task list component, right-click the column header area (Arrange By) and choose View Settings (Custom in Outlook 2007). In the resulting dialog box, you can customize the task features you see. For instance, you might click Columns to add icons to the display. Or, you might want to remove the Follow Up flags.

To display more information about each task, change the single line display. Right-click the column header as before and choose View Settings (or Custom). Click Column and change this setting using the Maximum Number Of Lines dropdown.

You can temporarily filter the tasks you see by clicking the Filter button and entering specific words or choosing existing text from the dropdown. Doing so will display only those tasks that meet your criteria.

I’ve mentioned just a few of the more popular ways to customize the To-Do bar. The key to getting the most out of this feature is to explore its settings and put them to work for you!