How to switch from one profile to another

[Orrie]

I want to use Outlook 2003 for two or three different "identities" (to
borrow a term from Outlook Express);" each with a different e-mail account.
I already have a mail account set up in Outlook, but it identifies me as an
employee of a certain company. I want to set up another identity or account
for my own company, and another one for personal mail, contacts, calendar,
etc.

I just set up a new profile for my own company, but cannot find a way to
switch between it and the other "employee" profile without closing Outlook
and opening it again, a pain. The only entry in the Help file on this
subject is for switching when starting Outlook. Is there a way to switch
between profiles other than shutting down and restarting?

Also, am I doing this all wrong? Is it possible to have one profile and set
up separate e-mail accounts that will appear as different to recipients of
my messages. In other words, my company messages would show a business style
signature, and my personal/family messages would show no signature.

I tried setting up a second mail account under my "employee" profile, but
messages I sent carried the signature and headers of the company, which was
inappropriate for those messages.

Thanks for your help.
Orrie

 

[Diane Poremsky [MVP]]

Outlook is working as it does - you need to close to switch profiles. (OE
closes and reopens too)

Are you using word as your editor? Are you using pop or exchange server and
does the secondary accounts have their own mailboxes?

If usingword as the editor, then you can set a different sig per account and
it will change when you select a new account for sending. otherwise, you
need ot delete the sig... the from field should have the information you
entered when you set up the secondary account.

 

[Orrie]

Thank you, Diane.

1. Okay, if it's necessary to shut down and reopen Outlook 2003 to change
profiles, is there at least a menu command similar to Outlook Express's
"Switch Identity" that would at least make it a one-click process? My copy
of Outlook takes about 8-10 seconds to shut down and similar amount of time
to re-open.

2. I'm using POP mail, and tried setting up folders and sorting rules for
the second account. (I'm the only user of my computer, which is in my home
office and not part of a corporate network.)

Due to the awful performance, instability and complexity of Word 2003, I
wouldn't dare use it as the e-mail editor; I use Outlook .RTF. It's bad
enough that I have to use Word as a word processor. (Pardon my ranting, but
I've been working with Word most of the day.)

Orrie