Outlook 2003 contacts button not working

[Guest]

I have a user running windows xp professional, and recently installed Office
2003. the user was running Office XP, and uninstalled that, then installed
Office 2003. Everything went well, except that the contacts button doesn't
work. When I click on it, nothing happens. I can right click on the
contacts button, and then click on open in a new window, and it works
perfectly, all contacts are there. I can also access his contacts through
the address book just fine. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks.

 

[Russ Valentine [MVP-Outlook]]

Help us out here.
"Contacts button?"

 

[Guest]

Contacts Button = (shortcut?) On the lower left side of the screen you have
shortcuts or (buttons)..... inbox, calendar, notes, contacts....etc... to
reiterate the problem, when clicking on any of the shortcuts, it brings up
the appropriate view in the main window, except for contacts. It does
absolutely nothing. I have installed Office 2003 SP1, however that did not
help at all. If you right click on the shortcut and click on "open in new
window" it works just fine, albeit in a new window. Any other questions
please let me know.

Thanks
Mike D

Help us out here.
"Contacts button?"
--
Russ Valentine
[MVP-Outlook]

I have a user running windows xp professional, and recently installed
Office
2003. the user was running Office XP, and uninstalled that, then
installed
Office 2003. Everything went well, except that the contacts button
doesn't
work. When I click on it, nothing happens. I can right click on the
contacts button, and then click on open in a new window, and it works
perfectly, all contacts are there. I can also access his contacts through
the address book just fine. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks.

 

[Russ Valentine [MVP-Outlook]]

Never seen this reported. See if you have a corrupt view. Try starting
Outlook once with the /cleanviews command line switch. This switch (and a
few other really helpful ones) are discussed here:
http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/q156/9/82.asp


--
Russ Valentine
[MVP-Outlook]

Contacts Button = (shortcut?) On the lower left side of the screen you
have
shortcuts or (buttons)..... inbox, calendar, notes, contacts....etc... to
reiterate the problem, when clicking on any of the shortcuts, it brings
up
the appropriate view in the main window, except for contacts. It does
absolutely nothing. I have installed Office 2003 SP1, however that did
not
help at all. If you right click on the shortcut and click on "open in new
window" it works just fine, albeit in a new window. Any other questions
please let me know.

Thanks
Mike D

Help us out here.
"Contacts button?"
--
Russ Valentine
[MVP-Outlook]

I have a user running windows xp professional, and recently installed
Office
2003. the user was running Office XP, and uninstalled that, then
installed
Office 2003. Everything went well, except that the contacts button
doesn't
work. When I click on it, nothing happens. I can right click on the
contacts button, and then click on open in a new window, and it works
perfectly, all contacts are there. I can also access his contacts
through
the address book just fine. Any suggestions would be greatly
appreciated.
Thanks.

 

[Guest]

My user is currently on vacation, so I will not be able to try your
suggestion for a few days. I do appreciate your help, and will let you know
what happens when I get the chance to try it.

thanks again,

Mike D

 

[Russ Valentine [MVP-Outlook]]

Do keep me posted. This is an odd one.

 

[Guest]

Alrighty,

I have tried using the /cleanviews and the /resetoutlookbar switches.
neither changed anything. When using the /resetoutlookbar switch, Outlook
doesn't open, I just get a quick hourglass, and a "ding" sound. When taking
the switch off of the shortcut, nothing had changed. The /cleanviews switch
did open outlook, but didn't change anything either. I have looked through
all the settings in outlook, but can't seem to find anything that would
affect this.

NOTE: It's looks like XP Pro doesn't like utilizing switches when the path
contains a space (c:\program files...etc) whenever i tried to place the
switch on the original .exe file, it would tell me "cannot open "c:\program".
When I copied the .exe straight to the c: then it would allow the switches
to be used.

Don't know if i'm really offering any informative information to help you
help me, but unless you have another suggestion, it looks like I am going to
have to try uninstalling and reinstalling office.

Thanks for your help!

Mike D

Do keep me posted. This is an odd one.
--
Russ Valentine
[MVP-Outlook]

My user is currently on vacation, so I will not be able to try your
suggestion for a few days. I do appreciate your help, and will let you
know
what happens when I get the chance to try it.

thanks again,

Mike D

 

[Russ Valentine [MVP-Outlook]]

2 other things to try since reinstalling rarely if ever solves anything:
1. Close Outlook, rename "outcmd.dat" with Outlook closed and restart
Outlook. This will clear any toolbar customizations you have made and reset
Outlook to its default
2. Create a new profile from scratch.
--
Russ Valentine
[MVP-Outlook]

Alrighty,

I have tried using the /cleanviews and the /resetoutlookbar switches.
neither changed anything. When using the /resetoutlookbar switch, Outlook
doesn't open, I just get a quick hourglass, and a "ding" sound. When
taking
the switch off of the shortcut, nothing had changed. The /cleanviews
switch
did open outlook, but didn't change anything either. I have looked
through
all the settings in outlook, but can't seem to find anything that would
affect this.

NOTE: It's looks like XP Pro doesn't like utilizing switches when the
path
contains a space (c:\program files...etc) whenever i tried to place the
switch on the original .exe file, it would tell me "cannot open
"c:\program".
When I copied the .exe straight to the c: then it would allow the switches
to be used.

Don't know if i'm really offering any informative information to help you
help me, but unless you have another suggestion, it looks like I am going
to
have to try uninstalling and reinstalling office.

Thanks for your help!

Mike D

Do keep me posted. This is an odd one.
--
Russ Valentine
[MVP-Outlook]

My user is currently on vacation, so I will not be able to try your
suggestion for a few days. I do appreciate your help, and will let you
know
what happens when I get the chance to try it.

thanks again,

Mike D

 

[Guest]

I have tried both suggestions, and neither works. After a little more
fumbling around, i figured a couple of things out. My user had personal
folders setup that he wasn't using at all. I believe that the button in the
navigation pane is trying to open the contacts folder from his personal
folders, the only problem with this theory is that when you right click and
select open in new window, you get the contacts from the server.

I successfully made a shortcut in the shortcut pane to open his contacts,
however the shortcut will disappear if you switch views (i.e. click on mail,
and then click on shortcuts again.)

Is there a way to change the focus of the contacts shortcut in the
navigation pane? My user isn't too concerned about this problem since he can
get to his contacts by opening them in a new window, however, this is
something that is just floating on my to-do list and i would like to get it
taken care of.

Thanks for the support, and hopefully we can figure this out somehow.

Mike D

2 other things to try since reinstalling rarely if ever solves anything:
1. Close Outlook, rename "outcmd.dat" with Outlook closed and restart
Outlook. This will clear any toolbar customizations you have made and reset
Outlook to its default
2. Create a new profile from scratch.
--
Russ Valentine
[MVP-Outlook]

Alrighty,

I have tried using the /cleanviews and the /resetoutlookbar switches.
neither changed anything. When using the /resetoutlookbar switch, Outlook
doesn't open, I just get a quick hourglass, and a "ding" sound. When
taking
the switch off of the shortcut, nothing had changed. The /cleanviews
switch
did open outlook, but didn't change anything either. I have looked
through
all the settings in outlook, but can't seem to find anything that would
affect this.

NOTE: It's looks like XP Pro doesn't like utilizing switches when the
path
contains a space (c:\program files...etc) whenever i tried to place the
switch on the original .exe file, it would tell me "cannot open
"c:\program".
When I copied the .exe straight to the c: then it would allow the switches
to be used.

Don't know if i'm really offering any informative information to help you
help me, but unless you have another suggestion, it looks like I am going
to
have to try uninstalling and reinstalling office.

Thanks for your help!

Mike D

Do keep me posted. This is an odd one.
--
Russ Valentine
[MVP-Outlook]

My user is currently on vacation, so I will not be able to try your
suggestion for a few days. I do appreciate your help, and will let you
know
what happens when I get the chance to try it.

thanks again,

Mike D

 

[Sue Mosher [MVP-Outlook]]

What happens when you tried creating a new profile, as Russ suggested?

--
Sue Mosher, Outlook MVP
Author of
Microsoft Outlook Programming - Jumpstart for
Administrators, Power Users, and Developers

I have tried both suggestions, and neither works. After a little more
fumbling around, i figured a couple of things out. My user had personal
folders setup that he wasn't using at all. I believe that the button in
the
navigation pane is trying to open the contacts folder from his personal
folders, the only problem with this theory is that when you right click
and
select open in new window, you get the contacts from the server.

I successfully made a shortcut in the shortcut pane to open his contacts,
however the shortcut will disappear if you switch views (i.e. click on
mail,
and then click on shortcuts again.)

Is there a way to change the focus of the contacts shortcut in the
navigation pane? My user isn't too concerned about this problem since he
can
get to his contacts by opening them in a new window, however, this is
something that is just floating on my to-do list and i would like to get
it
taken care of.

Thanks for the support, and hopefully we can figure this out somehow.

Mike D

2 other things to try since reinstalling rarely if ever solves anything:
1. Close Outlook, rename "outcmd.dat" with Outlook closed and restart
Outlook. This will clear any toolbar customizations you have made and
reset
Outlook to its default
2. Create a new profile from scratch.
--
Russ Valentine
[MVP-Outlook]

Alrighty,

I have tried using the /cleanviews and the /resetoutlookbar switches.
neither changed anything. When using the /resetoutlookbar switch,
Outlook
doesn't open, I just get a quick hourglass, and a "ding" sound. When
taking
the switch off of the shortcut, nothing had changed. The /cleanviews
switch
did open outlook, but didn't change anything either. I have looked
through
all the settings in outlook, but can't seem to find anything that would
affect this.

NOTE: It's looks like XP Pro doesn't like utilizing switches when the
path
contains a space (c:\program files...etc) whenever i tried to place
the
switch on the original .exe file, it would tell me "cannot open
"c:\program".
When I copied the .exe straight to the c: then it would allow the
switches
to be used.

Don't know if i'm really offering any informative information to help
you
help me, but unless you have another suggestion, it looks like I am
going
to
have to try uninstalling and reinstalling office.

Thanks for your help!

Mike D

:

Do keep me posted. This is an odd one.
--
Russ Valentine
[MVP-Outlook]

My user is currently on vacation, so I will not be able to try your
suggestion for a few days. I do appreciate your help, and will let
you
know
what happens when I get the chance to try it.

thanks again,

Mike D

 

[Guest]

Absolutely nothing. My user really hadn't customized his views or settings
or anything, so it came back exactly like it was. The Contacts shortcut does
the exact same thing. In the right pane whatever was there (i.e. calendar,
mail) stays there, and the navigation pane goes totally blank except for two
links (i think they were "share my contacts" and "open contact") The first
is not necessary to do, and the second is really just a search for a specific
contact (which it will return if you enter a valid contact)

At the very top of the navigation pane there is a spot called "My Contacts"
but there is nothing in it. I was hoping I could just add the contacts in
there somehow, but I can't seem to figure it out.

Look forward to more suggestions.

Thanks
Mike D

What happens when you tried creating a new profile, as Russ suggested?

--
Sue Mosher, Outlook MVP
Author of
Microsoft Outlook Programming - Jumpstart for
Administrators, Power Users, and Developers

I have tried both suggestions, and neither works. After a little more
fumbling around, i figured a couple of things out. My user had personal
folders setup that he wasn't using at all. I believe that the button in
the
navigation pane is trying to open the contacts folder from his personal
folders, the only problem with this theory is that when you right click
and
select open in new window, you get the contacts from the server.

I successfully made a shortcut in the shortcut pane to open his contacts,
however the shortcut will disappear if you switch views (i.e. click on
mail,
and then click on shortcuts again.)

Is there a way to change the focus of the contacts shortcut in the
navigation pane? My user isn't too concerned about this problem since he
can
get to his contacts by opening them in a new window, however, this is
something that is just floating on my to-do list and i would like to get
it
taken care of.

Thanks for the support, and hopefully we can figure this out somehow.

Mike D

2 other things to try since reinstalling rarely if ever solves anything:
1. Close Outlook, rename "outcmd.dat" with Outlook closed and restart
Outlook. This will clear any toolbar customizations you have made and
reset
Outlook to its default
2. Create a new profile from scratch.
--
Russ Valentine
[MVP-Outlook]
Alrighty,

I have tried using the /cleanviews and the /resetoutlookbar switches.
neither changed anything. When using the /resetoutlookbar switch,
Outlook
doesn't open, I just get a quick hourglass, and a "ding" sound. When
taking
the switch off of the shortcut, nothing had changed. The /cleanviews
switch
did open outlook, but didn't change anything either. I have looked
through
all the settings in outlook, but can't seem to find anything that would
affect this.

NOTE: It's looks like XP Pro doesn't like utilizing switches when the
path
contains a space (c:\program files...etc) whenever i tried to place
the
switch on the original .exe file, it would tell me "cannot open
"c:\program".
When I copied the .exe straight to the c: then it would allow the
switches
to be used.

Don't know if i'm really offering any informative information to help
you
help me, but unless you have another suggestion, it looks like I am
going
to
have to try uninstalling and reinstalling office.

Thanks for your help!

Mike D

:

Do keep me posted. This is an odd one.
--
Russ Valentine
[MVP-Outlook]

My user is currently on vacation, so I will not be able to try your
suggestion for a few days. I do appreciate your help, and will let
you
know
what happens when I get the chance to try it.

thanks again,

Mike D

 

[Sue Mosher [MVP-Outlook]]

Since shortcuts are specific to each Outlook profile, it sounds to me like
you created the profile but didn't actually use it to start Outlook.

What folder are you trying to point the shortcut to?

--
Sue Mosher, Outlook MVP
Author of
Microsoft Outlook Programming - Jumpstart for
Administrators, Power Users, and Developers

Absolutely nothing. My user really hadn't customized his views or
settings
or anything, so it came back exactly like it was. The Contacts shortcut
does
the exact same thing. In the right pane whatever was there (i.e.
calendar,
mail) stays there, and the navigation pane goes totally blank except for
two
links (i think they were "share my contacts" and "open contact") The
first
is not necessary to do, and the second is really just a search for a
specific
contact (which it will return if you enter a valid contact)

At the very top of the navigation pane there is a spot called "My
Contacts"
but there is nothing in it. I was hoping I could just add the contacts in
there somehow, but I can't seem to figure it out.

Look forward to more suggestions.

Thanks
Mike D

What happens when you tried creating a new profile, as Russ suggested?

I have tried both suggestions, and neither works. After a little more
fumbling around, i figured a couple of things out. My user had
personal
folders setup that he wasn't using at all. I believe that the button
in
the
navigation pane is trying to open the contacts folder from his personal
folders, the only problem with this theory is that when you right click
and
select open in new window, you get the contacts from the server.

I successfully made a shortcut in the shortcut pane to open his
contacts,
however the shortcut will disappear if you switch views (i.e. click on
mail,
and then click on shortcuts again.)

Is there a way to change the focus of the contacts shortcut in the
navigation pane? My user isn't too concerned about this problem since
he
can
get to his contacts by opening them in a new window, however, this is
something that is just floating on my to-do list and i would like to
get
it
taken care of.

Thanks for the support, and hopefully we can figure this out somehow.

Mike D

:

2 other things to try since reinstalling rarely if ever solves
anything:
1. Close Outlook, rename "outcmd.dat" with Outlook closed and restart
Outlook. This will clear any toolbar customizations you have made and
reset
Outlook to its default
2. Create a new profile from scratch.
--
Russ Valentine
[MVP-Outlook]
Alrighty,

I have tried using the /cleanviews and the /resetoutlookbar
switches.
neither changed anything. When using the /resetoutlookbar switch,
Outlook
doesn't open, I just get a quick hourglass, and a "ding" sound.
When
taking
the switch off of the shortcut, nothing had changed. The
/cleanviews
switch
did open outlook, but didn't change anything either. I have looked
through
all the settings in outlook, but can't seem to find anything that
would
affect this.

NOTE: It's looks like XP Pro doesn't like utilizing switches when
the
path
contains a space (c:\program files...etc) whenever i tried to place
the
switch on the original .exe file, it would tell me "cannot open
"c:\program".
When I copied the .exe straight to the c: then it would allow the
switches
to be used.

Don't know if i'm really offering any informative information to
help
you
help me, but unless you have another suggestion, it looks like I am
going
to
have to try uninstalling and reinstalling office.

 

[Guest]

the problem isn't with the outlook shortcut. It is within outlook, getting
his contacts to display properly. I pointed the shortcut that I created
within outlook to the contacts folder (that reside on the server) The
shortcut would work properly, however as soon as you changed views (i.e.
clicked on mail or calendar) and then went back to try and access the
shortcut, it would not be there anymore.

Basically, I just need him to be able to click on contacts in the lower left
hand window, and have his contacts display.

Mike D

Since shortcuts are specific to each Outlook profile, it sounds to me like
you created the profile but didn't actually use it to start Outlook.

What folder are you trying to point the shortcut to?

--
Sue Mosher, Outlook MVP
Author of
Microsoft Outlook Programming - Jumpstart for
Administrators, Power Users, and Developers

Absolutely nothing. My user really hadn't customized his views or
settings
or anything, so it came back exactly like it was. The Contacts shortcut
does
the exact same thing. In the right pane whatever was there (i.e.
calendar,
mail) stays there, and the navigation pane goes totally blank except for
two
links (i think they were "share my contacts" and "open contact") The
first
is not necessary to do, and the second is really just a search for a
specific
contact (which it will return if you enter a valid contact)

At the very top of the navigation pane there is a spot called "My
Contacts"
but there is nothing in it. I was hoping I could just add the contacts in
there somehow, but I can't seem to figure it out.

Look forward to more suggestions.

Thanks
Mike D

What happens when you tried creating a new profile, as Russ suggested?


I have tried both suggestions, and neither works. After a little more
fumbling around, i figured a couple of things out. My user had
personal
folders setup that he wasn't using at all. I believe that the button
in
the
navigation pane is trying to open the contacts folder from his personal
folders, the only problem with this theory is that when you right click
and
select open in new window, you get the contacts from the server.

I successfully made a shortcut in the shortcut pane to open his
contacts,
however the shortcut will disappear if you switch views (i.e. click on
mail,
and then click on shortcuts again.)

Is there a way to change the focus of the contacts shortcut in the
navigation pane? My user isn't too concerned about this problem since
he
can
get to his contacts by opening them in a new window, however, this is
something that is just floating on my to-do list and i would like to
get
it
taken care of.

Thanks for the support, and hopefully we can figure this out somehow.

Mike D

:

2 other things to try since reinstalling rarely if ever solves
anything:
1. Close Outlook, rename "outcmd.dat" with Outlook closed and restart
Outlook. This will clear any toolbar customizations you have made and
reset
Outlook to its default
2. Create a new profile from scratch.
--
Russ Valentine
[MVP-Outlook]
Alrighty,

I have tried using the /cleanviews and the /resetoutlookbar
switches.
neither changed anything. When using the /resetoutlookbar switch,
Outlook
doesn't open, I just get a quick hourglass, and a "ding" sound.
When
taking
the switch off of the shortcut, nothing had changed. The
/cleanviews
switch
did open outlook, but didn't change anything either. I have looked
through
all the settings in outlook, but can't seem to find anything that
would
affect this.

NOTE: It's looks like XP Pro doesn't like utilizing switches when
the
path
contains a space (c:\program files...etc) whenever i tried to place
the
switch on the original .exe file, it would tell me "cannot open
"c:\program".
When I copied the .exe straight to the c: then it would allow the
switches
to be used.

Don't know if i'm really offering any informative information to
help
you
help me, but unless you have another suggestion, it looks like I am
going
to
have to try uninstalling and reinstalling office.

 

[Sue Mosher [MVP-Outlook]]

Please be specific. Is it the user's Contacts folder in an Exchange mailbox?
On a Personal Folders file? In Exchange Public Folders.

I don't know what you mean by the lower-left hand window.

As a scorched earth tactic, you could start Outlook once with the
/resetnavpane switch to remove all navigation and shortcut pane
customizations and start fresh. At this point, I think this is what you may
need to do.

--
Sue Mosher, Outlook MVP
Author of
Microsoft Outlook Programming - Jumpstart for
Administrators, Power Users, and Developers

the problem isn't with the outlook shortcut. It is within outlook,
getting
his contacts to display properly. I pointed the shortcut that I created
within outlook to the contacts folder (that reside on the server) The
shortcut would work properly, however as soon as you changed views (i.e.
clicked on mail or calendar) and then went back to try and access the
shortcut, it would not be there anymore.

Basically, I just need him to be able to click on contacts in the lower
left
hand window, and have his contacts display.

Mike D

Since shortcuts are specific to each Outlook profile, it sounds to me
like
you created the profile but didn't actually use it to start Outlook.

What folder are you trying to point the shortcut to?

Absolutely nothing. My user really hadn't customized his views or
settings
or anything, so it came back exactly like it was. The Contacts
shortcut
does
the exact same thing. In the right pane whatever was there (i.e.
calendar,
mail) stays there, and the navigation pane goes totally blank except
for
two
links (i think they were "share my contacts" and "open contact") The
first
is not necessary to do, and the second is really just a search for a
specific
contact (which it will return if you enter a valid contact)

At the very top of the navigation pane there is a spot called "My
Contacts"
but there is nothing in it. I was hoping I could just add the contacts
in
there somehow, but I can't seem to figure it out.

Look forward to more suggestions.

Thanks
Mike D

:

What happens when you tried creating a new profile, as Russ suggested?


I have tried both suggestions, and neither works. After a little
more
fumbling around, i figured a couple of things out. My user had
personal
folders setup that he wasn't using at all. I believe that the
button
in
the
navigation pane is trying to open the contacts folder from his
personal
folders, the only problem with this theory is that when you right
click
and
select open in new window, you get the contacts from the server.

I successfully made a shortcut in the shortcut pane to open his
contacts,
however the shortcut will disappear if you switch views (i.e. click
on
mail,
and then click on shortcuts again.)

Is there a way to change the focus of the contacts shortcut in the
navigation pane? My user isn't too concerned about this problem
since
he
can
get to his contacts by opening them in a new window, however, this
is
something that is just floating on my to-do list and i would like to
get
it
taken care of.

Thanks for the support, and hopefully we can figure this out
somehow.

Mike D

:

2 other things to try since reinstalling rarely if ever solves
anything:
1. Close Outlook, rename "outcmd.dat" with Outlook closed and
restart
Outlook. This will clear any toolbar customizations you have made
and
reset
Outlook to its default
2. Create a new profile from scratch.
--
Russ Valentine
[MVP-Outlook]
message
Alrighty,

I have tried using the /cleanviews and the /resetoutlookbar
switches.
neither changed anything. When using the /resetoutlookbar
switch,
Outlook
doesn't open, I just get a quick hourglass, and a "ding" sound.
When
taking
the switch off of the shortcut, nothing had changed. The
/cleanviews
switch
did open outlook, but didn't change anything either. I have
looked
through
all the settings in outlook, but can't seem to find anything that
would
affect this.

NOTE: It's looks like XP Pro doesn't like utilizing switches
when
the
path
contains a space (c:\program files...etc) whenever i tried to
place
the
switch on the original .exe file, it would tell me "cannot open
"c:\program".
When I copied the .exe straight to the c: then it would allow the
switches
to be used.

Don't know if i'm really offering any informative information to
help
you
help me, but unless you have another suggestion, it looks like I
am
going
to
have to try uninstalling and reinstalling office.

 

[Guest]

Specifically.

Outlook 2003 -- Navigation Pane -- Bottom (buttons or shortcuts) There is a
(button or shortcut) that is called contacts -- when clicking on it, it does
not open the contacts folder from the users mailbox. They are stored on
the server under his mailbox. -- at least that is my understanding of where
they reside. All the other (buttons or shortcuts) work just fine (i.e mail
and calender..etc..).

As for the scorched earth tactic, there were never any customizations made.
This problem has been there since installing Outlook 2k3.

I've just been made aware that a second user is having the same problem.
These are the only two installations of Outlook 2003 that we have done so far.

Mike D

Please be specific. Is it the user's Contacts folder in an Exchange mailbox?
On a Personal Folders file? In Exchange Public Folders.

I don't know what you mean by the lower-left hand window.

As a scorched earth tactic, you could start Outlook once with the
/resetnavpane switch to remove all navigation and shortcut pane
customizations and start fresh. At this point, I think this is what you may
need to do.

--
Sue Mosher, Outlook MVP
Author of
Microsoft Outlook Programming - Jumpstart for
Administrators, Power Users, and Developers

the problem isn't with the outlook shortcut. It is within outlook,
getting
his contacts to display properly. I pointed the shortcut that I created
within outlook to the contacts folder (that reside on the server) The
shortcut would work properly, however as soon as you changed views (i.e.
clicked on mail or calendar) and then went back to try and access the
shortcut, it would not be there anymore.

Basically, I just need him to be able to click on contacts in the lower
left
hand window, and have his contacts display.

Mike D

Since shortcuts are specific to each Outlook profile, it sounds to me
like
you created the profile but didn't actually use it to start Outlook.

What folder are you trying to point the shortcut to?


Absolutely nothing. My user really hadn't customized his views or
settings
or anything, so it came back exactly like it was. The Contacts
shortcut
does
the exact same thing. In the right pane whatever was there (i.e.
calendar,
mail) stays there, and the navigation pane goes totally blank except
for
two
links (i think they were "share my contacts" and "open contact") The
first
is not necessary to do, and the second is really just a search for a
specific
contact (which it will return if you enter a valid contact)

At the very top of the navigation pane there is a spot called "My
Contacts"
but there is nothing in it. I was hoping I could just add the contacts
in
there somehow, but I can't seem to figure it out.

Look forward to more suggestions.

Thanks
Mike D

:

What happens when you tried creating a new profile, as Russ suggested?


I have tried both suggestions, and neither works. After a little
more
fumbling around, i figured a couple of things out. My user had
personal
folders setup that he wasn't using at all. I believe that the
button
in
the
navigation pane is trying to open the contacts folder from his
personal
folders, the only problem with this theory is that when you right
click
and
select open in new window, you get the contacts from the server.

I successfully made a shortcut in the shortcut pane to open his
contacts,
however the shortcut will disappear if you switch views (i.e. click
on
mail,
and then click on shortcuts again.)

Is there a way to change the focus of the contacts shortcut in the
navigation pane? My user isn't too concerned about this problem
since
he
can
get to his contacts by opening them in a new window, however, this
is
something that is just floating on my to-do list and i would like to
get
it
taken care of.

Thanks for the support, and hopefully we can figure this out
somehow.

Mike D

:

2 other things to try since reinstalling rarely if ever solves
anything:
1. Close Outlook, rename "outcmd.dat" with Outlook closed and
restart
Outlook. This will clear any toolbar customizations you have made
and
reset
Outlook to its default
2. Create a new profile from scratch.
--
Russ Valentine
[MVP-Outlook]
message
Alrighty,

I have tried using the /cleanviews and the /resetoutlookbar
switches.
neither changed anything. When using the /resetoutlookbar
switch,
Outlook
doesn't open, I just get a quick hourglass, and a "ding" sound.
When
taking
the switch off of the shortcut, nothing had changed. The
/cleanviews
switch
did open outlook, but didn't change anything either. I have
looked
through
all the settings in outlook, but can't seem to find anything that
would
affect this.

NOTE: It's looks like XP Pro doesn't like utilizing switches
when
the
path
contains a space (c:\program files...etc) whenever i tried to
place
the
switch on the original .exe file, it would tell me "cannot open
"c:\program".
When I copied the .exe straight to the c: then it would allow the
switches
to be used.

Don't know if i'm really offering any informative information to
help
you
help me, but unless you have another suggestion, it looks like I
am
going
to
have to try uninstalling and reinstalling office.

 

[Sue Mosher [MVP-Outlook]]

Switching to the Contacts navigation pane (which is what you do when you
click that button) for the first time during an Outlook session will display
the user's default Contacts folder. That could be on an Exchange server
mailbox or in a Personal Folders .pst file, depending on how the user's mail
profile is set up. The default folder is the one in the same store as
Outlook Today.

Perhaps the user's default store isn't what you think it is?
--
Sue Mosher, Outlook MVP
Author of
Microsoft Outlook Programming - Jumpstart for
Administrators, Power Users, and Developers

Specifically.

Outlook 2003 -- Navigation Pane -- Bottom (buttons or shortcuts) There is
a
(button or shortcut) that is called contacts -- when clicking on it, it
does
not open the contacts folder from the users mailbox. They are stored on
the server under his mailbox. -- at least that is my understanding of
where
they reside. All the other (buttons or shortcuts) work just fine (i.e
mail
and calender..etc..).

As for the scorched earth tactic, there were never any customizations
made.
This problem has been there since installing Outlook 2k3.

I've just been made aware that a second user is having the same problem.
These are the only two installations of Outlook 2003 that we have done so
far.

Mike D

Please be specific. Is it the user's Contacts folder in an Exchange
mailbox?
On a Personal Folders file? In Exchange Public Folders.

I don't know what you mean by the lower-left hand window.

As a scorched earth tactic, you could start Outlook once with the
/resetnavpane switch to remove all navigation and shortcut pane
customizations and start fresh. At this point, I think this is what you
may
need to do.

the problem isn't with the outlook shortcut. It is within outlook,
getting
his contacts to display properly. I pointed the shortcut that I
created
within outlook to the contacts folder (that reside on the server) The
shortcut would work properly, however as soon as you changed views
(i.e.
clicked on mail or calendar) and then went back to try and access the
shortcut, it would not be there anymore.

Basically, I just need him to be able to click on contacts in the lower
left
hand window, and have his contacts display.

Mike D

:

Since shortcuts are specific to each Outlook profile, it sounds to me
like
you created the profile but didn't actually use it to start Outlook.

What folder are you trying to point the shortcut to?

Absolutely nothing. My user really hadn't customized his views or
settings
or anything, so it came back exactly like it was. The Contacts
shortcut
does
the exact same thing. In the right pane whatever was there (i.e.
calendar,
mail) stays there, and the navigation pane goes totally blank except
for
two
links (i think they were "share my contacts" and "open contact")
The
first
is not necessary to do, and the second is really just a search for a
specific
contact (which it will return if you enter a valid contact)

At the very top of the navigation pane there is a spot called "My
Contacts"
but there is nothing in it. I was hoping I could just add the
contacts
in
there somehow, but I can't seem to figure it out.

Look forward to more suggestions.

Thanks
Mike D

:

What happens when you tried creating a new profile, as Russ
suggested?


message
I have tried both suggestions, and neither works. After a little
more
fumbling around, i figured a couple of things out. My user had
personal
folders setup that he wasn't using at all. I believe that the
button
in
the
navigation pane is trying to open the contacts folder from his
personal
folders, the only problem with this theory is that when you right
click
and
select open in new window, you get the contacts from the server.

I successfully made a shortcut in the shortcut pane to open his
contacts,
however the shortcut will disappear if you switch views (i.e.
click
on
mail,
and then click on shortcuts again.)

Is there a way to change the focus of the contacts shortcut in
the
navigation pane? My user isn't too concerned about this problem
since
he
can
get to his contacts by opening them in a new window, however,
this
is
something that is just floating on my to-do list and i would like
to
get
it
taken care of.

Thanks for the support, and hopefully we can figure this out
somehow.

Mike D

:

2 other things to try since reinstalling rarely if ever solves
anything:
1. Close Outlook, rename "outcmd.dat" with Outlook closed and
restart
Outlook. This will clear any toolbar customizations you have
made
and
reset
Outlook to its default
2. Create a new profile from scratch.
--
Russ Valentine
[MVP-Outlook]
message
Alrighty,

I have tried using the /cleanviews and the /resetoutlookbar
switches.
neither changed anything. When using the /resetoutlookbar
switch,
Outlook
doesn't open, I just get a quick hourglass, and a "ding"
sound.
When
taking
the switch off of the shortcut, nothing had changed. The
/cleanviews
switch
did open outlook, but didn't change anything either. I have
looked
through
all the settings in outlook, but can't seem to find anything
that
would
affect this.

NOTE: It's looks like XP Pro doesn't like utilizing switches
when
the
path
contains a space (c:\program files...etc) whenever i tried to
place
the
switch on the original .exe file, it would tell me "cannot
open
"c:\program".
When I copied the .exe straight to the c: then it would allow
the
switches
to be used.

Don't know if i'm really offering any informative information
to
help
you
help me, but unless you have another suggestion, it looks like
I
am
going
to
have to try uninstalling and reinstalling office.

 

[Guest]

Then why would I be able to right click on it and select open in new window,
and it opens a new window where the contacts are displayed properly?

 

[Sue Mosher [MVP-Outlook]]

I don't know. Are you still talking about the big Contact button at the
bottom of the navigation pane? Did you check on the configuration issue I
suggested? Did you try using /resetnavpane?

--
Sue Mosher, Outlook MVP
Author of
Microsoft Outlook Programming - Jumpstart for
Administrators, Power Users, and Developers