Outlook current user profile

  • Thread starter Thread starter Guest
  • Start date Start date
G

Guest

I have a situation where i have users temporarily going to an expansion site
on a temporary basis a few times a week, but working at our main site most of
the time. Roaming user profile's aren't practical because of the time it
takes to long in the first time and the size of most of the profiles(500mg to
1gb). Is there a way to have outlook automatically map a profile to the
current user when they sign in. This is the only step i can't automate
currently. Thanks
 
Microsoft uses text files with a .prf extension and a highly structured format to provide information to OUtlook that enables Outlook to create or modify a mail profile. You can create such .prf files with the Custom Installation Wizard or Custom Maintenance Wizard tools in the Office Resource Kit. For more details, including a variety of .prf deployment methods, read the excellent white paper "Configuring Outlook Profiles by Using a PRF File" at http://office.microsoft.com/search/redir.aspx?assetid=HA011403051033&QueryID=pHm7c_60I&respos=3

The page at http://www.slipstick.com/exs/olroam.htm includes information on other profile tools and resources. There are some nice tools for "walk-up profiles."
--
Sue Mosher, Outlook MVP
Author of Configuring Microsoft Outlook 2003

and Microsoft Outlook Programming - Jumpstart for
Administrators, Power Users, and Developers
 
We are migrating from Exchange 5.5 to Exchange 2003 and we do not want users
to create a new profile. However we are finding that their are two fields
the users cannot see in the Global Address List on the Phone/Notes tab.
These are fields we have changed. Is there anything we can do to make sure
these fields are visible without requiring the users to create a new Outlook
profile for the Exchange 2003 server.
 
And those fields are?

Are you using Cached Exchange mode on the client?
--
Sue Mosher, Outlook MVP
Author of Configuring Microsoft Outlook 2003

and Microsoft Outlook Programming - Jumpstart for
Administrators, Power Users, and Developers
 
Yes I forgot to add that if you turn cached Exchange Mode off it works as
well, so yes we are using Cached Exchange Mode and it doesn't work with that
with the old Exchange 5.5 profile. The two fields we changed were Home 2
and Business 2.
 
Cached Exchange mode uses the offline address book (OAB) to display information from the GAL. The OAB contains only a limited set of properties. If the user displays a page in the address details dialog designed to show other properties, Outlook should connect to the server directly to retrieve that information. This, of course, can only happen if the user is working with Outlook in online mode. You can check that state at the lower right of the Outlook main window.

When the users are online, what symptoms do they see when they display the tab that contains those fields?

BTW, in case you haven't read it, the KB article on the OAB at http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;841273 is really excellent.

--
Sue Mosher, Outlook MVP
Author of Configuring Microsoft Outlook 2003

and Microsoft Outlook Programming - Jumpstart for
Administrators, Power Users, and Developers
 
When the user is Online it works, therfore the user sees the two fields
populated with the correct data. It is only when in Cached Exchange Mode
that the fields are not populated with data and are greyed out that we have
the problem.
 
When working in Cached Exchange mode, the user can be in any of three connection states -- online, offline, disconnected. Are you saying that the user cannot access that data *regardless* of Outlook's connection state?
--
Sue Mosher, Outlook MVP
Author of Configuring Microsoft Outlook 2003

and Microsoft Outlook Programming - Jumpstart for
Administrators, Power Users, and Developers
 
No the users canno0t see the data when the little box in the lower right hand
corner says Connected or Offline. When the user is Online they are therefore
not using the Offline Address Book and it works so when they use the Offline
Address Book it does not work. Also we have downloaded a new Offline Address
Book and we do not see any different results when in the Connected or Offline
states of Cached Exchange Mode. Thanks Sue.
 
Sorry, I meant to say "Connected" instead of "online." (They essentially mean the same thing in Cached Exchange mode.) But I'm not so clear on what you meant --

Connection State / Result
====================
Offline / Doesn't work
Disconnected / Doesn't work
Connected / ????

When Cached Exchange mode is in the "connected" state, it is still using the Offline Address Book. Outlook will, however, go directly to the server to get information for properties it is called to display that are not stored in the OAB.

--
Sue Mosher, Outlook MVP
Author of Configuring Microsoft Outlook 2003

and Microsoft Outlook Programming - Jumpstart for
Administrators, Power Users, and Developers
 
When I saw that Online reference I thought this is new to me but any way.
Yes when Cached Exchange Mode says Connected it does not work. The
properties are in the OAB we only change the labels for the two fields from
Business Phone Number (it is the Business 2 field) to VNET Phone:, and Home
Phone Number (Home 2 field) to Phone Ext:. Is it because we changed these
labels that the fields will not display? Thank you so much for you
persistence and patience in this matter. Not having to touch every users
Outlook Profile will save us a lot of time and problems if we can figure out
why this does not work.
 
Back
Top