Are you using Exchange as your mail server? If so, use the Out of
Office assistant under the Tools menu.
Does your ISP have a out-of-office or vacation response feature in your
e-mail account? You might have to login using their webmail interface
to set the option or go to an account administration page to enable the
feature.
A server-side implementation is best since then your computer doesn't
even have to be powered on. If you are looking for a client-side
solution using Outlook, note that you must leave your computer running,
you might have to configure power options to NOT go into standby power
mode, and you must leave Outlook loaded. The idea is to use a rule with
the "reply using <specific template>" clause. You end up using Outlook
as an unstable server to perform the reply function. Do not use the
"stop processing more rules" clause in this rule since it is likely that
you still want to filter incoming messages based on your other rules.
See Microsoft's KB article at
http://snurl.com/ol_autoreply.
Check if you have a server-side solution since it will be a lot easier
to use. Server-side auto-responders are designed to send only one reply
to a unique sender. If (e-mail address removed) sends you a message, the
auto-responders sends them a message, but if this same sender sends
another message then the auto-responder does not issue another reply.
Just one reply per sender. This eliminates your Inbox getting filled
with bounceback messages from other auto-responders, like you replying
to a listserver than replies that it doesn't understand or accept your
commands in a [reply] message which you send an auto-reply which they
reply they don't accept which ... and ad nauseum through thousands of
message bouncing until your mailbox quota gets fully consumed. Outlook
is smart enough to remember (per session of Outlook) every sender when
you have the reply rule enabled. This sender list gets reset on the
next session of Outlook, but supposedly you will be leaving Outlook
continually running instead of somehow using a scheduled event in Task
Scheduler to load Outlook (and then somehow exit Outlook after a mail
poll). This eliminates getting into an endless loop with another
auto-responder; they send you a bulk e-mail, you reply, their listserver
responds with "don't understand command" or some other auto-generated
response, you reply again, they reply, and ad nauseum until your mailbox
quota (for disk size or messages per day) gets consumed. Note that
older versions of Outlook may not have a remember list of senders; I
know of a coworker a few years back that tried using a rule and ending
up filling his mailbox with thousands of bounceback messages and a call
from the IT department. It looks like at least back to Outlook 98
supported an emulated out-of-office assistant using rules and had a
remember senders list (
http://snurl.com/2lz9). If you use a server-side
auto-responder, any such **** up is their fault and not yours (but that
won't eliminate the problem of your mailbox going dead because all of
its disk quota got consumed).
The following only applies if you are using DSL or cable for Internet
access. That is, you are using an Ethernet LAN using a NIC which is to
your company network or to a DSL/cable modem. You don't mention what
type of Internet connectivity you have. Skip the following if you are
using an analog modem for dial-up services; however, you probably still
want to disable going into standby mode even if using dial-up.
I know that when my computer goes into standby mode that the network
connection gets disabled. If yours does the same then you will need to
go into the Power Options and disabled going into standby mode. I have
the Intel PRO/100+ Mgmt network card but haven't bothered to investigate
and test its PME and Wake-On-Link advanced features (since I haven't yet
had need to). The PME setting seems to determine how the NIC responds
to WOL (Wake-On-LAN), something you configure in BIOS (for the hardware
mode) and also known as Remote Wake Up. I'm not interested in waking up
my system remotely, like to use it at home from work, and this doesn't
apply to you, either, since you want the system always network enabled.
The help for the Wake-On-Link advanced setting say, "Wakes the computer
if the network connection establishes link while the computer is in
standby mode." Well, since I'm connected to a cable modem (via router),
the link is always there. My setting is disabled. If it were enabled,
I suspect the NIC would never go to sleep since the link would always be
there to the router or cable modem. According to a KB article at
http://snurl.com/2lz4, I use an option under the Power Management tab to
allow the NIC to bring the computer out of standby mode. There's no
such tab; I have an Advanced tab again with the PME and two Wake-on
settings.
Since you'll probably be letting Outlook poll every 5 or 10 minutes, and
if it can be configured to remain enabled in standby mode, there would
be no point in going into standby mode so just disable standby mode and
leave everything powered up while you're gone. Also make sure your BIOS
is not configured to initiate APM timeouts (i.e., don't let your BIOS
put your system into standby). Some computers actually have problems
when BIOS-initiated APM timeouts are enabled since Windows 2000 doesn't
support them (
http://snurl.com/2lz0). Many BIOSes let you enable ACPI
and APM and then let you configure APM timeouts to put your computer
into standby. You can leave APM enabled (along with ACPI) but just
don't configure the APM timeouts in BIOS. Let the OS use ACPI.
