Topics in this chapter   Planning an Upgrade     Upgrading from Previous Versions     Upgrading from Older Versions of Messaging Clients     Upgrading from Schedule+     Sharing Information with Other Versions or Applications     Upgrading to Outlook 2002 Security     Reverting to a Previous Installation

Planning an Upgrade

Because Microsoft Outlook® 2002 is compatible with earlier versions of Outlook and can share files with other Microsoft e-mail and calendar applications, upgrading strategies typically involve only preparation and distribution issues. When you decide how you want your upgrade to proceed, and you identify the applications required, upgrading to Outlook 2002 is a simple process.

Before you start the upgrade process, you must make the following general decisions:

• Decide which browser you want to use.
  
  
• Decide which security settings you want for your users.
  
  
• If you use Microsoft Exchange 5.5 as your messaging server, decide whether to upgrade to Exchange 2000 before deploying Outlook 2002.

Note that before upgrading to any new release, it is wise to create a backup copy of your existing data. This task prevents you from permanently losing data during the upgrade process.

Tip   Although Microsoft Office 2000 works with Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.0, it is recommended that you upgrade to Internet Explorer 5.5, which is included with Office XP. Because of the offline capabilities of Internet Explorer 5.5, it is much easier for Outlook 2002 users to download and store any folder home pages so that they can be modified offline.

You can easily upgrade to Outlook 2002 from previous Microsoft e-mail and calendar applications. You can install Outlook 2002 over a Microsoft Outlook 97, Microsoft Outlook 98, or Microsoft Outlook 2000 installation. Like other Office XP applications, Outlook 2002 migrates user settings stored in the registry. In addition, if a Messaging Application Programming Interface (MAPI) profile already exists on a user's computer, your Outlook 2002 deployment can be configured to continue to use the profile.

As an administrator, you can plan upgrade strategies for the following scenarios:

• A one-time upgrade to Outlook 2002.
  
  
• A gradual upgrade to Outlook 2002.

If you plan a gradual upgrade, keep in mind that Outlook users might need to exchange e-mail messages and scheduling data with users of other Microsoft e-mail and calendar applications, which can complicate support issues.

See also

You can deploy Outlook separately from the rest of Office XP. For more information, see Determining When to Install Outlook.