Topics in this chapter   Updating Outlook Profiles     Locating and Configuring Outlook Settings     Using Automatic Message Encoding     Unicode Support

Updating Outlook Profiles

You can create or modify Microsoft Outlook® user profiles when you deploy Outlook 2002 by using the Custom Installation Wizard. If you need to update Outlook profile information after installing Outlook 2002, you have two main choices:

• Use the Custom Maintenance Wizard to reconfigure profile settings and apply a configuration maintenance file (CMW file) with these settings to your users' installations.
  
  
• Update profile information in an Outlook profile file (PRF file), and distribute the file to your users.

  When Outlook imports the PRF file, user profile settings are updated.

If you are making other changes to Microsoft Office settings at the same time that you want to modify Outlook profile information, or you are making substantial or complicated changes to Outlook profiles, using the Custom Maintenance Wizard to update users might be the best choice.

On the other hand, if you saved a PRF file with your users' Outlook profile configurations when you installed Outlook, and you are making minor changes, updating the profiles by distributing a new PRF file might be the simplest strategy. Another advantage to updating Outlook profile settings by using a PRF file is that other Office settings cannot be inadvertently modified.

Using the Custom Maintenance Wizard to modify Outlook profiles

The Custom Maintenance Wizard offers the same Outlook profile configuration options that are available in the Custom Installation Wizard. You can choose to modify existing profiles, add new profiles (for all users), or import an existing PRF file.

To use the Custom Maintenance Wizard to update your users' Outlook profiles, you will need to copy the Custom Maintenance Wizard (Maintwiz.exe) to the administrative installation point. Instructions for performing this task are included in the Help file provided with the program.

Note that, unlike the Custom Installation Wizard, which uses a transform to specify customizations through Setup.exe, the Custom Maintenance Wizard is run from, and applies a customized configuration maintenance file to, users' computers.

Updating Outlook profiles in the Custom Maintenance Wizard

You can use the Custom Maintenance Wizard to update Outlook profile information after you have deployed Outlook. The Outlook profile customization pages are identical in the Custom Maintenance Wizard and the Custom Installation Wizard. (However, note that you cannot use an Office profile settings file (OPS file) to define Office settings in the Custom Maintenance Wizard.)

For example, if you want to change users' default delivery location for messages from a PST file to the Exchange server, you can use the Custom Maintenance Wizard to reconfigure Exchange connections.

To change the default message delivery location to users' Exchange server

1. In the Custom Maintenance Wizard, on the Outlook: Customize Default Profile page, click Modify Profile, then click Next.
   
   
2. On the Outlook: Specify Exchange Settings page, specify Configure an Exchange Server Connection.
   
   
3. Specify a server name.

   This step will ensure that new Outlook users have the appropriate configuration as well as existing users.

4. On the Outlook: Add Accounts page, choose Customize additional Outlook profile and account information.
   
   
5. From the drop-down list, choose Exchange Server.
   
   
6. Save the CMW file and deploy it to your users.

Deploying updated Outlook profiles to users

After you create the Custom Maintenance Wizard maintenance file, you deploy it to your users to update their Outlook profiles.

First, ensure that the Custom Maintenance Wizard executable files and the configuration maintenance file you are deploying are available to the users on the administrative installation point (or any file server to which users can gain access).

Then provide a command line such as the following:

\\share\office\Maintwiz updateprof.cmw /cq

The /c option ensures that the changes are "committed." The /q option prevents dialogs from being presented to the users during the update.

Using a PRF file to modify Outlook profiles

Another option for updating users' Outlook profiles is to edit an existing Outlook profile file (PRF file), and distribute the file to users. When Outlook imports the file on a user's computer, the user's profile is updated with the new settings you have specified.

You update a PRF file by editing it in a simple text editor, such as Notebook. The PRF file contains detailed comments to guide you in making appropriate changes. All of the customizations that are available through pages in the Custom Maintenance Wizard can be made manually by editing the file.

In addition, you can add custom features to users' Outlook profiles by editing the file. For example, if you need to add a new messaging service for your users that is not provided in the Custom Maintenance Wizard, you can make manual changes to the PRF file to add the service.

After you have made changes to the PRF file, you can use it to update Outlook profiles in several ways. For example, you can provide it to users by making it available on a network share. Then, since the PRF file is executable, users can update their profiles by simply double-clicking the file name.

Note   A fast way to create a PRF file for use in your deployment is to create your preliminary configuration by specifying Outlook options in the Custom Installation Wizard, then export the settings. After saving the file, open it with a text editor and make any additional changes you choose. For more information about working with PRF files, see Customizing Profiles with an Outlook Profile File.

See also

The Custom Installation Wizard offers a wide range of configuration options for defining and modifying user profiles.For more information about your options for configuring Outlook profiles, see Customizing an Outlook Installation.

Complete details on modifying user profile information by editing and distributing a PRF file are provided in Customizing Profiles with an Outlook Profile File.