Deploying Outlook 2000

Configuring Outlook Profile Settings

Microsoft Outlook 2000 uses profiles to store information about users’ e-mail servers, where their Outlook information is stored (on the server or in a local file), and other options.

Using default Outlook profiles

When users install Outlook 2000 on a clean computer, the Outlook Profile Wizard assists them in creating a profile the first time they start Outlook. If a user is upgrading from a previous version of Outlook or Microsoft Exchange Client, Outlook 2000 detects the existing profile on the user’s computer and uses that profile instead of creating a new one.

Creating Outlook profiles by using the Custom Installation Wizard

Outlook profile configuration is critical in sending and receiving e-mail messages. Because profiles are so important, you might prefer to automate profile creation, rather than allowing users to create their own by using the Outlook Profile Wizard. You can use the Office Custom Installation Wizard to create profiles automatically for your users during installation.

All Outlook profile information entered in the Custom Installation Wizard is stored in the transform (MST file) that the wizard creates. When you install Office 2000, this information is written to the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Newprof subkey on the target computer. When Outlook 2000 is started for the first time, it determines whether any Outlook profiles already exist on the computer. If there are no existing profiles, Outlook reads the customized information from the registry to create a new Outlook profile.

Note   You can force Outlook to create a new Outlook profile even if a user already has an existing profile by using the Newprof.exe file.

The Custom Outlook Installation Options panel in the Office Custom Installation Wizard provides a simplified interface for creating Outlook profiles.

To create Outlook profiles in the Custom Installation Wizard

1. Start the Custom Installation Wizard.
2. On the Custom Outlook Installation Options panel, click Customize Outlook profile and account information.
3. In the Configuration type box, select the configuration you want to use, either Corporate or Workgroup Settings or Internet Only Settings.
4. Click a setting in the left pane, and then enter the corresponding option you want to use in the right pane.

Configuring Corporate or Workgroup settings

As you configure the Corporate or Workgroup settings, keep in mind the following items:

• The General settings under Corporate or Workgroup Settings include an Enter Profile Name box. You must type a profile name in this box for a profile to be created.
• After you choose the services in the Services List section, you must configure options for each service in the appropriate settings section.
• When you configure an Internet E-mail service, you must enter information in both the Internet E-mail Settings and POP3 Account Settings sections. Make sure you type exactly the same account name in each of these two sections.
• When you configure an Internet E-mail service, you must also type Internet E-mail — before the account name in the Enter long account name box in the Internet E-mail Settings section. For example, if the account name is Microsoft, then you must enter the long account name as Internet E-mail — Microsoft.

Configuring Internet Only settings

When you configure the Internet Only settings, keep in mind the following item:

• After you select the accounts you want to create in the General section, you must configure options for the account in the appropriate settings section.

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Creating an Outlook profile automatically by using Newprof.exe

Newprof.exe is the tool that Outlook uses to create Outlook profiles. Usually, Outlook uses Newprof.exe only to create a new Outlook profile when no Outlook profile exists. If you want to create a new Outlook profile regardless of whether a profile already exists, you can use the Custom Installation Wizard to include Newprof.exe as an application to run after installation.

When you include Newprof.exe as a standalone application, you must also include a reference to a PRF file, a text file that contains Outlook profile settings information.

Toolbox   The Office Resource Kit includes a sample Outlook.prf file. This sample file contains an example and instructions for modifying the file to create various Outlook profiles. For information about installing Outlook.prf, see Outlook Information.

After you have created or modified a PRF file, you are ready to include Newprof.exe as part of the customized Office 2000 installation.

To add Newprof.exe to an Office 2000 installation

1. Start the Custom Installation Wizard.
2. On the Add Installations and Run Programs panel, click Add.
3. In the Command line box, type the following:

   <path1>Newprof.exe –p <path2>outlook.prf

   where path1 and path2 specify the path to Newprof.exe and Outlook.prf, respectively.

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Creating an Outlook profile by using environment variables

Both the Custom Outlook Installation Options panel in the Custom Installation Wizard and the PRF file now support user environment variables. This support means that you can use one set of Outlook profile settings to configure unique profiles for many different users.

Using logon scripts or batch files, you can set user environment variables on users’ computers. You can then refer to these variables in the Outlook profile settings as “%variable%”. For example, on computers running under Windows NT and Windows 2000, a user’s logon name is stored as the default user environment variable %USERNAME%. When configuring Outlook profile settings, you can use this variable in several ways. For example:

• Name of the profile — ProfileName = Microsoft - %USERNAME%
• Exchange mailbox name — MailboxName = %USERNAME%
• Name of a Personal Folders file — PathToPersonalFolders = C:\%USERNAME%.pst