Outlook Hints and Tips

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ALIQUANTUM

Please note the information contained in these notes refers to using Outlook 2003.

Creating Data Files

If you retain large numbers of emails you may find it beneficial to create individual Data Files for individual folders within Outlook rather than simply creating additional folders in your Personal folders where you Inbox is stored. This will result in smaller and more manageable file sizes for your .pst files (.pst is the file extension given to your Outlook files on your computer) in which you emails are stored. Some examples of file sizes are given below to assist in understanding how having all this data in one .pst file may cause instability in your Outlook application.

It is also worth understanding that it is beneficial to keep all your .pst files in one place on your hard drive. When you create an additional Data File your PC will automatically direct you to save it with your other .pst files.

For further guidance consult the information supplied by Microsoft by following this link where you will be provided with clear guidance as follows:

Create a .pst file while Outlook is running
loadTOCNode(2, 'moreinformation'); To create a .pst file while Outlook is running, follow these steps:

1.	On the File menu, point to New, and then click Outlook Data File.
2.	In the Types of storage area, click Office Outlook Personal Folders File (.pst) to create a new Outlook 2003 .pst file. Click Outlook 97-2002 Personal Folders File (.pst) to create a new Outlook .pst file that is compatible with earlier versions of Outlook.
3.	Click OK.
4.	Use the default Outlook folder location, or you can locate a different folder location.
5.	In the File name box, type a name for the new .pst file, or you can use the default name. Click OK.
6.	In the Name box, type a title for the .pst file, or you can use the default title of Personal Folders. The title that you enter in the Name box is the name that is used on the Outlook 2003 All Mail Folders list, and it is applied to any shortcuts that are made for the .pst file on the Outlook Bar. You can also select an encryption setting and a password for the .pst file. After you select the settings that you want, click OK. Note You cannot change the encryption setting after you create the .pst file. For more information about the encryption settings, see the "Security settings for .pst files" section in this article.
7.	The new .pst file is added to the Outlook 2003 All Mail Folders list. To view the Folder List, click Folder List on the Go menu.

CREATING A NEW FOLDER IN CONTACTS

You can organise your contacts by using different folders to retain information in a pertinent way for your needs.

1. Create a folder in Contacts by clicking on File, New, Folder

2. Name your new Contacts folder and click OK

3. To use your new folder:

Click on the folder to highlight and open it:

To put contact information into your new folder, EITHER

Click on the new Contact icon and enter the details:

Go into another contacts folder and select a contact you wish to place in your new folder and left click and drag the contact into your new folder.

Creating a Database from your Contacts Folder

If you wish to do so you can use the information in your Contacts to use for a variety of things, including Mailmerge.
To create your database you will need to export the data from your Contacts folder into an Excel spreadsheet, a CSV file or an Access format. To do this:

1. In Contacts select file and Import/Export

2.         Follow the steps in the Import/Export Wizard. First select Export to a File and click on Next.



3.         Select the Application of your preference to use for your database and click Next

4. Select the Contacts folder you wish to export from and click Next:

5. Name the file you wish to export to and click on Browse to select the folder you will keep the information in.

6. Either select a folder or create one to save your file and click on OK.

7. Click on Finish and your data will be exported.

Tip: You should have AutoRecover set on all your Microsoft® Office applications so that you lose the minimum amount of work in a file if your PC or application ‘falls over’. To set your AutoRecover in Word:

1. Select Tools from your top menu bar and click on Options

2. Select the Save tab and tick the AutoRecover box and set the number of minutes using the up and down arrows to increase or decrease the number of minutes between saves.