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MS Outlook.

Started by Mr. Muddle, March 08, 2003, 18:45 hrs

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Mr. Muddle

Hi Everyone.

Does anyone know what the easiest way is to send the same email message to all the email addresses in an Excel file in one shot?

Does MS Outlook allow an email to be composed and sent to all the recipients in an Excel file?

Can Outlook Express do the above?

When setting up MS Outlook to read emails form a certain address, how do you stop Outlook from stealing the emails from the other adresses's inbox? I have managed to stop the robbery in Outlook Express, but how is it done in MS Outlook?

Where is the option in MS Outlook which allows you to set it as default?

I understand that MS Outlook is the industry standard email program and Outlook Express is the little league program thrown in for free with Windows, but I'm really wondering if it isn't the other way around!

Thanks.

query

I haven't tried it with Outlook, but you can do a mail merge with Microsoft Word using the Excel spreadsheet and email that way.  If you have to use the same list over and over, it's probably worth setting up a distribution list in Excel with those names (cut and paste).

I'm not sure what you're asking about "stealing emails", but if you mean that you want to download the emails without deleting them from the server, go to the account in question in Outlook (where this is depends on the version - you can get to it from the Mail icon in the Windows control panel with 2000 and earlier, or from Tools/Email accounts in Outlook XP), then to the Advanced tab.  Check the box that says "leave a copy of the email on the server".

The setting to make Outlook the default is under Tools/Options/Other.

Outlook can do everything OE can do, and then some - it's just that it's such a powerful program that some of the options aren't easy to find (and the fact that Microsoft keeps moving them from place to place with each new version doesn't help matters much, either).


Mr. Muddle

Thanks Query.

I've got another question...

I followed your instructions for leaving a copy on the server, but as the account is not set up yet, I cannopt choose it in order to leave copies on it's server, so how can I prevent the emails from downloading when I set it up the very first time?

Can't the emails form Excel be sent from Outlook Express?

Thanks.

Mr. Muddle

query

If, when you set up the email account in Outlook, you immediately go into the Advanced tab and choose  the "leave a copy of the email on the server" it will do that without download/deleting them.

Excel should be able to use Outlook Express to email, IF OE is the default email client - if Outlook is, it will use Outlook first.


Mr. Muddle

Thanks Query.

But...

I have entered the addresses in Excel.
I have composed the letter in Word.
I have merged the two together.
When I click to merge, I select Electronic Mail form the 'merge to' box.
I click 'Merge' and I get the 'Choose Profile' box.
The choose profile box only lists Microsoft Outlook even though I have Outlook Express set as the default!
How can I get this to work on Outlook Express?
I have looked at the options to 'create new' but that only asks for a profile name.

Thanks.

Mr. Muddle

Hi Query.

Please note that my version came with MS Office 97 Professional Ed.

Also...

"The setting to make Outlook the default is under Tools/Options/Other"

I don't have an 'Other' tab in Options so where can it be?

"go to the account in question in Outlook (where this is depends on the version - you can get to it from the Mail icon in the Windows control panel with 2000 and earlier, or from Tools/Email accounts in Outlook XP), then to the Advanced tab"

There isn't an advanced tab either!

Is there something wrong with my Outlook?


query

No, but as I wrote that I was using Outlook 2000 and 2002.

In 97, most of the advanced mail features are in the mail profile (look in the control panel for Mail, then choose the default profile).


Mr. Muddle

Thanks Query.

I had already done that, but it only didn't say anything about 'default'; it just mentioned that the following profiles are set up on this computer. How am I to know that that meant Outlook was the default?!?!? IDIOTS!

Anyway, I tried it again but it's the same story; I get the bunch of emails in the Outlook inbox with 'Undleiverable' in the subjust line.

Any closer to getting it solved?

Mr. Muddle

Hi again.

This is the message I get in the body of the undelivered emails in the Outlook box:

Your message did not reach some or all of the intended recipients.

     Subject:   XXXXXXXXXXXX.
     Sent:   3/12/03 9:28 AM

The following recipient(s) could not be reached:

     XXXXXX@XXXXXX.com' on 3/12/03 9:28 AM
           No transport provider was available for delivery to this recipient.

query

This is a generic outlook error message that can have any number of causes.

What accounts are set up in Outlook (i.e., just POP3, IMAP/Exchange, etc.)?  And for POP3 accounts, have you verified that you can send single messages?

Just a single error in a mass mailing list with Outlook 97 can cause the whole set to bounce with that error -verify that the email addresses are OK.


Mr. Muddle

Hi Query,

I don't think any accounts are set up at the moment.

How do I verify that I can send single messages?

I am testing it with only four email addresses, all of which are mine and a friend's and which we use everyday, so that can't be the problem.

Thnaks.

query

You must have an account set up, or you'll get the 'no transport provider' error - if there is no account set up, there's nowhere for Outlook to send outgoing mail.

Verify your email settings (whether corporate exchange server or POP3/Internet mail - you need to have the smtp server set up correctly for outlook to deliver mail).  If you are on your ISP's network, that's all you should need - if you are off-network, sending won't work without outgoing authenticaion (if available -- if it's not, outgoing mail won't work at all from off-network).

Once your email settings are verified, compose an email to yourself and send it - that will test the outgoing and incoming mail server.

Mr. Muddle

Thanks Query.

I have tried setting up an account but it still is not working and I wish to go back to where it was before I tried to add the account. Could you please possibly take me through the steps to remove the new account along with how to check that the setting are as before?

My Outlook came with Office 97 Professional Ed.

Thanks very much.

query

Open up the Mail icon in the control panel - the accounts that are set up will be in there.  If you set up the test account to be the default, it will show up as "MS Outlook Settings" unless you changed the name when you created it - you can delete it or alter it as you need to.

Mr. Muddle

Thanks very much Query.

The following three are listed in the properties box:

Internet E-Mail - XX
Outlook address book
Personal Folders

XX is the name I gave to the new account, so do I just have to delete the 'Internet E-Mail - XX' entry?

If that's what I have to do, then will all the things which I typed in during the setup process, such as the POP3 and SMTP servers, etc, be deleted also?

Thanks.

query

If you need to remove that profile, yes, deleting it will remove all the POP3, SMTP, etc., settings.

If you have an address book set up, don't remove that option -- or you will lose it as well.

Mr. Muddle

Thanks Query.

If you have got the time, then I think the best thing to do is to carry out a test using my email account at hotmail because I cannot even send mail at the moment. If I click the send button, Outlook freezes but the rest of my programs on the taskbar work fine.

So, what do I do first to simply send an email from Outlook using X@hotmail.com?

Is it possible to enter POP3 and SMTP addresses from a site besides Hotmail to send emails from X@hotmail.com (via Outlook), e.g. enter the Yahoo POP3 and SMYTP addressesto set up the Hotmail account?

Thanks.

dcsun

No, obviously you can't use another company's server addresses to send through Hotmail, since you'd then be sending it through their server ;).  You can mix and match incoming and outgoing servers if you wish, for example I use my cable isp as the outgoing server and my own server for incoming mail, but to send or receive mail through a service you need to use the exact addresses they provide.

I don't know if Hotmail allows you to check your e-mail through POP3, but I doubt it since that would bypass their advertisements and potentially add a lot of system load if you set it to check for new mail every x minutes.

query

No reputable ISP or email service will allow you to send mail off-network or without authentication through their servers - they'd end up hip-deep in spam that way.

I don't recall Hotmail allowing POP3, but I know they don't do smtp from off-network.

Yahoo does have a POP3/IMAP option but it is not free of charge.

Whatever ISP you have probably does offer email - pop3 down and smtp up - but it may be authenticated, so you may have to use a username and password for each email sent (that's available in the Advanced options for the account for Outlook 98 on up).

You can always try relaying mail through another ISP if you know their mailserver - the message won't go through, but you will know of the attempt being made when you get a "relaying denied" error from the server.

Mr. Muddle

Thanks Query and DCSun.

I have finally been able to get to the stage where my Outlook began downloading the emails from the inbox of the account I want to use. (I quickly exited, so that the emails remained where they were!)

Anyway, I am able to compose a message in Outlook but EVERYTIME I hit the 'send' button, Outlook completely freezes. (The rest of my progs work fine.) I have to do a ctrl+alt+del each time. If I don't, then after a while all my progs freeze, except the mouse arrow.

I've used the SMTP given to me by my ISP and the POP3 given to me by the company whose email I want to use with my Outlook.

Any ideas?

Thanks.

query

Will it work with Outlook Express?  If so, I'd do a complete uninstall of Office, then apply the Office Eraser, reboot, and do a reinstall of Office including the service packs (to SP3 for Off 2000 or SP2 for 2002).

Mr. Muddle

#21
Hi Query,

Yes, it works fine with Outlook Express.

I really do not want to do a re-install unless it is the very last resort. Is there ANYTHING else that I can check first?

What is the Office Eraser?

Update:

I have now managed to get Outlook to send an email!!! As usual though, I have a few questions...

How do I stop it from downloading the email from the inbox of the address I have set up?

How can I send my email instantly without it going to the Outbox for a little nap?

When I click 'check for new mail on' and ok, the email I have composed gets sent and the emails in my account's inbox start to get downloaded. The problem is that if I click to cancel, it ignores me, but when I click the little 'x' in the corner, it stops but freezes in exactly the same way that I mentioned before.

Thanks.

query

Uninstalling Office (including the eraser tool):
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=http://support.microsoft.com:80/support/kb/articles/Q219/4/23.ASP&NoWebContent=1

The eraser removes what the uninstaller leaves behind.d

Look under Tools/Services, select the profile and account.  There'll be a checkbox under Advanced options to disable checking mail from that mailbox (there's also a checkbox that allows you to check but leave mail on the server).

If you have an open connection to your smtp server, mail should be sent almost instantly after you click send.  If there is a delay, chances are the connection to the server is the cause.  See if you can telnet into the server (telnet servername.ispname.domain 25) -- you should see an SMTP ready status line.  If you don't, you have a connection problem and should contact your ISP.


Mr. Muddle

Hi Query,

Which one of the following do I choose under the Connection tab in the properties of the Internet Email that I've set up (I use a cable modem which is constantly connected to the Internet)?

I use a LAN connection
I connect manually
I use a modem to access my email

If I choose 'I use a modem to access my email' and click on properties, do I need to enter any info in the 'Phone number' field?

Thanks.

query

Unless you use a modem to dial up specifically to check your email, use the "lan connection" option - it will work if you check your email while you're already logged on to your ISP (whether that's through a dialup or through a broadband connection such as DSL or cable).


Mr. Muddle

Hi Query,

'Look under Tools/Services, select the profile and account.  There'll be a checkbox under Advanced options to disable checking mail from that mailbox (there's also a checkbox that allows you to check but leave mail on the server).'

There is only an option to check and leave mail on the server. There isn't one that allows it to be disabled. Should there be one?

'See if you can telnet into the server (telnet servername.ispname.domain 25) -- you should see an SMTP ready status line.'

Could you explain the above as I don't have a clue as to what it means.

I intend to try the above suggestions that you have made and as a last resort uninstall because now even when I click Tools and Options, it freezes! How weird can you get?!

Thanks.

query

If the box indicating "leave mail on server" is not checked, the mail will be removed after it is downloaded.

You can check your mail server availability by:

Opening a DOS or command window.
Type telnet <servername> 25  (get the server name from your ISP).

You should see a string that indicates you've connected to your mail server's smtp service.  If nothing appears, or you get a "connect failure" you have the wrong servername.


Mr. Muddle

Hi Query,

Thanks for all the help.


I've got as far as setting up the account, leaving mail on the server and sending mail via a mail merge from MS Word, to email addresses in an Excel file.

The Excel file only contained 4 email addresses because I just wanted to test if it worked.

It worked, but when I tried to do the same with the long list of email addresses (about 200) the Outlook freezes and the MS Word document freezes. I can still use my other programs fine. Freezing meaning that the mouse changes to the timer/hourglass and none of the programs buttons can be clicked but the timer/mouse can be moved to click another program on the taskbar.

Why is it working for 4 addresses and freezing for 200?

Thanks

query

Look under the properties for the connection to the server and increase the timeout time.  On the Advanced page for the connection (accound) there will be a slider that you can use to increase the server timeout -- set it for five minutes and see if that fixes the problem.

Mr. Muddle

Thanks Query,

Before I attempt that, I have another question.

Is the freezing SUPPOSED to happen? I ask this because I have never sent emails to 200 recipients before, so I don't know how long it should take to send using a 128K modem. Is Outlook supposed to stop you from clicking any of its buttons while the emails are being sent? If so, then that would explain why it freezes, but it stays like that for so long, that I was wondering how long is too long?