Upgrading to Outlook - any pitfalls please?

[Ol' Miles]

Hello - 1st time - so i'm a bit nervousss - :0

I am about to use Outlook, - upgrading from OE.

Used OE for eons, and know my way round it, but I NEED Calendar n stuff so Outlook it IS - then!

But, I also need to synch with my phone [software for that is not an issue here] so calendar is on it, and my phone Contacts are copied/backed up too

So any pearls of wisdom please on what TO do - or NOT do,

- are there any "you should have done this fisrt" types of advice?

Also I have an extensive email address list that are in my OE address list, that I don't want copied onto my phone.

So I think I need two 'users'

one for email, and

one for Calendar/phone contacts update/exchange

So any advice or direction will be very welcome

Ol' Miles

[-pops-]

If you haven't bought Outlook yet then try Thunderbird.

http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/thunderbird/

Unlike Outlook it's free and has most, if not all, of the facilities.

It's a Mozilla program - same source as Firefox.

[catgate]

Speaking as I do, from an incredible depth of ignorance, I would whole heartedly agree with pops' statement.

[Scarecrow Man]

Also, have a look at my thread about calendar / email clients.

http://forums.windowsforum.org/index.php?showtopic=35264

Most specifically Mozilla Sunbird, as this program will run separately your current email program without the need to change anything.

I do, however, suggest upgrading from Outlook Express to a more stable program such as Thunderbird, as Outlook Express does have its flaws. As -pops- says:

Unlike Outlook it's free and has most, if not all, of the facilities.

and with Addons hundreds more.

[ɹəuəllıʍ ʇɐb]

Just a small correction about terms: you cannot "upgrade" from Outlook Express to Microsoft Outlook (or Thunderbird, or Sunbird), as they are completely different applications.

It is a migration process, if you need to carry your old email data to the new client.

P.S. I am using Thunderbird (beside Outlook), but I am unaware that TB has a calendar functionality.

P.P.S. How about OpenOffice.org - does it have a component with a calendar?

[Edit: corr. misspell]

[-pops-]

My apologies. Sunbird is the calendar function associated with Thunderbird (and Firefox).

Using Sunbird and Thunderbird you should have a setup which is much better than Outlook.

[Ol' Miles]

Well thank you, pops, Catgate, Scarecrow n Pat.

The Mozilla idea appeals at one level, but sadly, I need to use Outlook so that I get to know it, understand it's structure and be able to advise others in how to use it - and fix it too no doubt :( .

In a (recent) previous life I was subjected to my employers use of Lotus Notes , so I backed up and managed my phone contacts via a separate database within Notes. This aspect worked well for me, enabling 'off phone' editing and number lookups. So I'm looking to emulate that in some way, but could retain OE just to do this, I guess.

I use Nokia PC suite to synch my phone.

BTW, I have been using OpenOffice 2.2 and it doesn't have a calendar function.

[AlanHo]

I have used Outlook for Emails, contacts, calendar and tasks since it was first launched. Originally when I was employed and now privately. It does everything I need - and has lots of features that I don't. It is much easier to back up and restore its settings and data than OE which has proved invaluable on more than one occasion.

Being the industry standard I find that there are lots of gadgets that work seamlessly with it. PDA's and mobile phones are examples. My Siemens house DECT phones and my Motorola mobile can both be plugged into the computer and exchange contact details with Outlook.

So my question is - in what ways are Thunderbird and Sunbird better than Outlook. What am I missing that could encourage me to change...?

This is a serious question and not just idle curiosity.

[ɹəuəllıʍ ʇɐb]

In some corporate environments there is simply no choice but to use Outlook (e.g. with an Exchange Server). I have used it since Outlook 97 (currently 2003), and I am happy with it; it is really easy to use.

Back to the "upgrade": do you need to import Outlook Express data, or can you start with a clean state? That would be the most easy way.

There are several members here who know Outlook pretty well, so just ask if you have any questions

[-pops-]

Alan - the way that Sunbird and Thunderbird are better than Outlook lies mainly in the financial outlay. If you already have Outlook then I would suggest staying as you are.

[Ol' Miles]

AlanHo, thanks for your input

It does everything I need - and has lots of features that I don't.

It is much easier to back up and restore its settings and data than OE which has proved invaluable on more than one occasion.

Being the industry standard I find that there are lots of gadgets that work seamlessly with it. PDA's and mobile phones are examples.

So can I, for example, have 2 users then, one of which would actually be my phone contacts only, or can I select what to synch?

The Nokia software just seems to find 'a' database, so maybe I need to find another synch program?

Can anyone suggest another mobile (nokia) synch program please, unless Outlook can do it already?

Thanks

[AlanHo]

So can I, for example, have 2 users then, one of which would actually be my phone contacts only, or can I select what to synch?

The Nokia software just seems to find 'a' database, so maybe I need to find another synch program?

Can anyone suggest another mobile (nokia) synch program please, unless Outlook can do it already?

Thanks

I do not share my computer with anybody - so have only one account set up. I am not sure how Outlook works if installed in two separate accounts.

To answer your question about transferring data to phones. I have a main contacts folder with all my contacts listed for Email and mail merge purposes. I have created a separate folder in Outlook for mobile phone contacts and yet a third for home phone contacts.

Into each of the phone folders I have copied just those contacts I want to transfer to the phones. For reasons I don't need to go into I do not have exactly the same list of contacts in my home phones and mobile - if I did - I would need only one phone folder.

The Siemens software allows me to select the contacts in the Home Phones folder and synchronise them with the house phones.

Similarly - the installed Motorola software allows me to select and synchronise my mobile with the Mobile Phone folder in Outlook.

By this means I can ensure that my home phones and mobile each have the appropriate contact details installed.

I cannot help you with Nokia software - there must be sutable software to synchronise Nokia phones with Outlook - have you Googled for it or asked your phone seller...?

Click here for example

[Ol' Miles]

Thanks again Alan

I will be using Outlook, so I guess I just need to get into it, - various comments that I have picked up over the years have been positive about it's usage, it seems that when it falls over and the pst is lost/corrupted thats when problems can occur.

So I'll learn when I go n do it.

Ciao

[AlanHo]

Thanks again Alan

I will be using Outlook, so I guess I just need to get into it, - various comments that I have picked up over the years have been positive about it's usage, it seems that when it falls over and the pst is lost/corrupted thats when problems can occur.

So I'll learn when I go n do it.

Ciao

I am sure you already know that if you have valuable data - be it Outlook or anything else - you need a proper back-up strategy. All my data is on the D: drive and automatically incrementally backed up when I shut down the computer each evening to an external hard drive using software called Second Copy. I have never experienced a corrupt pst file - but recently had a hard drive failure which took all my data with it. Fortunately - I was able to recover all data quite easily. I have set up Outlook so that the pst files are stored with the data files on my D: drive - rather than on the C: drive. This makes backing up all data easier.

I also back up my whole system each week (OS, programmes and data) to the external hard drive using Acronis True Image.

Belt and braces maybe - but excellent insurance which has served me well.

[ɹəuəllıʍ ʇɐb]

So can I, for example, have 2 users then, one of which would actually be my phone contacts only, or can I select what to synch?

Yes, you can have multiple accounts on Outlook; different account types, too (POP/SMTP, IMAP, Exchange). You can have Outlook prompt you what account to open when it starts. You cannot switch accounts "on the fly"; you have to restart Outlook to start with a new account.

If your data is important to you, you need to backup your PST file(s) regularly. Make sure that Outlook is closed when you back up, otherwise your backup PST files will be unusable. Also, test your backup/restore scenario; I've seen a case recently (at the microsoft.outlook newsgroup) where a guy has done daily backups of his PST file since 1997, then had a HD crash. Just to find out that his backup files for more than ten years were all empty!

[Ol' Miles]

Thanks Pat, especially the tip about pst backups