Time Zones (again)

Q: Whenever I change my clock, my all-day events change to two-day events throughout Outlook. It's a lot of work changing the events to one day events each time I change the time zone. Any suggestions for how I might avoid this issue?

The easiest fix is to not change the time zone unless it’s a permanent move. If you need to change the zone, use the dual time zone feature instead of constantly changing all day events. To use Outlook's dual time feature, right click on the time scale in day or week view, choose Change time zone then enable the Additional time zone feature. With this enabled, you’ll have a time scale displaying each time zone. If you keep your laptop set on your home time zone, turn off the clock display to lessen confusion.

If the move is permanent, there is a time zone move tool you can use to adjust times - it works in all versions of outlook. http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=E343A233-B9C8-4652-9DD8-AE0F1AF62568 

If the time zone move tool doesn’t meet your needs, you can export to a CSV or Excel format when the appointment times are correct, fix the computer so the time zone is correct then import. Note that exporting will break all recurring events.

If you are making this change each time your area goes to and from daylight saving time, you need to use the correct DST setting for your zone (and make sure you have the correct time zone data installed) - this will eliminate issues when daylight time begins and ends. See http://support.microsoft.com/gp/cp_dst for more info on worldwide updates.

You can find the latest time zone update at http://support.microsoft.com/kb/951072/.

Exchange Management Tools for Vista

An administrator asked how to install Exchange 2003 management tools on a Vista workstation.

While Microsoft has released Exchange System Manager for Windows Vista, using remote desktop is a better option, especially since the ESM tools can't be installed on a system running Outlook, due to CDO issues. Some administrators set up a "management server" with all the network management tools installed and configure it for VPN access then use remote desktop and VPN to access it securely from anywhere.

Exchange System Manager for Windows Vista
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=3403d74e-8942-421b-8738-b3664559e46f
 

Outlook Quick Tip: Task and Flag Reminder Times

An Outlook user wondered why he could specify the due date on a tasks but not the time the task is due.

By design, tasks are events which don't start or end at a specific time. If you need to set a task for a specific time and a reminder at that time won't suffice, make an appointment instead.

You can choose the default reminder time for tasks in Tools, Options, Preferences tab. This setting is used when you create a new task with a reminder.

The default reminder time for flags also confuses many users. The default for items flagged for follow up on a future date is the starting time of your workday as defined in Tools, Options, Calendar options. The default for items flagged for follow up “today” is one hour before the end of the work day.

Blocked External Content and Email Tracking

One of my pet peeves is web bugs and the faulty assumptions companies make on the basis of the data they collect from the use of the web bug. Web bugs, like read receipts, are one of those annoying things that some people think are the end all, be all of tracking.

I got three messages this week from companies that think I don't read their email, based on web bug tracking:

"We noticed you haven't opened any emails from us in the last few months, and we hate the idea of us cluttering up your inbox."

I don’t think they considered that this is because I keep external content blocked unless I need to see the images that are blocked.

"Do nothing! Now that you've opened this e-mail, we will continue to… "

How do you KNOW I'm reading your mail? It's obvious that I read the message since I copied it, but since I block external content, you'll never know I read the message.

Like read receipts, web bugs are easily defeated in newer email clients and shouldn't be relied on. A response indicating the recipient read the message tells you which recipients too some action, but not getting a response doesn't mean the recipient didn't read the message - it only means he didn't send a response back.

If you really need to know if a recipient read your message, ask him to hit reply. Or pick up the phone and call. It's the only sure fire way to know your message was read.

IMAP and Junk E-mail Read Receipts

Speaking of read receipts, there may be a bug with IMAP accounts and read receipts in Outlook 2007. When you move messages with a receipt request to the Junk E-mail folder and empty the Junk E-mail folder using another client, the setting in Tools, Options, Email Options, Tracking Options may be ignored. If so, read receipts are returned when Outlook syncs with the server and purges the junk folder.

 The steps to repro are as follows:

1. Send yourself some messages with receipts requested and move them to Junk E-mail.
2. Sync with IMAP and update all folders then close Outlook.
3. Empty junk email folder using a different client.
4. Reopen outlook.
5. When outlook updates the folder, it ignores the Tracking setting and always returns receipts as it syncs the junk mail folder, purging the messages deleted from the other client.

I haven't been able to repro it using my IMAP server, but if it happens to you, mark the Junk E-mail messages read before closing Outlook, or before syncing with the IMAP server. This will trigger the receipt request and Outlook will respond according to your tracking setting. You can also avoid problems by only emptying the Junk folder from Outlook (marking the folder read first just to safe).