Exchanging Outlook Data with Other Applications

Outlook can store and track a wide variety of information. However, if Outlook could manage all of the information you ever needed in the most efficient and user-friendly way possible, there would be no need for any other programs such as Excel, Access, or other personal information managers (PIMs).

If you used one of these other programs before installing Outlook, you'll probably want to import your existing PIM information into Outlook 2003. You also might want to export your existing Outlook information to share with friends or colleagues who do or don't have Outlook.

Importing Data During Installation from a Previous Email Client

If you previously used another email client, you probably don't want to lose all your data. You can automatically import data during the initial setup of Outlook 2003 if you previously used Outlook Express or Eudora as your email client. After you perform the initial setup steps and launch Outlook for the first time, you'll receive the message shown in Figure 23.1.

Figure 23.1. Outlook asks whether you would like to import existing email account settings from another email program.

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If you want to import your account settings from Outlook Express, select Yes. Outlook will import your existing settings and launch when it finishes.

For more information about setting up Outlook 2003, see "Installing Outlook 2003," p. 903.


If you don't import your account settings when Outlook first loads, you can perform the import at a later date:

  1. To import Internet mail account settings, select File, Import and Export to display Figure 23.2.

    Figure 23.2. You can import your Internet mail account settings from Outlook Express and Eudora.

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  2. Select Import Internet Mail Account Settings and click Next to display Figure 23.3.

    Figure 23.3. Outlook will detect the email software installed on your computer.

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  3. Select the particular email client software you want to import settings from and click Next. If multiple accounts exist in your source email client, you'll need to choose which account to import. You can import settings from only one account at a time.

  4. Select the account you want to import and click Next to display the Internet Connection Wizard.

  5. Enter the display name for your imported account and click Next. The display name will appear in the From field of all outgoing messages.

  6. The next screen of the Internet Connection Wizard will already contain the email address you're importing from your other email program. Click Next to display Figure 23.4.

    Figure 23.4. Outlook automatically fills in the type of email account and the incoming and outgoing mail servers.

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    You can change the type of mail account or the incoming and outgoing server names in this screen. However, if your email was previously working in Outlook Express or Eudora, it's best to leave this information as Outlook populates it. Click Next to display Figure 23.5.

    Figure 23.5. Outlook asks you to confirm your account name and asks for a password.

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  7. Even if you chose to save your password in Outlook Express, you still must enter your password again for Outlook. Click the Remember Password box if you want Outlook to store your password.

    NOTE

    Store your password within Outlook only if you know your computer is secure. Storing your password in Outlook enables anyone with access to your computer to receive email through Outlook if you aren't at your desk.

  8. If your Internet service provider (ISP) requires you to use secure password authentication to access your email, select the box marked Log On Using Secure Password Authentication (SPA). Click Next to display Figure 23.6.

    Figure 23.6. Even if you've already chosen how to connect to the Internet, you need to select your preferred choice again.

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  9. When you first set up your computer and attempt to connect to the Internet, you need to select the method you want to use to connect. When importing Internet mail settings into Outlook, you need to confirm your Internet connection method. Choose either Connect Using My Phone Line, Connect Using My Local Area Network (LAN), or I Will Establish My Internet Connection Manually.

  10. Click Next to display the summary screen and click Finish to complete the Internet Mail Settings import.

You can confirm that your import was successful by selecting Tools, Email Accounts and choosing View or Change Existing Email Accounts. Click Next to display Figure 23.7.

Figure 23.7. Your imported email account should be listed.

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After you've verified that your imported account is there, you can change settings or click Finish to exit.

NOTE

When you import Internet mail settings from another program, you might lose certain settings, such as the one to leave mail on the server. It's a good idea to verify these settings within Outlook. To access the advanced settings, choose your imported account from the list in Figure 23.7 and click Change. This enables you to access the More Settings dialog box and verify these settings.


Importing Data from Outlook Express

Importing your Internet email account settings from Outlook Express to Outlook does not import all of your previously received email messages. If you want to import your messages from Outlook Express to Outlook, use the following steps:

  1. Select File, Import and Export.

    NOTE

    If you've installed Business Contact Manager, you can select File, Import and Export, Outlook to display the dialog shown previously in Figure 23.2.

  2. Select Import Internet Mail and Addresses and click Next to display the Outlook Import Tool (see Figure 23.8).

    Figure 23.8. Choose the Internet mail application that contains your mail and address book.

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  3. Select either Eudora (Pro and Light) or Outlook Express.

  4. You can choose to import Mail, the Address Book, and Rules. Click Next to display the Import Addresses dialog box shown in Figure 23.9.

    Figure 23.9. Importing contacts might create duplicates. Choose your preferred duplicate-handling procedure.

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  5. When you import mail or addresses, you might end up with duplicate email messages or contacts. You can select from three different duplicate resolution options: Replace Duplicates with Items Imported, Allow Duplicates to Be Created, or Do Not Import Duplicate Items. Choose one of these options and click Finish.

  6. When Outlook has completed importing your settings, a summary screen is displayed, as shown in Figure 23.10. You can choose to save this summary information as an email message in your inbox.

    Figure 23.10. Outlook displays a summary of the import procedure.

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Your email messages, rules, and contacts should now be visible in Outlook.

Importing Data from Other Mail Clients

You can also import data from other email clients, including Netscape and Microsoft Internet Mail clients. Unfortunately, Outlook 2003 does not have a direct import routine for these other mail clients. If you need to import addresses or messages from other mail clients, use Outlook Express as a bridge between the mail client and Outlook 2003. Select File, Import in Outlook Express to select either the Address Book or Messages, and follow the steps of the Import Wizard to import your messages and address book into Outlook Express. Then you can use the steps previously described to import messages and addresses from Outlook Express to Outlook 2003.



Special Edition Using Microsoft Office Outlook 2003
Special Edition Using Microsoft Office Outlook 2003
ISBN: 0789729563
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2003
Pages: 426

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