Chapter 8: Special Deployment Scenarios for Outlook 2003 | Microsoft Office 2003 Editions Resource Kit (Pro-Resource Kit)

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Microsoft Office 2003 gives you considerable flexibility when you are installing in unique environments or with special configurations. You can ensure that Microsoft Office Outlook 2003 installs quietly and does not prompt the user when it starts for the first time. You can configure Outlook for Terminal Server environments or roaming scenarios. In addition, you can control whether Outlook is deployed before, with, or after your Office deployment. A new feature, RPC over HTTP, can be enabled in conjunction with a specific Microsoft Exchange Server configuration.

Ensuring a Quiet Installation and Startup for Outlook

Like the other Microsoft Office 2003 applications, Microsoft Office Outlook 2003 prompts users for information during installation—such as the installation location—and for information when a user first starts the application—such as Outlook profile information, account migration, and so on.

If you prefer to install Outlook 2003 without any user prompts, you can use Setup options to ensure a quiet installation, just as you can with any other Office 2003 application. In addition, you can use settings in the Custom Installation Wizard to configure your installation to prevent most user prompts when Outlook 2003 first runs.

Avoiding user prompts for profile creation

You can ensure that users are not prompted to enter profile information themselves when Outlook 2003 first starts by giving them a default Outlook profile. To configure a default profile for users, choose one of the following options on the Outlook: Customize Default Profile page of the Custom Installation Wizard:

New Profile Existing profiles are saved, but the new profile that you have defined becomes the default profile for all users.
Modify Profile Outlook uses the customizations you specify to create default profiles for users who do not have a profile.

On the Resource Kit CD

The Office 2003 Editions Resource Kit core tool set includes the Custom Installation Wizard. This tool is installed by default when you run the Office Resource Kit Setup program. For more information, see “Custom Installation Wizard” in Appendix A, “Toolbox.”

Avoiding user prompts to resolve similar Exchange Server user names

In the Custom Installation Wizard, you can configure user names for Microsoft Exchange Server mailboxes in Outlook profiles. You identify the user with a specific value or replaceable parameter. If you use the default %USERNAME%, then Outlook uses the user’s logon name.

You can specify =%USERNAME% to use the exact logon name provided, rather than prompting users with possible variations when Outlook starts. This will limit—but not eliminate—user prompts for name resolution.

To avoid user prompts for name resolution altogether, you configure an exact alias matching set. For more information about how to define an Active Directory directory service setting to always match user names exactly, see documentation for Active Directory.

Avoiding user prompts due to Personal Address Book conversions and Send Receipts options

Most required Outlook migration happens automatically when a user starts Outlook 2003 for the first time. Users typically see progress indicators as their account information and user data are migrated, but they are not prompted to enter any information. However, unless you customize your Outlook deployment, users might be prompted to choose options for Personal Address Book migration and Send Receipts options.

Controlling Personal Address Book conversions

If you want to prevent user prompts regarding Personal Address Book conversion for users starting Outlook 2003 for the first time, specify how the conversion will be managed by setting an option in the Custom Installation Wizard.

To prevent user prompting for Personal Address Book account conversion

In the Custom Installation Wizard, go to the Outlook: Customize Default Settings page.
Clear the check box next to Convert Personal Address Book (PAB file) to an Outlook Address Book.

When you clear this option, Outlook does not import an existing PAB file into a Contacts folder at Outlook startup, and the user is not asked to import the file.

Controlling Read Receipt settings

With Outlook 2003, users can now specify a default response to e-mail messages that arrive with a return receipt request. Users can set an option to always send a return receipt (when one is requested), to never send a return receipt, or to be prompted about sending a response when a return receipt is requested. When Outlook 2003 is first started, users are prompted to choose one of these options as a default setting.

Administrators may need to implement a default setting for read receipts, depending upon the policies of their organization. An organization may want to enforce the sending of read receipts as a way of ensuring accountability, for example, or they may want to turn off the option as a way of managing privacy. Either option can be set at the initial deployment of Outlook 2003.

If you want to avoid user prompts for specifying read receipt options when Outlook starts for the first time, specify a default read receipt response option for users in the Custom Installation Wizard.

To prevent user prompting to specify a default read receipt response

In the Custom Installation Wizard, on the Change Office User Settings page, click Microsoft Office Outlook 2003.
Click on the plus (+) sign to expand the node, then expand the node next to Tools | Options.
Expand the node next to Preferences, then expand the node next to E-mail Options.
Click Tracking Options.
Double-click Options in the right pane to open the Option Properties dialog.
Click Apply Changes, then choose an option in the When Outlook is asked to respond to a read request drop-down menu.
Click OK.

User prompts caused by other messaging clients

If a messaging client other than Outlook—such as Outlook Express or a third-party client—is defined as the default client on the user’s computer, there are special circumstances in which a user might be prompted for input when Outlook 2003 starts, such as the following:

A user has a non-Outlook client installed that is defined as the default messaging client after Outlook 2003 is installed, but before Outlook 2003 is run for the first time.

In this case, when Outlook starts, the user is asked if Outlook 2003 should be the default client.
A user has a non-Outlook client installed that is defined as the default messaging client with multiple accounts defined.

When Outlook starts, the user is prompted to choose one of the accounts to import to Outlook 2003.

Resources and related information

The Custom Installation Wizard offers a wide range of configuration options for defining and modifying user profiles. For more information about your options for configuring Outlook profiles, see “Customizing Outlook Features and Installation with the Custom Installation Wizard” in Chapter 7, “Deploying Outlook 2003.”

Outlook 2003 supports the same Setup command-line options that the other Office 2003 applications support. These options can be set to prevent any prompts from appearing during installation. For more information about ensuring a quiet installation of Office applications, including Outlook, see “Customizing How Setup Runs” in Chapter 4, “Customizing Office 2003.”