Configuring and Using Outlook 2007, OWA

Outlook is a graphical email program than runs on Windows XP computers. It is a combined email and calendar program used widely on campus. People who need to schedule meetings with others both within and beyond the College of Engineering need an Exchange account from ITS and should use Outlook, either the full version (Outlook) or the web-based version (OWA, Outlook Web Access). Request an Outlook account from the Engineering College liaison.

ITS supports Outlook 2003, 2007, and the web-based version called OWA, Outlook Web Access, on their Exchange server.

Configuring Outlook

How to configure Outlook for use as calendar-only program or to read your engineering mail.

Replying to Meeting Requests

Because Outlook's calendar is built on email messages, when you reply to a meeting request, select the option to Send the response now and click OK. If you do not send a response, whether accepting or declining a meeting, the meeting organizer will not know your attendance status.

Using the OWA

OWA (Outlook Web Access)

To run the OWA, you need only a web browser. Because the OWA is browser-based, you do not need to configure it, though there are options you can set that control the view, date format, reminders, etc.

Start your browser and use the URL http://email.uiowa.edu. You'll see the opening screen, shown below. You must include the domain "iowa" in the Domain\user name field; in the illustrations below you see "iowa\bgreene". Enter your password. If you are using IE, the default is the premium client; use that because it has more functions than the basic client. All other browsers use the light version. From IE only, you can chose the light version by clicking in the box "Use Outlook Web Access Light" at the bottom of the login dialogue box.

OWA splash screen

See the ITS OWA pages for more information about using the OWA.

Signatures

Outlook lets you create many signature files and to use a different signature for new messages and for reply/forward messages. Go to Tools | Options | Mail Format and look at the bottom of dialogue box in the "Signatures" section. Click on the Signatures button to create a new signature. In the Create Signature dialogue box, click New. Name the new signature and create it or use an existing signature and modify it. Note that any signatures you create with the Outlook client are not known or used by the OWA. Create a signature to use with the OWA by clicking Options and clicking "Automatically include my signature on outgoing messages"; enter your signature in the available space.

Addresses

Outlook uses Contacts to save email addresses. To add an address to Contacts using Outlook, when viewing a message, right click on the name to save and select Add to Outlook Contacts. You can add additional information such as mailing addresses, phone numbers, job title, etc. Click Save and Close to add the entry to your Contacts.

Folders

To create a new folder: File | New | Folder. When viewing a message, select File | Move to folder; you can move the message to an existing folder or create a new one. See also the ITS info on Outlook folders.

Sent Messages

By default Outlook saves copies of sent messages in the folder Sent Items. To change the default setting, go to Tools | Options | E-mail Options and uncheck Save copies of messages in Sent Items folder.