Software Installation with GPO - how to configure Personal Outlook Address Book?

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Per Hagstrom - 13 Oct 2006 20:51 GMT

I'm trying to push out Office 2003 using Software Installation via GPO.
By default after the installation the endusers can't lookup their personal
contact they have added, (in Outlook) when sending a new email.
If they right click on the "Contacts" folder and go to the "Outlook Address
Book" tab, the "Show this folder as an e-mail Address Book" check box is
greyed out. Have to go to "Email Accounts..." and add a new "Outlook Address
Book", then they can check the box and everything is fine.

Is there any way this could be configured automatically, via the Custom
Installation Wizard or any other way?

TIA!!

/ Per

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Sue Mosher [MVP-Outlook] - 13 Oct 2006 21:41 GMT

Under some circumstances, the Outlook Address
Book service will not get added to a new mail profile, even though the .mst
file includes a .prf file that should add it. The solution is to use the CIW
to create another .prf file and just export it from the CIW; don't include
it in the .mst file. In this one, you'll want to set it to modify the
existing profile, not create an Exchange account, and add the Outlook
Address Book. You can deploy that .prf file as an additional file with the
CIW installation, post in on your intranet, etc. and tell users to run it if
they have problems getting their Contacts to show up in the Outlook Address
Book.

Signature

Sue Mosher, Outlook MVP
Author of Configuring Microsoft Outlook 2003
http://www.turtleflock.com/olconfig/index.htm
and Microsoft Outlook Programming - Jumpstart for
Administrators, Power Users, and Developers
http://www.outlookcode.com/jumpstart.aspx

> I'm trying to push out Office 2003 using Software Installation via GPO.
> By default after the installation the endusers can't lookup their personal
[quoted text clipped - 10 lines]
>
> / Per

Reply to this Message

Per Hagstrom - 24 Oct 2006 19:59 GMT

I've tried different things, but after I export the .prf file, I'm not
successful in getting it to apply to anyone...
Could you give me some more details on how you apply it?

Many thanks!

/ Per

Under some circumstances, the Outlook Address
Book service will not get added to a new mail profile, even though the .mst
file includes a .prf file that should add it. The solution is to use the CIW
to create another .prf file and just export it from the CIW; don't include
it in the .mst file. In this one, you'll want to set it to modify the
existing profile, not create an Exchange account, and add the Outlook
Address Book. You can deploy that .prf file as an additional file with the
CIW installation, post in on your intranet, etc. and tell users to run it if
they have problems getting their Contacts to show up in the Outlook Address
Book.

Signature

> I'm trying to push out Office 2003 using Software Installation via GPO.
> By default after the installation the endusers can't lookup their personal
[quoted text clipped - 12 lines]
>
> / Per

Reply to this Message

Sue Mosher [MVP-Outlook] - 24 Oct 2006 20:06 GMT

The user should be able to simply run the .prf file. That will start Outlook, which will prompt the use about applying the settings in the .prf file.

Signature

> I've tried different things, but after I export the .prf file, I'm not
> successful in getting it to apply to anyone...
[quoted text clipped - 31 lines]
>>
>> / Per

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