MS Outlook Helpful Hints

Someone tried to email me an attachment with a .zip extension, but I never received it.

UTSA email servers automatically filter out any attachment with a .zip extension, as these files can frequently have a virus associated with them. 

Someone tried to send me a very large file over email, but the message was rejected.

UTSA limits the size of attachments to 20 MB.  This is done for a number of reasons: large files can affect server performance, as they clog the email queue resulting in message delivery delays.  Also, this setting protects the user from a form of attack called DOS (Denial of Service), where you no longer receive the service due to the network dealing with large packets of data directed at you.

I was told to get a copy of a form from the "Public Folders" in Outlook, but I can't find where the Public Folders are.

You can access the Folder List through the menu option "Go -> Folder List", by pressing Control+Y or Control+6.  Public Folders will be viewable at the bottom of the list. 

I received an email from someone I don't know with an attachment in it.  What should I do with it?

If you receive an attachment from someone you don't know, it is highly advised that you do not open the file.  A tactic that hackers are known to use is to hide malicious code in attachments which contain instructions that require a user to activate (these are known as Trojans). The best course of action if you receive an email with an attachment from someone you do not know is to delete it.  However, please be aware that someone you know could be infected with a virus.  If you receive an email with an attachment from someone you do know, only you weren't expecting the attachment, contact the user first to ask what the file is before opening it.

I have a lot of important email stored on my account.  How can I back up my email in case of a disaster?

While the data on the Exchange mail servers is backed up to tape, we recommend that you create backups of your own to be doubly safe.  You can follow the instructions here to archive your mail to your local system, which we recommend doing at least once a month.  As the mailbox files (.pst) can become quite large, we do not recommend placing these on your I: drive, as you will fill up your quota with backup files. Instead, we recommend the use of either writeable CDs or flash drives.

I have noticed that a lot of people have a "personal folder" that they keep email items that they need to keep for a while. These documents are not counted when a message is sent to you that your box is full. How do you pull up this personal folder?

The Personal Folder is a PST file created in the same process as archiving mail to the local system. If you would like assistance in configuring a Personal folder for your mail, please contact the Help Desk at x5538.

Someone keeps trying to email me a file, but all I get is a text file saying the attachment was removed. How do I get the file?

The UTSA mail servers will automatically remove any file with certain extensions, such as .zip.  Have the person sending the file change the extension to something else (such as .piz).  When you receive the file, change the extension back to .zip.