Adding Outlook Address Book 'Contacts' per user through Group Poli

[Guest]

I am upgrading our users from Office XP to Office 2003 using Active Directory
Group Poilicy Install with an MST file. The problem i am having is that
after the install when the user logs on, i have to manually add their
Personal Contacts by using the EMAIL ACCOUNT selection under TOOLS in
outlook and then adding it as a new directory or address book; choosing
additional address books and then selecting OUTLOOK ADDRESS BOOK. Can this be
set up so that when a user, any user, and every user that uses a particular
workstation logs onto that workstation, their Outlook Address Book is
automatically there.

Thanks

 

[Sue Mosher [MVP-Outlook]]

Did you include the Outlook Address Book in the mail profile setup information in the CIW? If so, can you tell us more about your system setup? I have encountered a few other cases of the OAB not getting installed, but not a consistent explanation.

--
Sue Mosher, Outlook MVP
Author of Configuring Microsoft Outlook 2003

and Microsoft Outlook Programming - Jumpstart for
Administrators, Power Users, and Developers

 

[Sue Mosher [MVP-Outlook]]

Are you making any changes to the Outlook mail profile with the CIW that creates your MST file?

--
Sue Mosher, Outlook MVP
Author of Configuring Microsoft Outlook 2003

and Microsoft Outlook Programming - Jumpstart for
Administrators, Power Users, and Developers

 

[Guest]

I am also experiencing the same problem. I used the CIW to create a mst file
from which I have creeated a Office 2003 GPO install. Within the mst I
selected to add in an Outlook Address Book.

The GPO deploys and installs Office 2003 but it does not add the Outlook
Address Book to the profile. I can add this in manually afterwards but I do
not understand why the MST file is not working.

Have you any suggestions? Thanks for any help that you can offer.

 

[Sue Mosher [MVP-Outlook]]

The workaround is to use the CIW or CMW to create and export an additional .prf file that does nothing but modify the default profile to add the Outlook Address Book. Make that available to users to run if the OAB doesn't get added the first time around

--
Sue Mosher, Outlook MVP
Author of Configuring Microsoft Outlook 2003

and Microsoft Outlook Programming - Jumpstart for
Administrators, Power Users, and Developers

 

[Guest]

Hi Sue

Thanks for your reply.

I tried exporting a .prf file and yes it did include the OAB in the profile
but it forgot any of the other Outlook settings configured within the file -
such as servername, etc. This then meant that Outlook was not pre-configure
for when Outlook is started first time and it goes into the wizard.

Why would it loose other settings - have I missed something out?

Regards,

Julie

 

[Sue Mosher [MVP-Outlook]]

You're mixing up two different parts of the process. (I know it's confusing.) The profile settings that you set up with the CIW the first time, the ones in the .MST file -- those are the ones that set up the default mail profile. That's phase I.

Phase II is the part that corrects the problem with the OAB. For that you want a .prf file that just modifies the default profile to add the OAB. Export that from the CIW, then DO NOT SAVE CHANGES TO THE MST FILE!!!! In other words, the first PRF is part of your MST file. The second PRF is not. It's a standalone PRF file that the user will need to run if Outlook doesn't add the OAB based on the settings in the second file.

Having the second PRF file available is just a workaround. I don't know why Microsoft isn't making more of an effort to fix the root problem that results in the OAB not getting added in the first place.

--
Sue Mosher, Outlook MVP
Author of Configuring Microsoft Outlook 2003

and Microsoft Outlook Programming - Jumpstart for
Administrators, Power Users, and Developers

 

[Guest]

From my understanding of what you said in your reply is that the second prf
file cannot be used to automatically add the oab setting into Outlook. It
has to be manually run by the user. Is there anyway of getting this to run
through group policy so that the alteration can be without the user knowing.
Also what does the 1st prf file do then?

I do not understand why that when you create the CIW with the OAB setting it
seems to ignore it. Is there another way of getting this setting to appear
during the installation through group policy?

 

[Sue Mosher [MVP-Outlook]]

The first .prf sets up the mail account(s) and will -- in some but not all circumstances -- also set up the OAB. Why it doesn't do it in all cases, we don't know. Something in Outlook is broken, but we don't know exactly what.

Using the second .prf file manually is the workaround that Microsoft recommends to add an OAB to users who don't get it when Outlook processes the first .prf . The only other available workaround is to give the users an instruction sheet on how to add the OAB manually. Group policy does not provide a solution unless perhaps you're using a GPO tool like Policy Maker from http://www.desktopstandard.com
--
Sue Mosher, Outlook MVP
Author of Configuring Microsoft Outlook 2003

and Microsoft Outlook Programming - Jumpstart for
Administrators, Power Users, and Developers

 

[Guest]

Sue, thanks for your reply. I decided that it might be better to start again
with this. I have created a new MST file with settings for both the Exchange
server and the OAB. Now when Office installs, it does not bring down all the
server settings, it does not add shortcuts to the desktop but it does (once
you run through start up wizard) add the OAB. I do not understand why it
does not bring down the settings for the server - there is no explanation. I
have checked the MST file and the settings are in here. Would you know why
this has occured?