how do I stop showing email until I've signed in

  • Thread starter Thread starter Stephen
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Stephen

My outlook is set up so that I have to log in each time, giving my email
account password before it connects and downloads messages. However, in the
meantime, all of my previous email messages are displayed whether or not I
sign in, which does not seem very secure. Does anyone know how I can
instruct outlook to not show the inbox unless I am successfully signed in?
My outlook is running through a microsoft exchange server.

thanks in advance,
Stephen
 
Stephen said:
My outlook is set up so that I have to log in each time, giving my email
account password before it connects and downloads messages. However, in the
meantime, all of my previous email messages are displayed whether or not I
sign in, which does not seem very secure. Does anyone know how I can
instruct outlook to not show the inbox unless I am successfully signed in?
My outlook is running through a microsoft exchange server.

thanks in advance,
Stephen
Click to expand...

It's only insecure if YOU decided to let others share your Windows
login. Give separate accounts to the other users of your same host.

Otherwise, add a password onto your .pst file. Right-click the root
node of its message store shown in the folder pane in Outlook,
Properties, and add a password. Then you (and anyone else) will be
prompted to specify the password before Outlook can load that message
store. However, this password protection of the .pst is weak and can be
thwarted but it is probably sufficient for your needs - but then YOU
chose to reduce your own security by letting others share your Windows
login in the first place.
 
Thank you VanguardLH, I will try the pst password you suggest. With respect
to me choosing to lower my security by having an open computer, I fully
agree..but on the other hand I don't really see why freely sharing a computer
desktop should imply or lead by default to an email account public. I also
asked the question because on the computer i just replaced, still sitting
beside this one, I used outlook for the email as well, but there none of my
email folders were shown until I got past the login screen, and for the life
of me I cannot see any difference in the set up or find any other setting
that would allow me to replicate that condition...

Stephen
 
Stephen said:
With respect to me choosing to lower my security by having an open
computer, I fully agree..but on the other hand I don't really see why
freely sharing a computer desktop should imply or lead by default to
an email account public.
Click to expand...

Because you chose to let everyone that gets access to your computer
to use your account. That means everyone using your account IS YOU. If
you use a blank password or use auto-logon to get past the login screen
then, again, you allow EVERYONE to be you when they use your computer.
When you share a Windows account, everyone is YOU that uses that
account. Windows knows the account, not the human that is tapping keys
or moving the mouse. If you gave the keycode to your burglar alarm
system, it has to figure that anyone entering that keycode must be you.

After adding the password onto the .pst file, no one but you (or anyone
you told) knows the password. Of course, if you are logging in using
an admin-level account then everyone sharing your account is also you
as an admin so they can also install any software they want, like a
keylogger to get your passwords. You decided to give a whole bunch of
other folks the key to your car, so expect them to drive it whenever
they want, change the adjustment on the driver seat and rearview
mirrors to whatever they like, and even use your assigned parking space
at your workplace. They are you. You decided that they can be you.

If you let them use your account, they can do everything you can do.
I also asked the question because on the computer i just replaced,
still sitting beside this one, I used outlook for the email as well,
but there none of my email folders were shown until I got past the
login screen, and for the life of me I cannot see any difference in
the set up or find any other setting that would allow me to replicate
that condition...
Click to expand...

Since you can't see ANYTHING (of files) until you get past the login
screen, what you describe is normal behavior. If you aren't logged in,
you don't have a desktop on which to open a file explorer program to
look anywhere in the drive's file system.
 
Hello Stephen

I have many users set up this way. The mailbox should not be displayed until
the user logs into Outlook. These PC's all log into the AD network with a
generic userID and password and is set up to automatically log in this way so
that when a user restarts the PC, they cannot change the profile or the
password.

You don't mention which version of Outlook or Exchange that is in use. It
would help to provide this information.

Ensure that Outlook is not only set up not to use NT Password
Authentication, this field should state none. Also ensure in the profile
(Tools > Options > Mail Services) that it's set to always prompt for a
profile. Every profile set up for Outlook on this particular PC should be
configured the same way. Since you're connecting to Exchange, there is no PST
to password-protect. All your mail should reside in the Exchange mailbox.

Please check and let me know, both the versions I have inquired about and
also the profile set up. Thanks!
 
Thank you K. Orland. I'm trying but having trouble finding some of the info
you ask about. I am using outlook 2007, on XP. Not sure of what version of
Exchange is in use. I cannot see Mail Services, but unter Tools>Options>Mail
Setup>Email accounts>Microsoft Exchange Server>E-mail>More Settings>Security,
"Always prompt for logon credentials" is checked and under Logon Network
Security, Password Authentification (NTLM) is chosen.

Stephen
 
It would be better if someone using Outlook 2007 connected to Exchange can
answer since I'm not so I can't tell you the exact steps.

I have successfully set up Outlook 97, 97, 2000, 2003 on Exchange to do this
and I'm sure 2007 can do it as well.

The basic idea is to set up Outlook to use multiple profiles, each one
prompting for a password and not opening until the correct network
credentials are supplied. You can't set Outlook to use NT (network)
Authentication, it must be set to none. From within Outlook it must be set to
prompt for a profile.
 
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