Default Company Contacts List in Exchange/Outlook

iceman_2001_ie

Hello all,

We are running MS W2k3 Small Business Server with Exchange, with everybody logging onto its domain. This was put in a few weeks ago. Prior to this, MDaemon served our mail, and all mail and contacts were held locally.

In Outlook, everybody has two accounts: the “Outlook Today” mailbox that is served by Exchange and their old accounts from the MDaeman days.

There is a “Company Contacts” list, with all the company clients and contractors. This is stored in a “Public Folder”. I want to have this “Company Contact” list as everybody’s default contact list in his or her “Outlook Today” mailbox. When one person edits this list, I want everybody to see the change.

They can use the old MDaemon account to store personal contacts.

Is this possible?
Is there a tick box solution?
Is this a change which has to be made in Outlook or in Exchange?

I have spent some time on the Microsoft website trying to find out how to do it, but I haven’t been able to find any solution literature.

Regards

Iceman_2001_ie

Philbert

Ok im not in the office today but ill try to explain this as best I can. Its actually vey easy.

On your server open Exchange Manager by going to Start>Programs>Microsoft Exchange>Service Manager.

You will see a folder list on the left. Right Click on 'Public Folders' and add a new contacts sub folder. Now Right Click on sub folder and hit properties. Here edit the permissions. Sounds like you will be giving 'everyone' full control.

Now in Outlook on each users PC, you will see a Public folders folder and your new contact folder will be underneath. Its now just a case of importing all the contacts into this folder. Everyone should be able to add edit and delete the contacts in this folder.

I dont know how MDameon works but you should be able to do some sort of export function. Or you could just copy all contacts to a PST file and upload to exchange from that.

I hope that was clear enough for you, its actually very straight forward so you should have enough info to get it done.

iceman_2001_ie

I'll give it a go and let you know.

I've been messing around with it for a few days and getting nowhere. Hopefully, this will work.

Cheers

Iceman_2001_ie

iceman_2001_ie

Okay,

Here's where I stand.
1. The "Public Folder" with the 'Company Contacts" was already created.
Everybody can see this, and can add to and edit it.

2. However, by Default, staff having been saving new contacts to their Exchange Mailbox 'Contacts' folder (with the default name 'Personal Address Book'). They are not presented with the option to save to the 'Company Contacts' folder in the "Public Folders".

I want an option to appear everytime somebody tries to save an email address asking them which Address Book they want to save the new contact to.

Is that possible?

Philbert

Ok try this; (tested under Outlook 2003 but XP/2K should be almost the same)

RightClick on the Company Contacts folder in public folders and hit properties.
Go to the 'Outlook Address Book' tab and tick the option to "Show this folder as an email address book". Press Apply/Ok.

Now go to Tools>Address Book>Tools>Options and you will see a drop down menu allowing you to select which addressbook to be shown first. Just select your Company Contacts.
Underneath this there is another drop down menu allowing you to select which addressbook should contacts be saved to as default. Again select your Company Contacts. Apply/Ok.

Let me know how you get on.

iceman_2001_ie

When I go to that location, the second drop down menu is entitled
"Keep personal addresses in:"

I selected the 'Company Contacts' folder in that drop down list, and restarted Outlook just to be sure.
When I tried to save a new contact, it just saved it to my 'Personal Contact' folder in my exchange mailbox instead of the 'Company Contacts' folder.

I am running Outlook 2000 on Windows 2000 Professional.
Exchange Server is running on Windows 2k3 Server Small Business Server.

I tried what you suggested in Outlook 2003 on a Windows XP machine, but I wasn't able to do it there either.

Hmmmm....
Any other suggestion?

Philbert

Hmm. Not sure iceman, thought that would have done it for you. Its possible with Outlook 2003 anyway. Unless anyone has any other suggestions for you...

In the meantime just play around with the properties i mentioned in my post above, I think your close..

<edit>

I tried what you suggested in Outlook 2003 on a Windows XP machine, but I wasn't able to do it there either.

Just reread your post and saw this. Well your definelty missing something so (or i havent told you something), because this works for us under the same environment. I wont be back in the office till friday so wont really be able to check it out for you till then.

iceman_2001_ie

I know you are away from the office, but which service have you installed on your machine?

I think it may be a question of installing something else...
But I can't figure out what.

The services I have installed are:

Microsoft Exchange Server
Outlook Address Book
Personal Address Book
Personal Folders

Am I missing something that you have?

Philbert

iceman_2001_ie wrote:

The services I have installed are:

Microsoft Exchange Server
Outlook Address Book
Personal Address Book
Personal Folders

Am I missing something that you have?

We have the exact same setup as yourself.

Server: Win2003 SBS with Exchange 2003
Client: WinXP with Outlook 2003

With regard to the 'services', id suggest you get rid of the personal address book as that might be interfering with what youre trying to do. Theres no need for it as all your contacts are stored in an Exchange/Outlook contacts folder. Also not sure why you are using Personal Folders as this relates to PST files which exchange doesnt use.

iceman_2001_ie

It was suggested to me to use a program called OpusFlow, which sits on top of Outlook and allows company access to the address book without having to use the Global Address List.

Does anybody know anything about OpusFlow?