MS Outlook 2010: Improve your efficiency using Quick Steps!

There is a wonderful tool in Outlook 2010 called Quick Steps that will help you to manage your email messages. These are one-click buttons that you customize to perform multiple actions. For example, perhaps you often create messages to your team. You can set up a Quick Step that will create a new message already addressed to the appropriate recipients.

To get started, click any of the default Quick Steps found on the Home tab of the ribbon, or check out all the options available with “Create New”. A dialog box will open with options for what actions will occur when the button is selected. You can even specify a keyboard shortcut and set a tool tip reminder that will appear when you point at the button!

Check out http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/27827/create-and-customize-quick-steps-in-outlook-2010/ for more detailed, easy-to-follow instructions on how to use this new tool.

- Irene Heckert, Microsoft Office Expert; CTT, MCAS, ITIL Certified, MOS LinkIn with Irene

How To: Use Windows Event Collector

Many of my students have been unsure how to use a new feature of Windows 2008 and Windows 7 called the Event collector.  This feature allows one or more computers to forward a copy of events from selected logs, to a different computer that is called an event collector.  For example, assume that I have four servers.  I want to have three of the servers send any critical and error events from their Applications and System logs to one server so that I can review them.  

My assumptions for this article are that all four computers are domain joined.  Only domain joined computers can use this feature.  My other assumptions are that my computers will communicate using HTTP port 5985 and none of my servers are domain controllers.   Below I will outline the steps based upon my assumptions.

1. Decide which computer will be the collector of events and which computer(s) will be forwarding events to the collector.  

      2. Logon to each computer that will forward events as an Administrator and open a command prompt as an Administrator. 

a.  Type winrm quickconfig and press Enter.  WinRM will then ask you about adding a WinRM firewall exception as show below.  This screen shot is from a Windows Server 2008 R2 computer.  (You may be prompted to set the WinRM service to a delayed auto start and setting the WinRM firewall exception.  This is the behavior of Windows 7.)  Accept the change(s).

b. Continue performing this step on all computers that will be sending events.

3. Now you are ready to logon to the collector.  This is the computer that will be collecting the events.

a. Again, type winrm quickconfig and press Enter. 

b. Then type wecutil qc and press Enter.  This will allow users on a different computer to subscribe to (send) events on this computer.

c. When prompted to change the wecutil startup mode, click y and press Enter.

d. Type Exit and press Enter to exit the command prompt.

  

4. Click Start| Administrative Tools |Computer Management. 

5. Expand the Event Viewer and select the Subscriptions node.
        a. Right-click on Subscriptions and select Create Subscription.
        b. In the Subscription Properties page, in the Subscription name field, type a 
            subscription name i.e. Server1 logs.
        c. In the Subscription Type and source computers section, verify that Collector 
            initiated is selected and click Select Computers.
            i. Click Add Domain Computer and type the name of the server and click Check Names.
            ii. Click OK.
            iii. Click Test.
            iv. Read the message. Click OK.
        d. Click Select Events.
            i. In the Logged field, use the drop-down list and select Last 24 hours.
            ii. In the Event level field, select Critical, Error and Warning.
            iii. Select By Log.  Using the drop-down list expand Windows Logs and 
                select Application and System logs.
            iv. Click OK.

          

        e. Click Advanced.
            i. Verify that the Machine Account is selected.
            ii. Examine the port.  (Remember the firewall will need to allow traffic from this port.)
            iii. Click OK.
        f. Click OK to close the Subscription Properties screen.


6. Your next task is to add the collector computer’s account to each of the local Administrator’s groups.  (If you are using a domain controller, you will need to set up a user account that has permissions to read the event logs.)


7. Once that task is finished, expand the Event Viewer\Windows Logs\Forwarded Events.


8. This is the location that your logs from the other servers will send a copy of their Critical and Errors that are displayed in their System and Application logs.

- Janet Nichols, Windows Server Expert; MCT, MCSE, MCITP: Enterprise Admin, Server Admin; Windows 7 EDA, MCTS LinkIn with Janet

How To: Set Up Windows Sever 2008 & R2 Accidental Delete Protection

Windows Server 2008 and Windows Server 2008 R2 have the ability to protect objects from accidentally being deleted. This feature is extremely helpful in environments where there are numerous Administrators making many changes. This feature may also be useful in a smaller environment with less experienced Administrators.

To use this feature, simply launch Active Directory Users and Computers by typing dsa.msc and press Enter, in the Search Programs and files box, as demonstrated below:

To create a new Organizational Unit and protect it from being deleted, simply right-click on the location for the new OU and name it and remember to select the Protect container from accidental deletion as displayed below:

If you have users or groups that you would like to protect against accidental deletion, you can add this protection.   First you will need to turn on the Advanced Features of Active Directory Users and Computers.  To accomplish this select the View menu and then select Advanced Features as illustrated below: 

 

Then open the properties of the user or group that you would like to protect.   Click on the Object tab and select the Protect object from accidental deletion box.  The sample below is of a user object.

Essentially, this feature denies the Everyone group the Delete all child objects permission in the DACL (Discretionary Access Control List).  This disallows Everyone, including members of the Administrators group, from deleting any object that is set to be protected from accidental deletion.  The permission can be reversed by a user that possesses the Full Control permission to the object.  The user would simply remove the check in the box to the left of Protect object from accidental deletion or would  remove the Access Control Entry from the DACL.    An example of the Access Control Entry is below:

It is a great feature that the system has that will prevent some human errors from occurring.  Even though it is possible to delegate the permissions to control who can delete objects, it is still possible for accidental deletions to occur.  This feature forces an administrator to re-evaluate whether an object should be deleted.  If it should be deleted then the administrator can set the permissions appropriately and delete the object. 


- Janet Nichols, Windows Server Expert; MCT, MCSE, MCITP: Enterprise Admin, Server Admin; Windows 7 EDA, MCTS LinkIn with Janet

Automatically create new appointments using Auto-create in Outlook

Click and drag to automatically create new objects in Outlook. For example, an email message can be turned into a new appointment on the calendar:


1. Click on a message to select it - the message will appear to be highlighted.

2. Hold down your mouse button and drag the selected message to the Calendar button in the navigation pane on the left side of the Window. When you release the button, a new appointment will appear already including the information from the body of the email message in the subject line and body of the appointment.

Make modifications as necessary, and then click the Save & Close button. The appointment will appear on your calendar!

This works with all folders; i.e. auto-create an email based on an appointment on your calendar, or add a detailed task to your list from an email or appointment.

 

- Irene Heckert, Microsoft Office Expert; CTT, MCAS, ITIL Certified, MOS LinkIn with Irene

Update your documents to the newest file type!

If you see the words "Compatibility Mode" in the title bar next to your document's name, you are working in a older file format. This happens in both the 2007 and 2010 Office Suites. Although it is fine - and sometimes necessary - to stay in that mode, you might discover that some of the tools you want to use are not available. When that happens, you will need to convert your files to the newer file type. If you have concerns that something in the document might not appear the way you planned or work correctly, use the option to "save as", give the document a new name, and save. This way you can review your work in the new file yet still have the ability to revert back to the older file if you discover any issues.

For those of you that fearlessly forge ahead, another option is to use "Convert", which will actually replace the original file with the newest type:

      • In Office 2007, "Convert" will appear as the third option of the Office Button menu.

      • In Office 2010, "Convert" will be the top item in the Info category which appears in the backstage view when you click the File tab.

By the way, you will find that even if the file was created in the 2007 XML file format, you will still need to convert files when you upgrade to 2010 due to the enhancements available in the newest software!

- Irene Heckert, Microsoft Office Expert; CTT, MCAS, ITIL Certified, MOS LinkIn with Irene

How To: Query Spreadsheet Data in a SQL Table [VIDEO]

Centriq's SQL Expert, Ed Dressler demonstrates a quick solution to a very common SQL problem. 




- Ed Dressler, SQL Server Expert; CTT+, MCDBA, and MCITP LinkIn with Ed

Help yourself!

Next time you get stuck with how to do a specific task in Microsoft Office, try searching one of the following web sites:

Microsoft training site with step by step “how to” guides: http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/support/training-FX101782702.aspx?CTT=97x

Training videos on a multitude of software topics:

http://www.lynda.com/

http://www.woopid.com/

http://www.techtutor.tv/

Google and YouTube have lots of other good web sites and videos that will step you through whatever you  are stuck on!

- Irene Heckert, Microsoft Office Expert; CTT, MCAS, ITIL Certified, MOS LinkIn with Irene