Outlook 2000 in a Nutshell

On the Horizon

At the time this book went to production, several new developments relating to Outlook were either just released, or were within days of release.

Fax in Windows 2000

This year marks the release of Windows 2000. Windows 2000 passes two milestones. First, it marks the end of Windows Messaging as an operating-system component. Windows 95, Windows 98 (if you know where to look), and Windows NT 4.0 all included Windows Messaging as a way of connecting not just to Internet mail servers, but also to Microsoft Mail and other in-house servers. In Windows 2000, though, you see the completion of the migration to Internet mail.

For most users, the passing of Windows Messaging is just a blip. Much more exciting is the second milestone: the return of a supported fax service to Windows. The Microsoft Fax component included in Windows 95 has been without significant updates for years. It is substantially upgraded and included with Windows 2000 under the moniker “Outlook Express Fax.”

If the Windows 2000 setup detects a fax modem, it automatically installs Outlook Express Fax, configured from the Fax icon in the Control Panel and Start → Programs → Accessories → Communications → Fax. Outlook Express Fax can deliver faxes to your Outlook Inbox if you’re using Outlook in Corporate/Workgroup mode. The MSKB (Microsoft Knowledge Base) article at http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/q246/1/51.asp provides details.

Microsoft Office SR-1

Just days prior to this book going into production, Microsoft posted a long-awaited Office 2000 Service Release (SR-1) to their website. We did not have time to thoroughly test the patch, but at the time of this writing, we urge caution in its deployment. While numerous well-documented bugs in Office 2000 programs have been addressed with SR-1, unfortunately, a new slew of bugs were introduced with this patch. We strongly suggest waiting for the dust to settle before updating your Office installation to SR-1.

Information regarding SR-1 can be found at: http://officeupdate.microsoft.com/2000/downloadDetails/O2kSR1DDL.htm.

Several important administration tools and additional information/utilities can be found on the Office Resource Kit site at: http://www.microsoft.com/office/ork/2000/appndx/toolbox.htm. For a complete listing of the issues addressed by SR-1, download the file SR1Changes.xls from the aforementioned page.