The University of Iowa ITS Campus Services - Exchange Support

Hawkmail/Outlook FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

OWA | Address Book/Contacts/Distribution Lists | Global Address List (GAL) | Public Folders | Miscellaneous

Does OWA (Outlook Web Access) use the same Contacts list as the desktop client?

Yes.

What is the default timeout for inactivity in OWA?

The default timeout for the "Public or Shared Computer" security setting is 15 minutes. The default timeout for the "Private Computer" setting is 24 hours.

I receive the error "HTTP 500 Internal Server Error" when I try to login to OWA.

If you do not have an account on the Hawkmail server, you will receive this error.

When I travel to another time zone (e.g., Mountain time) all my appointments display in that time zone rather than Iowa time?

The OWA Premium client will convert times to reflect the local time zone. To see meeting times based on a different time zone, change the current time zone setting under the OWA 'Options' page.

How do I check my shared/departmental account using OWA?

See Managing Departmental/Shared Accounts.

How do I send to a distribution list that is in a Public Folder using OWA?

There is not a way to do this using OWA. Microsoft has acknowledged that it is a problem and recommends using an Outlook client as a work-around. See http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;192775&Product=out2003 for more information.

Can I act as a delegate using OWA?

Note: To take advantage of "full" delegate rights, a delegate should use the Outlook 2003 client.

The meeting notifications will arrive in the OWA Inbox, but a delegate may not respond to meeting requests (accept, decline, etc.) on behalf of someone.

A delegate can also view (with permissions) another person's calendar, but cannot make any changes to the calendar. As a delegate, you need to first login to OWA with your own account and then add the following to the end of the URL: Name/calendar (e.g., email.uiowa.edu/Exchange/Name/calendar), where "Name" is either the person's alias or Hawk ID. You can use Outlook to locate the person in the Global Address List, select "Properties", and click on the "E-mail Addresses" tab. Then verify the "Name" in front of @UIOWA.UniversityofIowa.com (e.g., smtp:jane-doe@UIOWA.UniversityofIowa.com OR smtp:jdoe@UIOWA.UniversityofIowa.com) and use it in place of "Name".

Do I have to accept a meeting for it to appear on my calendar?

OWA 2003 - You need to select either "Accept" or "Tentative" in the notification in order for the meeting to appear on your calendar.

OWA 2007 - The meeting goes directly onto the calendar as tentative and will remain "Tentative" status until you select "Accept" or "Decline".

How do I view someone else's calendar via OWA?

When you schedule a meeting in OWA and choose to invite attendees to the meeting, you can display the free/busy information for the attendees.

Launch your web browser, type the following on the URL line at the top of the screen https://email.uiowa.edu/Exchange/accountname/calendar/

Replace the 'accountname' with the 'Reply To' address of the users calendar account you wish to see (e.g., https://email.uiowa.edu/Exchange/jdoe/calendar/ ) and press enter. You will be prompted to log directly into your own personal account by typing your Domain\user name (e.g., Iowa\Hawk ID) and your Password (e.g. Hawk ID password) then click on the Log On button.

If this method doesn't work, please see Viewing a Hawkmail 2007 account via OWA 2007

Is there a limit to the number of addresses that I can add to the blocked senders list?

Yes, the maximum number of blocked senders in OWA is set to 1024 addresses. Blocked sender addresses are added using the Manage Junk E-mail Lists option. If you exceed the size limit you will receive the message "An error occurred processing your Junk E-mail list. You are over the size limit allowed at the server. Contact your server administrator."

Note: The Outlook 2003 client is not restricted by this size limit.

When I try to send a message to multiple recipients, I get this message: Microsoft Outlook Web Access does not recognize "address,address".

If you are typing more than one address in the To:, Cc:, or Bcc: fields, you must separate each address with a semicolon. If you use a comma to separate addresses, you will receive an error message.

When I try to send a message to multiple recipients, I get this message: One of the recipients can't be resolved.

If you are typing more than one address in the To:, Cc:, or Bcc: fields, you must separate each address with a semicolon. If you use a comma to separate addresses, you will receive an error message.

What are the new OWA 2007 features with Exchange SP1?

OWA – Light will monitor user activity so that Outlook Web Access does not time out while a user is composing a long entry.

OWA - Premium -

Users can create and edit server side Rules
Users can create and edit Personal Distribution Lists
WebReady Document Viewing has added support for some Office 2007 file formats (.docx, .xslx, .pptx)
Users will have access to the dumpster from OWA and will be able to use the Recover Deleted Items feature
A monthly calendar view has been added
Move and copy commands have been added to the OWA user interface
Public Folders are supported through the /owa virtual directory
S/MIME support has been added (reading signed and encrypted e-mail, composing signed and encrypted e-mail

What are the differences between OWA 2007 and the Outlook 2003/2007 clients?

A feature comparison between the Outlook Web Access (OWA) interface and Outlook 2003/2007 clients can be found at the Microsoft Exchange Server site. The Internet Explorer browser versions 5.01 and above for Windows will use OWA Premium while all other browsers will use OWA Lite.

What happened to the option for setting rules in OWA Premium?

The Rules option will not be available until Hawkmail 2007 Service Pack 1 which is due out late summer or early fall. OWA Lite will not include the Rules option with the Service Pack 1 release.

Why can't I find Public Folders?

Public Folders will not be available until Hawkmail 2007 Service Pack 1 which is due out late summer or early fall.

How do I check my mailbox size limit?

To check your quota using OWA Premium 2007, follow these steps:

In the navigation pane, click Mail.
Point to your name at the top of the Mail folder list.

A window appears that shows the current size of your mailbox and your mailbox size limit.

Note: Does not work in OWA Light.

How do I check my shared/departmental account using OWA 2007?

In OWA 2007 there is an option to open another mailbox built into it - it is accessed by clicking on the down arrow in the upper right hand corner next to the user's name. Select the drop-down arrow and type in the name or HawkID of the account you're trying to access and select Open. The shared account opens in a new browser window.

How do I view someone else's Hawkmail 2007 calendar via OWA 2007?

The method for accessing someone else's calendar in OWA 2007 is not as simple as in OWA 2003. The method for checking a shared/departmental account does not work for accessing an individual's calendar. To access someone's calendar via OWA is as follows:

Launch your web browser, type the following on the URL line at the top of the screen:

https://email.uiowa.edu/owa/full-alias@uiowa.edu/?cmd=contents&f=calendar

Replace the 'full-alias@uiowa.edu' with the UI email address (alias) of the users calendar account you wish to see (e.g., https://email.uiowa.edu/owa/john-doe@uiowa.edu/?cmd=contents&f=calendar ) and press enter. You will be prompted to log directly into your own personal account by typing your Domain\user name (e.g., Iowa\Hawk ID) and your Password (e.g. Hawk ID password) then click on the Log On button.

Other alternative methods for accessing someone else's calendar would include using the full Outlook client.

To just see free/busy information, schedule a meeting in OWA and choose to invite attendees to the meeting and the free/busy information for the attendees will be displayed.

Why do I automatically log into OWA Light even though it is unchecked on the log in screen?

If you are running Safari or Firefox you will automatically log into OWA Light. Or, if you have the option for "blind and low vision" checked in OWA Premium (Options | General Settings | Accessibilty | "Use the blind and low vision experience", you will automatially go into OWA Light.

What is the difference between the Personal Address Book and the Contacts folder?

The Personal Address Book was available in previous versions of Outlook. If you upgrade to Outlook 2003 from a previous version and have an existing Personal Address Book, Outlook will prompt to import the entries in the Personal Address Book to the Contacts folder and then remove the Personal Address Book. Note: We recommend that you use the Contacts folder rather than the Personal Address Book.

Where are my Contacts stored?

Your Contacts folder is stored on the Hawkmail server. You can access your Contacts via the Outlook 2003 client or the OWA (Outlook Web Access).

How can I add an e-mail address in a message to my Contacts folder?

Right-click on the icon in the "From:" field and select Add to Outlook contacts from the menu. Make any additions or changes to the contact data and then select Save and Close.

Directly from an e-mail, how can I add multiple email addresses to a Distribution List?

While in the email message, copy the names displaying in the To or Cc fields. Then choose File | New | Distribution List. In the ' Name' box, type a name for the distribution list. Click the 'Select Members'. In the 'Add to distribution list' 'Members' box, paste in the names. Click the OK button.

When sending to a Distribution List within my 'Contacts' Public Folder, how can I supress the names of the recipients?

Display Public Folders
Open your Contacts folder
Right-click on the distribution list you would like to send to and choose 'New Message to Contact'. The distribition list name will now display in the To: field of the messsage. NOTE: If you send the message now, the names will not be supressed when the recipients receive the message.
To supress the names in the distribution list, you need to drag and drop the distribution list name from the To: field to the Bcc: field and then you can send the message. Note: If you do not see the Bcc: field, you will need to select the drop down arrow beside Options and select Bcc:, then you can do the drag and drop.

Is there a limit to the number of contacts I can have in a distribution list?

Yes, there is a size limit to distribution lists. It is based on the size of contacts, not the number of contacts. If you use the very basic information for contacts (for example, only the name and the e-mail address), your distribution list limit may be 125 to 130 contacts. So, if you have a lot of information for each of your contacts, you will have fewer addresses per list. For more information see:: http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;238569&Product=out For more information see Maximum Number of Recipients in a Message.

If you add a date to the "Birthday" field in a Contact, that date will automatically appear on your Calendar.

Open the Contact that you want to add a birthday for, click the Details tab, and then click the arrow in the "Birthday" field to display a calendar. Locate the person's birthday and click to select it. Click the Save and Close button. A note (e.g., Barb's Birthday) will appear in the Event field on the specified date.

How do I create a nickname for addressing new messages?

Use the Contact "Full Name" field to create the nickname that you want to use to address new messages. For example, if you want to address messages to Edward Critchfield using "Ed", then do the following:

Click to select Contacts and then click the New button to create a new contact.
Enter a nickname (e.g., Ed) in the "Full Name" field.
Click OK when you are prompted to enter more information in the "Check Full Name" window.
Enter the E-mail address for the contact and press the tab key.
The "Display as:" field will appear as: nickname (e-mail address).
The contact will appear as follows:
Save the contact.

When sending mail, check names using the Contacts address list first. To set Contacts first:

Select Tools | Address Book.
Select Tools | Options.
Add Contacts as the first address list to check names for addressing.

The first time you compose a new message using the nickname, select it from your address book rather than typing it in. If you type it directly the first time, you may see a pop-up window "LDAP Directory Server found more entries for this search than your specified size limit". Subsequently, you will be able to type the nickname directly.

How do I copy someone else's distribution list?

Have the person copy the addresses from their distribution list and paste them into an email message.
When you receive the message, copy the addresses.
Click File | New | Distribution List
Type a name for the new list.
Click the Select Members button.
In the Members field, paste the addresses you just copied.
Click Save and Close.

How do I share a distribution list?

You can either give someone else rights to your entire Contacts folder, put the distribution list in a Public folder or send the distribution list to someone:

Open a new message.
Click the message body.
Do one of the following:

If MS Word is your e-mail editor, then drag the distribution list from "Contacts" into the message.

If MS Outlook is your email editor, on the Insert menu, click Item. In the Look in list, click the folder that contains the distribution list that you want to send. Distribution lists are saved in the Contacts folder by default. In the Items list, click the distribution list that you want to send, and then click OK.
Send the message.

Note: If you want to send a distribution list to someone, and the distribution list contains members from the Global Address List, be sure that the recipient of the distribution list also uses the same Global Address List.

My contacts don't show up when I compose a new message.

See the following link for instructions on getting the contacts to display: http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/assistance/HA011127401033.aspx?Product=out2003

How can I get my departmental mailing lists to appear in the Global Address Book (GAL) in Hawkmail?

ITS automatically generates departmental mailing lists on a nightly basis that include current faculty and staff in your department. To have these lists appear in the GAL, departmental liaisons need to fill out the form: http://cs.its.uiowa.edu/Exchange/maillist.shtml.

How do I send to a departmental mailing list which appears in the GAL (Global Address List)?

Follow these steps: 1) Start a new message, 2) click on the address book to the left of the TO:... field, 3) find your departmental address list in the GAL (Global Address List) and select it, 4) click on the TO: button and 5) click OK. You can click on the + to expand the list if you need to remove individual names for a particular message. Note: you must be a member of organization in order to send to departmental lists within that organization. (e.g. ORG=Finance & Operations, DEPT=Human Resources).

Does the GAL contain all UI faculty, staff and students?

The GAL now contains all UI faculty, staff and students with a few exceptions. For example, students in the Colleges of Public Health and Medicine are not included.

How do I sort my "Contacts" in the GAL so they show up last name, first?

Choose Tools | Email Accounts and select 'View or change existing directories or address book' and click Next. Select Change. In the 'Show names by field, select File As (Smith, John). Select Close. Select Finish.

Where do Public Folders reside?

Public folders reside on the Hawkmail server.

How can I assign rights on the subfolder(s) within my Departmental Public Folder?

You can add individual users or add a Universal Group. See Public Folders in Outlook 2003 for more information.

What is this Public Folder Store message?

This error message means that two people tried to edit some public folder content at the same time. Public folder owners will get a conflict message when this happens.

We have student employees who cannot see the public folders and are not included in our departmental org groups - why?

Student employees are not included in the automatically generated departmental org groups. The following roles are included: current employee, future employee, emeritus faculty, emeritus staff, affiliate.

You will need to assign rights to student employees manually.

Is there a way to quickly locate a frequently-accessed calendar located in a Public Folder?

First, locate the calendar in a Public Folder, right-click on it and select Add to Favorites and then click the Add button to add it to your Public Folders Favorites. Next, open the Public Folders | Favorites folder, right-click on the calendar you added in the previous step and select Add to Other Calendars. Click on the Calendar tab in the navigation pane and then check the box next to calendarname in Public Folders under "Other Calendars".

When I create or forward a message, how can I access a distribution list located in a Public Folder?

Search Public Folders for the distribution list folder you want access to. Right-click on the folder and select Properties. Click to select the Outlook Address Book tab. Check the box next to Show this folder as an e-mail Address Book and click OK.

When you create or forward a message, click on the "To..." field to view the GAL. Open "Show Names from the:" and scroll to the bottom of the list. Under "Outlook Address Book", you should see the folder with the distribution list(s). Open it and select the distribution list you want to use.

What is the difference between Hawkmail and Outlook?

People often interchange "Outlook" and "Hawkmail". Outlook is really a combined e-mail and calendar client - similar to the separate clients Eudora and CorporateTime. Hawkmail is the mail and calendar server, where the messages and appointments are stored.

Microsoft Outlook offers an integrated solution, with e-mail, calendar, address book, directory, tasks, and notes - all rolled into one program. Microsoft also offers a web interface called Outlook Web Access (OWA). Using Outlook is like having both Eudora and CorporateTime in one application, with a shared address book; or using the OWA, like having Webmail and CorporateTime for the Web together in one web client.

When I am working in Outlook, it is very, very slow (e.g., even choosing pull-down options).

Choose Help | Detect and Repair.

I get an error message "A recently installed program may cause Microsoft Office ... to function improperly" when I launch Outlook.

When you start Outlook, if you receive the following error message:

A recently installed program may cause Microsoft Office or other e-mail-enabled programs to function improperly. Outlook can resolve this conflict without affecting the program that originally caused the problem. Do you want Outlook to resolve this problem?

If Eudora is installed on the computer, launch Eudora, select Tools | Options | MAPI and set "Use Eudora MAPI server" to Never; otherwise, see http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;256946 for a solution.

How do I turn on 'Full Headers' in Outlook?

When you are viewing a messages select View | Options and look in the Internet Headers box. If you need to send the full headers to someone, copy and paste them into your message.
Note: A message that goes out through the Internet will have Internet Headers. A message routed only through Hawkmail will not.

Where do Archive Folders reside?

Archive Folders reside on your hard drive.

Where do Personal Folders (.pst) reside?

Personal Folders (.pst) can either reside on your hard drive or a network drive. Choose Tools | Options | Mail Setup | Data Files and under the Filename column, it will also display the path. You can also choose File | New | Outlook Data File | Microsoft Outlook Personal Folders File (.pst) and click OK.

How do I view my mailbox size?

In Outlook choose Tools | Mailbox Cleanup | View Mailbox Size.

Can I automatically empty the Deleted Items folder?

Yes. Choose Tools | Options | Other and select 'Empty the Deleted Items folder upon exiting'.
Note: This permanently deletes all items in the Deleted Items folder when you exit Outlook.

What are the quota limits on the Hawkmail server?

The production server limits are set as follows:

Warning = 50mb , Can't Send = 100mb, Can't Send or Receive = 150mb

If your quota exceeds 50mb you will get the following message in your Inbox:
From: System Administrator
Sent: Friday, February 06, 2004 12:00 AM
To: Jones, Chris
Subject: Your mailbox is over its size limit
Importance: High

Your mailbox has exceeded one or more size limits set by your administrator.
Your mailbox size is nnnnn KB (some value greater than 50000 KB).
Mailbox size limits:
You will receive a warning when your mailbox reaches 50000 KB.You may not be able to send or receive new mail until you reduce your mailbox size.
To make more space available, delete any items that you are no longer using or move them to your personal folder file (.pst).
Items in all of your mailbox folders including the Deleted Items and Sent Items folders count against your size limit.
You must empty the Deleted Items folder after deleting items or the space will not be freed.
See client Help for more information

If your quota exceeds 100mb and you try to send a message, you will get a warning message. [add warning msg screen capture] You can save the message in your Drafts folder, but no further delivery attempt is made.

If your quota exceeds 150mb, any incoming messages will be returned to the senders, with the following message:

The message could not be delivered because the recipient's mailbox is full.
<IOWAEVS01.iowa.uiowa.edu #5.2.2>

What do I need to know about managing mailbox quotas for my Hawkmail account?

What you need to know about quotas and Hawkmail account management can be found at Hawkmail Quota Management .

Is Hawkmail Instant Messaging (IM) available?

We are interested in exploring 'instant messaging' technology on an enterprise level and the Microsoft messaging product integrates easily with our new Hawkmail service. With that being said, we will only start investigating a messaging service AFTER the calendar replacement project has been completed.

How can I find out where my data files (.pst) in Outlook are stored (e.g., hard drive, network drive)?

Choose Tools | Options | Mail Setup | Data Files.

Why doesn't my Outlook client work from home?

RPC communications over the internet are being blocked by the University as well as by many ISPs. Unfortunately, RPC is also the mechanism by which Outlook communicates with the Hawkmail server. Fortunately, Hawkmail includes a new feature that allows RPC communications over a standard HTTP (or HTTPs) session. In order for this to work, you must be running Outlook 2003 under Windows XP—properly configured.

See RPC Over HTTPs Configuration for instructions.

An overview of the process is outlined at: Microsoft Office Online's Configuring Outlook 2003 for RPC over HTTP .

How do I set Outlook to prompt for a password?

Select Tools | E-mail Accounts.
Select the "View or change existing e-mail accounts" radio button.
Click the Change button.
Click the More Settings button.
Click the Security tab.
Under "User identification", check the box in front of "Always prompt for user name and password".
Click OK.

What is the difference between setting Delegate Permissions and Permissions?

They are basically the same. The only difference is that setting Permissions give you more granularity. For the typical user, Delegate permissions are sufficient.

How do I request that my first name be changed in Hawkmail?

Send requests to change your first name to a different "preferred first name" to its-email@uiowa.edu.

Do 'Out of Office Assistant' messages go to everyone?

Yes, except for uiowa listservs. See Using the Out of Office Assistant for more information.

Do Auto-Reply messages (e.g., rules) go to everyone?

No. Currently auto-reply messages are only sent to other Hawkmail and Exchange users.

Is there a way to repair a damaged Personal Folder (.pst file) or Offline Folder (.ost file)?

Look for scanpst.exe or scanost.exe in C:\Program Files\Common Files\System\MSMAPI\1033 or use Windows Search to locate the file. For more information about "scanpst", see To repair a damaged Personal Folders PST file or see Use the OST Integrity Check tool for information about "scanost".

What is the Detect and Repair command?

You will find the Detect and Repair command on the Help drop down menu in Outlook. This procedure detects and repairs problems such as missing files and registry settings associated with ALL installed Microsoft Office Suite programs (i.e., Word, Excel, Access etc.). It will not repair personal files, such as spreadsheets or documents.

Caution: Choosing the Discard my customized settings and restore default settings option will set the following back to the state they appeared in when you first installed Office:

The Assistant character selection
Most-recently-used entries on the File menu will be removed
The size of the application window for all applications
Menu and toolbar position and any customizations
The security level for each application
View settings within the application, such as the Calendar view in Outlook

Your User Name and Initials may also need to be re-entered when you restart your Office applications.

To restore the program shortcuts to the Windows Start menu, make sure the Restore my shortcuts while repairing check box is selected.

When running Detect and Repair, you will NOT lose mail, calendar appointments, contacts or rules. However, you will need to add any "customized" setting(s) you had previouly selected (e.g., setting your Calendar to publish 36 months of data and publish every 1 minute).

Note: If the Detect and Repair command does not fix the problem, you might need to reinstall Microsoft Office.

How do I copy my Office profile from one computer to another?

See the Office Save My Settings Document

How can I restore Outlook settings to their factory defaults?

Outlook supports a number of command-line switches; these are normally used when you need to restore Outlook settings to their factory defaults. Some of these switches are recommended for solving problems.

Hawkmail/Outlook FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

OWA 2003/2007

OWA 2007 Only

Address Book/Contacts/Distribution Lists

Global Address List (GAL)

Public Folders

Miscellaneous

Why doesn't my Outlook client work from home?