How to Add a User Profile in Outlook 2003

Use the following steps to add a new Exchange Server profile to your computer. These steps are for a traditional profile, which requires a wide open Internet connection with no firewall, which is certainly not the norm.

This type of connection can also succeed when firewall settings have been configured according to our firewall page. 

1. Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
2. If the option to "Switch to Classic View" appears at the left, choose it. Double-click either the Mail or the Mail and Fax icon. The following dialog will appear.





3. Click the Show Profiles button. The following dialog will appear. If you have more than one profile, they will show up in a list here. This is where you preserve your existing settings,  by adding a new profile.

   

   

4. Click the Add button to bring up the wizard. Name the profile. On the first page of the wizard, select Add a new e-mail account.  







5. Here is the second page of the wizard. Choose Microsoft Exchange Server. 





6. This page is the heart of the matter. See illustration below. Enter the Exchange server name and your mailbox name. Your mailbox name and username (or a demo account username) will be provided to you by email. Despite the fact that this dialog box says User Name, what is needed here is the mailbox display name, or a portion of it.

   The Microsoft Exchange Server name to type is SHELLEY3.WEBVILLE.NET  

    

   Click the Check Name button. This is the point at which your setup will fail if your Internet connection is firewalled and you need to use RPC-over-HTTP or VPN to connect. You may be prompted for a username and password at this point. See illustration. Note the two different ways the username can be typed in the security dialog of the password prompt.

   

   If everything is wonderful, the server name and mailbox name will become underlined, as in the illustration below. If the mailbox name you typed is less than complete, you might get a list of choices. For example, if you just typed John for the mailbox name, you might get a list of Johns. Do not attempt to proceed past this point if you can not get the Check Name button to verify (underline) your information. This is your first big test of whether you can successfully communicate with our Exchange servers through your Internet connection. This is the point at which your setup will fail if your Internet connection is firewalled and you need to use RPC-over-HTTP or VPN to connect.

   

   Note the option to Use Cached Exchange Mode is selected by default. We highly recommend this option. Do not uncheck this box.

   If your mailbox, username and password are correct, and you still can't get success with the check name button, it is usually either a firewall or connectivity issue.

   1. Firewall issue. Your Internet Service Provider blocks your access to port 135. Many of them do. In that case, you have two choices. You can use VPN to connect (see our VPN instructions), or you can use RPC over HTTP (recommended due to advantages over VPN).

   2. Connectivity issue. Your HOSTS file is not installed correctly. Try the connectivity test and if it fails, go back to the connectivity instructions.

   Another less likely but possible cause of difficulty with the check name button is security. If your local username is the same as your username on our system, this can be a problem.

   Under the More Settings button in the dialog shown above, you can choose an option to have Outlook prompt you for a username and password every time. See below illustrations for these optional steps if you still have trouble with the check name button after successfully configuring the VPN.

   

   

   

   The option shown above, Always prompt for user name and password, is sometimes necessary if the username you use to log in to your local machine is the same as your username on our systems.

   

7. WooHoo!!

   

   

8. After you close the wizard by clicking Finish, you should find yourself back at this dialog box. If not, get back here by launching the Control Panel Mail or Mail and Fax icon.



9. Note the drop down list at the bottom of this dialog, just below where it says Always use this profile. Choose the new profile in the drop down list, so next time Outlook starts, it will start with the new profile, and launch into Exchange Hosting Service. 

Click the Close button and you're ready to start Outlook with your new profile. 

Now that you have more than one profile...

You can have Outlook prompt you for the profile you want to use when it starts. See the illustration immediately above. Choose "Prompt for a profile to be used" if you want to choose a profile each time Outlook starts. 

What not to do...

Some users have tried to add the Exchange Server service to an existing profile that already includes Internet E-mail service for their ISP or other POP3 mail provider. 

This always causes problems. Don't do it. Create a new profile for Exchange, following the steps above. 

Microsoft has documented the technical reasons why this doesn't work in Q245446 in the Knowledge Base. 

Reference Articles - Additional Reading:

For more information see:
Q245446 - XCLN: You Cannot Use the Exchange Server and Internet E-mail Services in the Same Profile
Q258468 - XCLN: Unable to Import .pst File into Outlook Profile with Error Message "File Access Is Denied"
 

If you have trouble with these instructions, or comments about how to make this page more useful to other clients, please let us know.