Exchange FAQ

Usage

Q: How will I access my email when I am away from campus?

A: In order to access your email over the Internet or at a kiosk, you will need to use Outlook Web Access (OWA) through any web browser. You will get the best experience using Internet Explorer 6.0 or higher. OWA looks very similar to the Outlook client.

The URL that you use to access OWA is: https://mail.bsd.uchicago.edu

Q: Can I use the full Outlook client from off campus?

A: Yes, but not directly. For security reasons, you cannot connect Outlook directly to the Exchange system from off campus. While we strongly recommend using OWA from off-campus, you can configure Outlook 2003 for access.

To configure RPC over HTTP:

1. In Outlook, go to Tools, then Email Accounts.
2. Select your email account from the list and click the Change... button.
3. In the new window that appears, click More Settings...
4. Select the Connection tab, and check the box next to "Connect to my Exchange mailbox using HTTP"
5. Click the Exchange Proxy Settings button, and enter mail.bsd.uchicago.edu in the "https://" field.
6. Click OK to save your changes.

Please contact your departmental helpdesk for more information.
 

Q: Are there limits on the size of an e-mail attachment?

A: As with most email systems, there is a maximum size for an email attachment that the email system will accept. In our case, an individual attachment to an email message can be up to 20 Megabytes (MB) in size. If you have a file larger then 20 MB, please contact your departmental helpdesk for additional help.

Q: What is my mailbox quota?

A: Your mailbox is 500MB. 

Please contact your departmental helpdesk for more info.

Q: How can I see the size of my mailbox?

A: In Outlook, right click your mailbox name (Lastname, Firstname). Select Properties for "Lastname, Firstname"... On the General tab, click the Folder Size... button. If you are using cache mode, you will see two tabs, choose the Server Data tab.

Q: What happens when I reach my quota?

A: When your mailbox fills to within 50MB of your quota, you will receive a warning message. When you reach quota, you will not be able to send mail until you get under quota. You will continue to receive mail, however. Call your department's helpdesk for more information on archiving mail to a personal folder.

Q: What can I do to control my mailbox size?

A: Here are some tips that can do wonders to control mailbox size.

1. Empty your Junk E-mail and Deleted Items folders
2. With Outlook 2003, use the "Large Mail" Search Folder to identify really big saved messages. Delete those you don't need any longer, or copy them off onto your desktop machine.
3. Sort your Sent Items by size and remove large unneeded messages
4. To remove an attachment, but leave the original message in your mailbox, open the message in Outlook, right click the attachment, and select Remove. Then save the message when prompted. Note that there will be no indication that there ever was an attachment.
5. Move data to your Personal folder.

Q: What is my Exchange password? How do I reset it?

A: Exchange uses your Active Directory password. You can reset the password for your AD account by calling your department's helpdesk.

Q: In Outlook, when I create a new message, how can I display the "From" or "Bcc" fields?

A: Choose New and from the Options drop down, you can choose either to display the From field and/or the Bcc field.

Q: In Outlook, my mail seems to be missing in my Exchange Inbox. Why is this?

A: Check what you have set for your 'Current View' of your Inbox. Sometimes users change it to say 'Unread Messages in This Folder' and therefore, they see nothing, because all of there messages have been read.

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

A: If that person has granted you permission to their calendar, launch your web browser, type the following on the URL line at the top of the screen https://mail.bsd.uchicago.edu/exchange/accountname/calendar/

Replace the 'accountname' with the 'Reply To' address of the users calendar account you wish to see (e.g., https://mail.bsd.uchicago.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., bsdad\username) and your password then click on the Log On button.

Q: How do I get Outlook to prompt me for a username and password every time, instead of automatically logging me in?

A:

1. Click Start, select Settings, and then Control Panel.
2. Double-click the Mail or Mail and Fax icon.
3. Click the Email Accounts button.
4. Select View or change existing email accounts and click Next.
5. Select the Microsoft Exchange Server profile and click Change.
6. Click the More Settings… button.
7. When the Microsoft Exchange Server dialog box comes up, click the Advanced tab.
8. At the bottom, change the Logon network security: option to None.
9. Click Apply.
10. Outlook should now be configured to prompt for username and password every time you start it.

Q: How do I create a signature file in Outlook?

A:

1. Click the Tools menu, and then Options.
2. Click on the Mail Format Tab
3. Click on the Signature Picker button that is located at the bottom of the Options box.
4. In the Signature Picker box, click on the New button.
5. Enter a name for your signature.
6. Make sure the option Start with a blank signature is selected, and then click Next.
7. In the box labeled This text will be included in outgoing mail messages:, enter any signature text you wish to have attached at the bottom of outgoing email. When finished, click the Finish, and then the OK button.!

Q: How do I set up a vacation message in Exchange mail?

A: You can set up a vacation message either via your local client or on the web.

In Outlook:

1. Click on the Tools menu, and then Out of Office Assistant.
2. Choose the option; I am currently Out of the Office.
3. Enter the vacation message in the AutoReply only once to each sender with the following text box.

In OWA:

1. Click the Options button on the navigation pane.
2. In the Out of Office Assistant section, select I'm currently out of the office and enter your vacation message in the space provided.
3. Click the Save and Close button at the top of the OWA window.