Outlook 2003 Groups

I want to create a global distribution group in Outlook. I don't know how. I need to add users to this group who are not already in the cotacts. Can someone help me.............Please!?!?!

I need everyone in the organization to be able to pull up this distribution list. The people that I am adding to the list are not already in the contacts folder. I need to add them manually.

Open address book, go to file, new entry, distrobution list, ok. Click the add new button when window comes up. Enter the info and Viola!

HTH

Michael

Do you have an Exchange server?

It sounds like you don't, and that you are trying to have the benefits of an Exchange server without the pain and suffering involved with Exchange...

But if you do have Exchange let us know and I can craft the how to for this.

If not there are other ways that you could do this. Though I don't really like any of them.

-Russ

We are running SBS2003. It is mostly a file server. There is the exhange software look like a plug in installed. However when I go to it, the users that are showing up in the address book arent there. The way we create new accounts is by using server manager. I am a little lost, because the books i have been looking through aren't helping out a lot.

If you want a distribution list in your Global address list you need to create it in Active Directory Users And Computers. If this is on SBS there is an Organizational unit already created called "My Business" expand that folder and there is another OU called "Distribution Groups" Right click the folder and select New Group, enter a group name and in the group type section select Distribution. This will now show up in your Global Address List and you can add whatever contacts or local addresses you like.

I think you might be confused about the types of address books available to you... I apologize in advance if this is too basic of info. I am just trying to make sure we are on the same page.

Go to Outlook and Open up the address book (Tools, Address Book). Up in the right corner it should have a dropdown menu "show names from the".

The default with Exchange is the Global Address List. This will show all the people that have email addresses on your exchange server and any distribution lists that you set up like Rockn described. The Global Address List (GAL) is created from a basic LDAP lookup on your Exchange Server. You can hide people from this list, but for the most part if they have an account on your server they will show up.

In addition you may have a category called Outlook Address Books, and a sub entry called Contacts. These are the local contacts on your Outlook. They will not show up on other people's computer, unless they have permission to view your contacts folder, and go to file, open, other user's Folder.

You can control what folders show up in that list by right-clicking a contact folder, going to properties, and the outlook address book tab. You can do this with regular outlook contact folders, and also public folders that you have access to.

You might also see an item called Personal Address Book. This is an old way that Outlook used to manage contacts back in Outlook 97, and is a hold over from that time. You can only have one Personal Address Book per Outlook account, and it is always a local only thing.

The last item on the list is the All Address List category. These lists come from Exchange and are essentially LDAP queries based on some category. For example you could put an entry into all the admin staff and search on that with the query. You can modify these in the Exchange system Manager, or just leave them alone as most people do...

The last thing about Address Books. Is that you can specify the list that shows up first, where personal contacts are stored, and the order that Outlook searches. These options are all in the Address Book, under tools, Options.

So as far as sharing the address books, creating distribution lists etc. You will want to determine what groups you need to create. Then determine the best spot to share them from. If all of your groups will contain people from your server then creating the items in the distribution list as rockn mentioned will do this. If you are are going to have a bunch of internal and external people you will probably want to create a public folder, then configure everyone to search that folder first.

Hopefully this all makes sense. Good Luck.

-Russ