Tag: Microsoft Outlook Email Support
If you are using Outlook Express, you may want to read this blog
If you are using Outlook Express to manage your email for personal or business, I am writing this blog to give you a heads up on some changes coming up.
After April 2014, your old computer running Outlook Express will no longer be supported from Microsoft and it will not be safe to have on the internet. You will be recommended to upgrade your computer by me, others and Microsoft. That also means your email is no longer secure and you will have to move your email from Outlook Express to a new email program. (Windows Live Mail, Outlook 2013 or Outlook.com is recommended).
Moving email from Outlook Express can take some time and be complicated, or it can be easy and not very difficult. I have upgraded many people from Outlook Express to Windows Live Mail (Replacement for Outlook Express on Vista and Windows 7 & 8) successfully for many years now.
It’s up to you on this one folks, if you want my help, with just a few questions I can let you know if this will be a project or a quick upgrade. Many clients have 13 years of emails in their Outlook Express and due to size issues, transitioning email and configuring can take hours to accomplish this task. We also need to figure out if you want access to these emails when you are on different computers/devices and while traveling.
I will offer free consultations on this project, please email me at info@callthatgirl.biz or call 612-865-4475 to schedule an appointment on my calendar.
What are RSS Feeds In Your Outlook?
When you set up Outlook for the first time, welcome to RSS feeds friends! You get them set up in the installation process. You sometimes have a chance to not turn them on, but most people just blaze right by that option, so most people have RSS feeds in their Outlook. Let’s start with what RSS feeds are…and what they can do for you and how to turn them off.
RSS means “Rich Site Summary” or the average person calls it “Really Simple Syndication” or just RSS.
RSS feeds are a way to get updates from your favorite websites in your Outlook. It could be news alerts from MSN or a blog post from your favorite blogger (like me!). If you look down the folder list in your Outlook, you may see RSS with tons of blue numbers. This is common, I see it everyday here with my clients. See the example to the right for where my RSS feeds lives. For the purpose of this blog, instead of removing RSS (which you can do and we will cover in a bit) I saved up a bunch to show you. See that MSNBC News one? 8794 feeds that I didn’t really sign up for, Outlook signs you up by default when you agree to RSS feeds in the setup process. This will be removed now!
How to remove RSS feeds
In your Outlook, you need to find your email settings. See pic below. You can click on the “remove” button on each and get rid of them.
Now how do you add an RSS feed from your favorite blog? Go to the top of my website and you will see the RSS feed button. My site says “Posts” but on some websites you may see “Feeds or RSS” with the commonly known logo. If you are new, you can click on the “subscribe” button and then those feeds will be in your Outlook or whatever other program you use.
Why does software support cost so much?
I will start with the main reason – knowledge. Not every computer repair or support company has the knowledge to support what you need help with. These software support companies put in the time and energy to learn the products on their own so they can support you. But there are few people that know it, so the rates are higher. Compare this to knick knacks you buy at Target. Their section for fun house decor is full of cheap, under $50 trinkets for your home. But if you want something really unique, you go to an antique store where people hand-picked cool stuff. You pay $500 for that one piece that wows people and gives your home a little something extra. Specialty software companies are like antique stores, we know what we are doing and can get things done faster. We know people, the software and how to scoot past first level support (when we call into companies if need be). We also know the quick bugs that the software can create and how to fix them fast. We work in these applications all day, fixing, repairing and supporting is what we know well.
Basic tech support should be relatively affordable; the rates at CTG are competitive in our market and offer quick fixes. But if you are using specialty software such as ACT, CRM systems, Google Apps, Microsoft Office 365 or need server work done, expect higher expenses with your tech support.
Does this make sense? I hope so. I’ve had some clients ask why my Outlook pricing is now a bit more expensive. I have spent 13 years working with Outlook on many different levels; I am fast and fix many problems in 15 minutes or less. If you asked the technician down the street in a local repair shop to fix it, even though their rate may be very low…they could spend hours trying to figure out the problem and not fix it. The may even need to do other things to your Outlook that would make your head spin, like reinstalling, starting from scratch or worse. Their expertise is probably not in Outlook and that costs you more time and money. Hire a knowledgeable software technician and get back to work faster – it will cost less in your time and money.
Call That Girl offers Outlook (all versions), Hosted Exchange Transition Assistance (old POP/IMAP email to exchange, where everything synchs) and is now in training for Microsoft Office 365. If your company is interested in working with us on a beta testing level, we are very interested in talking to you about your company and moving to the robust work of online cloud application support for your IT needs. Call today for a consultation if you’re in need of any of the above. I look forward to helping! 612-865-4475
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Outlook Isn’t Sending Due to Comcast Port 25 Change
This posting, while old…still receives a lot of Google hits. I keep it up here for a reason. Not only are people having issues still with Comcast email, they also are getting hacked. As an Outlook Expert, I recommend if you are using Comcast email for your business, to move off this program and start using a more secured business email account. (This usually is your business name.com) I can assist with this transition for you.
Please email me for help Lisa@callthatgirl.biz
want help faster? Fill out this online form!
Just a heads up to all of our followers, Comcast had a port switch some time ago… that may cause your email to stop working properly. You probably received a notice from Comcast on this issue and for many people, it will work. For some of you, the instructions DO NOT WORK.
If you have an older version of Outlook or some other host, you may be having problems sending email. First, close and re-open your email, then try sending again to make sure Comcast is the root of your problem. If it’s still not working, check out this site for instructions on how to fix it, .
Skype Won’t Quit Or Close Windows 7
Is anyone else out there as irritated as I am about Skype not closing or quitting? It’s like the family member that won’t leave at Christmas! Even though I am a technician, not every annoyance deserves my precious time. Just like you, I sometimes just wait until I can’t stand something anymore and deal with it. So let’s deal with it together. First we will deal with Skype just always starting up when your computer turns on.
If your Skype starts up with your computer and hangs out at the bottom of your computer with the rest of your apps, your Skype is set up to “Launch at startup” of your computer. So yea, it’s always there. Here is how you can disable this…
Disable start up in Skype itself. Open Skype and go to “Tools” and select “Options”–then uncheck the box “start Skype when I start Windows”. Then it’s gone and should be gone for good!
But now, let’s say you start Skype up and use it, chat away and then you want to get out. You can sign out, or quit…but guess what? It will probably still linger like that awkward cousin at Christmas! I want it gone, I hate seeing it at the bottom of my screen! First, I try right clicking on the app and choose the option, “Quit Skype.” It will ask if you are sure you want to quite Skype and inform you that you won’t be able to send or recieve messages anymore. Select “Quit” and it should go away, but a lot of time this doesn’t work. So then I go off and kill it in the task manager. Really, that’s the best way I have found to get rid of it. For now, it’s not that important of a tool for me to put much time into figuring out why the thing won’t close properly…other than Skype did it as a master marketing plan to keep it in your face every day and night.
Lisa
Warning: Read This Before You Install iCloud for Outlook Synch
If you learned from this blog, please share it!
If you found this post via a Google search, you are probably having issues and need help now. If you are a business, call me at 612-865-4475 and let’s get this figured out now. If you want to continue reading, see if this helps!
As an Outlook “expert”, I deal with many clients on a daily basis with Outlook issues–oh yea, it’s awesome and very robust but she can break but it’s not always her fault. I fix Outlook for a living… I configure new apps, show users shortcuts, help them clean up their 1000’s of emails, repair broken files, etc. I’m busy! Well, sometimes new apps show up and I have to do the “On Demand Learning Technique” (which is learn while I troubleshoot) and figure stuff out fast. These apps all have different ways of working and with so many different types of computers & devices (Mac,Windows, iPhones, iPads, Tablets, etc)…it’s a job just keeping up.
One thing I have learned in the past 2 weeks is that my business clients are not so happy with the iCloud and Outlook, not so much. They are thrilled to figure out that iCloud does some amazing synchronizing and they are in love with their wolf pack of technology, but after they have let the giddiness settle….then comes the realization that the Outlook calendar trumps iCloud. And unfortunately, it sends clients to me to help with alternative synchronizing methods. iCloud just doesn’t deliver with calendaring options for business. Fortunately I am extremely talented with the Outlook program and am catching these issues more quickly for the clients.
Examples of problems you may encounter (and just Google this, you will find many more)
- If you run 3-5 calendars, welcome to dysfunction junction.
- Got a lot of re-occuring events that someone else scheduled for you and you used to edit the notes? Good-bye to that jolly good option.
- Enjoyed viewing your to do calendar meetings in your side bar? Well, that too my friends is gone.
- iCloud also moves all of your contacts to their folder (so if you use BCM or have a lot of notes in the contacts, these may or may not work in iCloud or be viewable/editable)
- And don’t forget to install the iCloud control panel too! (seems to be a set missing in most online How-To for setting up iCloud)
iCloud may also select a random default calendar for you. Depending on how many emails accounts you have and PST files, depends on which one it picks. You may be inviting people or recieving calendar invites from and for the wrong accounts (If you manage many) If you don’t know how to manage it, it will be messy to clean up.
iCloud is free, the good tools that allow you to continue to manage Outlook in the manner you have for years, is not. I guess it comes down to how robust you are with Outlook and how many changes you are willing to make, sacrifice or have to learn.
If you want to learn about an alternative way to synchronize your world, you can try these tips I found from Geek in the Forest.
If you want help now with your Apple and Outlook synching, call us and get on my calendar. 612-865-4475
