Why are these directions for non-college owned computers only?
Does this replace Outlook Web Access?
We recommend Outlook Web Access which does not require installation or technical expertise.
OWA has server-side features not in IMAP: your calendar and contacts are stored on the server, not a specific PC. That means you can access your mail, contacts and calendar from any computer through a web browser and OWA.
Support for your personal email client at home is limited to these instructions, but the help desk can provide full support for Outlook Web Access.
What benefits will these settings provide?
I don't know if these settings are right for me.
You are welcome to contact the help desk at (518) 580–5900 to discuss your situation.
Who should not use these settings?
The off-campus servers for old UNIX email accounts are both mail.skidmore.edu
Do you have an Exchange account? You can test it by trying to log into OWA. If you can, you are on Exchange.
You may also call the help desk to find out if you have an Exchange account: (518) 580-5900.
If you use the old WebMail, you are not on Exchange and you should not use these settings.
OK. How do I setup Outlook 2007 for IMAP, SSL, and authenticated sending?
1. Adding a new account in Outlook 2007 can begin either of two ways.
On the very first use of Outlook 2007, a wizard appears. With the wizard, perform a. thru c. and then Step 2.
a. In the Outlook 2007 Startup window, click the Next button.
b. Mark the round Yes button when asked Would you like to configure an E-mail account?
c. Click Next and jump to Step 2 below.
If you have already used this copy of Outlook, launch the wizard manually. Perform a. thru e. and then Step 2.
a. Tools menu (in Outlook 2007)
b. Choose Account Settings.
c. There is a toolbar right below the tabs. Click the New button.
d. Select the round dot button for Microsoft Exchange, POP3, IMAP, or HTTP.
e. Click the Next button.
2. Check Manually configure server settings ... in the Auto Account Setup window.
3. Click the Next button.
4. Mark the round button for Internet E-mail when you are asked to choose an e-mail service.
5. Click the Next button.
6. Fill in the Internet E-mail Settings window as illustrated and described.
Your Name is simply your full name as you want it to appear in the "From:" field of messages.
E-mail Address is your Skidmore College address in lower case. This is how correspondents reply to you.
Account Type must be IMAP. You cannot use POP.
Incoming mail server is incoming.skidmore.edu which is the IMAP server for Exchange accounts.
Outgoing mail server is outgoing.skidmore.edu for Exchange accounts.
User Name is your Skidmore College username in lower case, e.g. kchenlee but not kchenlee@skidmore.edu
You may enter your password and check the Remember password box if there are no security concerns. If you do not check this, you will need to log in every time you run Outlook. That makes your mail more secure. On the other hand, some people have secure locations where their computer is safe; they prefer an automatic login.
Do not click Next. Continue with Step 7 from this same window.
7. Click the More Settings button.
a. On the General tab you may name the account. Here is an example:
Why make up a name? Some users have multiple accounts and a clear name allows you to differentiate between Skidmore mail and others. The word IMAP will help if you call for support and we ask about your account. It makes support more efficient to know right off if you have an Exchange or IMAP account.
Organization is optional. Some mail programs display this information; many do not.
b. On the Outgoing Server tab:
i. Do check My outgoing server (SMTP) requires authentication.
ii. Now choose between two ways to enter your username and password.
Choice 1: Did you have the program memorize your User Name and Password on an earlier screen? There was a check box to have your password remembered. If you allowed your password to be memorized, you can choose "Use same settings as my incoming mail server."
Choice 2: If you did not choose to have Outlook remember your password on the earlier screen, you should mark the second item, Log on using. Fill in your username in all lower case, enter your password, and check the box to have it remembered. Otherwise, each time you restart Outlook you will need to log into the program and then log into the outgoing server the first time you send.
c. On the Advanced tab:
i. Make these two choices before entering the port numbers.
Choose SSL encryption for the incoming server and choose Auto for the outgoing server.
ii. If the Incoming server did not change automatically to 993, type that value.
iii. If the Outgoing server did not change to 587, type that value.
iv. Optional: You might find it helpful to increase the Server Timeouts to 3 or 4 minutes.
The Auto setting for outgoing should work fine. If it does not, you may set this for TLS.
If you change from Auto to TLS, make sure the port stays on 587.
d. Click OK.
8. Back at the Internet E-mail settings, click Next without checking "Require Secure Password Authentication (SPA)."
9. On the congratulatory screen, click Finish.
You may be asked for your full name.
If this screen appears, type your full name and your initials. Click OK.
The information will be used by various Office 2007 programs like Word and Excel.
You may be asked to make privacy choices.
1. Do check Search Microsoft Office Online for Help ....
2. Do check Download a file periodically that helps determine system preferences.
3. Optional: Sign up for the Customer Experience Improvement Program.
4. Click OK.
RSS feeds
Answer Yes if asked if you want to synchronize your RSS feeds with Windows.
Enlarge the Outlook window
Your email window is probably too small. You can grab the lower right corner and drag it wider and taller or you can maximize it.
Where is my mail?
By default, your folders are hidden.
1. Click the minus sign on Personal Folders to hide them.
2. Click the plus sign on the Skidmore mailbox to expand that folder list.
Several Folders are Hidden Click the Minus and the Plus |
Skidmore Mailbox is Expanded The Skidmore Inbox is Visible |
 |
 |
Some folders may be hidden. Expose them.
1. Right-click the mailbox that you just created. In this example it is called "Kyle's Skidmore IMAP."
2. A pop-up menu appears. Choose IMAP folders.
3. Remove the check from When displaying hierarchy in Outlook, show only subscribed folders.
4. After removing the check, click OK.
I expanded the mailbox but Outlook starts in the Personal Inbox, not my Skidmore Inbox!
Tell Outlook to always start in your Skidmore Inbox or another folder of your choosing.
1. Tools menu
2. Options
3. Other tab
4. Advanced Options button
5. To the right of Startup in this folder:, click the Browse button.
a. After clicking Browse, scroll down the folder list to the Skidmore account.
b. Click the + plus sign to expand the Skidmore account.
c. Single-click the Inbox that is within the Skidmore account.
d. OK
e. OK
f. Before clicking the final OK, take a look at the Spelling tab. Decide whether to always check spelling.
g. OK
When I delete messages, they do not go away. They have a line through them.
Here is a message that needs to be purged. The delete command gave the message a strike through appearance.
To permanently delete (aka purge) messages:
1. Open the Edit menu.
2. Point to Purge without clicking.
3. Choose to purge the folder in which you are working or all of the Skidmore account.
Can I automate the purge?
You can tell Outlook that it should purge every time you jump to another folder.
1. Edit menu
2. Point to Purge but do not click.
3. Choose Purge Options with a click.
4. Do check Purge items when switching folders when online.
5. OK
My sent mail is stored locally, not on the server!
You can tell Outlook 2007 to store your sent mail on the server.
1. Not in a message but rather at the Inbox, open the Edit menu.
2. Point to Purge without clicking.
3. Choose Purge Options.
4. Select the Folders tab.
5. Select Choose an existing folder or create a new folder to save ...
6. In the list of folders for your IMAP account, highlight Sent Items.
7. OK when done.
Related Information
I do not have Outlook on my home computer. What now?
• You can still use Outlook Web Access. You don't have to setup a program.
https://owa.skidmore.edu
If you cannot login into Outlook Web Access, you may not have an Exchange account. Call (518) 580-5900 for help.
• Most employees and students are eligible to purchase Microsoft Office for approximately $20 plus shipping.
Microsoft Office includes Outlook. When you buy Office, you get Outlook. Do you already have it?
Students: Purchase Office here - http://skidmore.e-academy.com
Employees: You must be authorized. View more information on this Computer Depot page.
The URL is http://www2.skidmore.edu/cits/depot/MCAPersonallyOwned.cfm
Look for a link in the last paragraph. It takes you to the on-line application form.
These settings are quite different from the old settings. Why the change?
Unless you are on campus using Windows and Exchange Server settings in Outlook, you are using SMTP for your email. SMTP stands for Simple Mail Transfer Protocol. However, our old SMTP settings are insecure because there is no encryption or user authentication. No encryption means that others can "listen in" on the flow of email information. They could potentially steal your password and/or your email data. No authentication means that spammers and others can pretend to be you and send spam through our outgoing server.
These SMTP settings require encryption through a protocol called either SSL or TLS. You already use TLS in other ways. For example, if you bank or make credit card transactions on-line, you will notice that the web address begins with https: rather than http:. This secure web connection uses TLS for encryption.
The settings also tell the outgoing server your username and password. Once all outgoing mail is authenticated this way, we can prevent spammers from spoofing your address and sending junk as you. Spammers may know your email address, but they do not know your password. Their spam with your spoofed address can be blocked.
Maintained by Brien Muller, IT Help Desk
Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs, NY
Rev. 2008.08.01