How do I connect my Gmail to my Outlook 2003?

Need a way to AutoRun a VPN connection before running Outlook

• Need a way to AutoRun a VPN connection before running Outlook. OVERVIEW: Because of the Blaster virus scare affecting port 135 (exchange) I have just been forced to use a VPN connection to check my exchange acct(s). Our exchange hosting company has given us directions for setting up the VPN connection with XPs built-in VPN client. I have made a VPN connection with a shortcut out on the desktop. The pass, ip, and everything is saved in the connection. The only problem is that the users have to remember to run the shortcut to the VPN connection before launching Outlook. If they quick outlook, lose connection, or reboot, they have to the shortcut again. WHAT WE WANT TO DO: Is there a script or something that can fire off this VNC connection and THEN launch outlook? This way the users could double-click on one thing, and be connected. This thing could have a shortcut on the desktop. We have 3 types of configurations at 3 different locations. All use Outlook XP and WinXP (1 laptop in location A uses Win2000) PCs. I think the solution would be different for each location. LOCATION A: single user, single XP laptop This one would be easy, they just click on the script (or whatever) from a shortcut on the desktop. It connects the VPN and fires up Outlook. LOCATION B: 3 users, single XP desktop (with separate XP logins, fast user switching is Off) This is a bit more complicated. When one user logs out of XP, another logs in. Each has a separate VPN shortcut, because the way our exchange hosting company works is that they need each user’s exchange username in the VPN connect. John cannot open his outlook if the VPN is logged in as Jane. LOCATION C: 9 users, using a Terminal server - Each with their own desktops, on a LAN, logging into a Win Server 2003 file server (running terminal services). I believe this would be like a domain controller on a LAN situation. - When I go into the Users/Group management console, I can enter all kinds of things for each user. User profile, Home Profile, Terminal Services Home Folder, Terminal Services User profile. - When a user logs in, it never brings up the XP desktop, it only lets them work in Outlook. This was accomplished by going into the user’s Environment tab and setting the “Start the following program at login” field to: "C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office10\OUTLOOK.EXE" /recycle - Since they never hit the desktop, there is no chance to run the VPN script. - The if we could pop something into that “OUTLOOK.EXE" /recycle” that would include the VPN script for that particular user. Each users needs their own VPN username/password (that matches their exchange username/password). SOME LEADS: Here was what I was able to find, but I didn’t understand it and am not sure if it applies. http://www.experts-exchange.com/Operating_Systems/Win2000/Q_20102863.html OTHER: I know that I am asking a lot for a mere 500 pt (can I grant more somehow), and my time frame is 24-48 hours, but any solutions would be most appreciated. If you only have a solution for one location, but not the others

• Answer:

  Hi sherpaj-ga! I realize I'm posting this answer before you responded to my clarification requests, but I believe that I have found a better answer than the one I had initially considered. I will provide both my initial thoughts and what I think is a better solution, based on your stated needs. If you have any further clarifications you require, I'll be happy to provide what I can. First, I had considered that with most versions of Outlook, it is possible to configure them to be automatically in "offline" mode, and to automatically connect using a Dial-up Networking connection, such as your VPN connection. In Outlook 2000, this is accomplished by opening Tools -> Email Accounts, selecting View or Change Email accounts, then selecting the account you want to modify (probably only one in your case), then clicking "Change". From the resulting dialog box, you can set options that configure Outlook to be in a disconnected state and use DUN (Dial-up Networking) on the first tab, titled "General". The "Connection" tab allows you to specify the DUN connection you wish to use. This configuration does work, although it is both slow and somewhat clumsy, as it is primarily intended for remote use over real (modem) DUN connections, and not for always-on connections such as LAN or VPN systems. In this configuration, with the proper settings, the users would start Outlook and be forced to connect via the VPN the first time Outlook attempted to perform any network operations, such as sending or receiving mail. Other versions of Outlook use a slightly different configuration system- I believe that withs ome versions, the appropriate dialogs are accessed through Tools -> Services. The dialogs are somewhat different in layout, but the options are there. However, this is not an optimal solution. I'm only including it as an alternative and to give you as much information as possible. Since you are using Windows XP and 2000, I would recommend that you take advantage of the command-line program "rasdial.exe". [RASDIAL.EXE Knowledge Base Article] http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=KB;EN-US;244734 With RasDial, you can use a batch file to automatically connect to a VPN or other dialup networking connection on demand. Here is the usage for rasdial.exe on Windows XP Professional. It may vary slightly on other operating systems. C:\>rasdial /? USAGE: rasdial entryname [username [password|*]] [/DOMAIN:domain] [/PHONE:phonenumber] [/CALLBACK:callbacknumber] [/PHONEBOOK:phonebookfile] [/PREFIXSUFFIX] rasdial [entryname] /DISCONNECT rasdial Command completed successfully. C:\> You can also find information on rasdial.exe in the Windows XP and Windows 2000 help system. Click Start, Help and search for Rasdial.exe. It is in the commandline programs reference. With this program, a batch file like the following: -- @echo off rasdial "Connection Name" "c:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office10\OUTLOOK.EXE" /recycle -- will automatically start the VPN client and fire up Outlook. However, this particular example assumes that the user is logged onto the local machine with the same credentials they use on the network. If the login name or password is different, you should consider storing the username and password with the VPN connection, by checking "Save Password" in the VPN connection dialog. This should enable automatic logon. This batch file can be placed in the StartUp folder for a given user and should run whenever they log onto the system. If you prefer that the user not be forced to have Outlook pop up when they log in, you can simply eliminate the last line of the batch file, which will still force the connection to the VPN. You could also put a reference to the batch file in the registry: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\CurrentVersion\Run. A REG_SZ entry with the command line you wish to execute placed in this registry key will be automatically run at each logon. However, the StartUp folder method is probably preferred. For your Terminal Services system, you can use the same mechanism (I believe). I have not tested this, but information I have found bears it out. For Windows 2000 (and possibly Windows 2003) you may wish to look at the Connection Manager Administration Kit. See the links below for more information. The CMAK is a toolkit and wizard that allows you to customise how connections are managed, including automatic connections, on Windows systems. I have not used the CMAK personally, so I don't know for certain if it's suitable for your needs. Howver, I would recommend taking a look. [Install Connection Manager Administration Kit on Windows 2000 Professional] http://support.microsoft.com/?id=271310 The information I have found indicates that the CMAK is installed by default with Windows Server 2003. [Create a Custom Connection Manager Service Profile in Windows 2000] http://support.microsoft.com/?id=317593 http://support.microsoft.com/?id=317593 For your Terminal Services accounts, I believe you should be able to specify the batch file as the startup program, which will automatically connect the VPN and then start Outlook, or you can use the CMAK to connect automatically. I sincerely hope this information is of use to you, and if I can provide any further clarification, please ask. Best regards, Cyclometh (cyclometh-ga) Search strategy: RAS VPN (on http://support.microsft.com) Outlook automatic VPN (on http://support.microsoft.com)