The following error is ever so common for users of both Exchange and Outlook 2016:

A lot of users are getting this error, and the general conclusion is that Microsoft is to blame.

Microsoft is constantly updating and upgrading its services, and oftentimes doesn’t update the configurations for its users. _[1] This issue usually affects Outlook 2016 but can happen with other versions as well. The message will lead you to believe that you need to update information in your profile, which is impossible to do since Outlook refuses to open and you can’t do anything with it. This occurs because the root domain server is responding to the autodiscover request and as a result, you will not be able to open Outlook, or use your account with it.

What is happening is that Outlook 2016 is hanging when performing the HTTPsAutoDiscoverDomain method. Outlook uses the root domain of your SMTP address to attempt to locate the AutoDiscover service. It tries to connect to the following URL based on your SMTP address in the following xml file: https://<smtp-address-domain>/autodiscover/autodiscover.xml. _[2]

If Outlook is slow finding the autodiscover records, you can tell Outlook to exclude the root domain and other records (SCP lookup, AD domain query, HTTP redirect, and SRV record query) with the following registry entries:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Outlook\AutoDiscover\
 DWORD: ExcludeHttpsRootDomain
 Value: 1

“ExcludeScpLookup”=dword:00000001

“ExcludeHttpsAutoDiscoverDomain”=dword:00000001

“ExcludeHttpRedirect”=dword:00000001

“ExcludeSrvRecord”=dword:00000001

The reason for individually disabling each of these records is because Outlook’s default settings uses one or more of these methods to reach the AutoDiscover service. If Outlook fails to connect to the predefined URL based on your SMTP address, Outlook tries the HTTP redirect method. If that does not work, Outlook tries to use the SRV record lookup method. If all lookup methods fail, Outlook cannot obtain “Outlook Anywhere” configuration and URL settings. _[3]

This simple solution will help you work around the nasty issue.

References:

Arrows, Kevin. “Fix: Outlook cannot log on. Verify you are connected to the network and are using the proper server and mailbox name.” Appuals.com. N.p., 29 Jan. 2017. Web. 29 May 2017. <https://appuals.com/solved-outlook-cannot-log-verify-connected-network-using-proper-server-mailbox-name/>. [1]

Bayley, James. “Registry hack to enable Outlook 2016 to connect to Office 365.” Blog.jamesbayley.com. N.p., 01 Dec. 2015. Web. 29 May 2017. <https://blog.jamesbayley.com/2015/12/01/registry-hack-to-enable-outlook-2016-to-connect-to-office-365/>. [2]

“Posts about ExcludeScpLookup on John Yassa’s Blog.” John Yassa’s Blog – Microsoft till the end. N.p., Web. 29 May 2017. <https://johnyassa.com/tag/excludescplookup/>. [3]

As part of our tips and tricks series, we have already shown some great info on how to be more productive with Microsoft Word – read our previous post Tips and Tricks: Are you being productive in Microsoft Word?.

In today’s post, we will continue our trip though the Microsoft Office suite.

Microsoft Outlook is a widely used email client my small and medium enterprises, and also has some great features to help you make the most of your time. A Commit100 MS Outlook guru shared some of his tips, tricks, and shortcuts to work faster in MS Outlook.

Download the Tips and Tricks in PDF format: Commit100-MSOutlookTipsNTricks

1. A lot of the things that apply for Word (see the previous post) apply for Outlook as well. Namely,

   1. Text selection and navigation
   2. Easy text alignment
   3. Copy and Paste Text
   4. Undoing actions
   5. Finding and replacing text
   6. Spelling check
   7. Text formatting

2. Convenient Keyboard shortcuts:

   1. To create a new email message, Ctrl+N
   2. To reply to a message, Ctrl+R
   3. To Reply to All, Ctrl+Shift+R
   4. To forward a message, Ctrl+F
   5. To send a message, Ctrl+Enter (unless this option is disabled)
   6. Switch between mail, calendar, contacts, and other items in the navigation pane by hitting Ctrl + [the place number of the item],
      1. e.g. Ctrl+1 will open mail, Ctrl+2 will open the calendar, and so forth.
   7. Create a new item from the clipboard. Copy any text to your clipboard, then in Outlook press Ctrl+V. Outlook will create a new message (or note or appointment or whatever item, depending on the folder you’re viewing) with the text already pasted.

3. Inbox organisation. You can create inbox folders and rules to direct messages with certain senders to those folders, so the messages will automatically go to those folders.

   1. To create a folder, right-click on the Inbox, select New Folder, and type the folder name.
   2. To create a rule, select the email from the sender for whom you want to make the rule, right-click and select Create Rule.
   3. Select the “From …” checkbox.
   4. Select the “Move the item to folder:” checkbox and click Select Folder, and then select the folder you created for that person.
   5. You can do similar organisation based on subject, not recipient.
   6. 

4. Managing Multiple signatures (signature for new messages, for reply messages):

   1. Go to File > Options > Mail > Click on Signatures.
   2. Click New, and type a name for the signature.
   3. Enter the text and formatting for the signature, when finished click Save.
   4. In the drop-down menus on the right, select from the dropdown the signature you want to use for
      1. New Messages (full signature)
      2. Replies/Forwards (shortened signature).

5. Using Follow-up flags to track messages / tasks. This is a convenient feature that lets you remember if you need to follow up on an email.

   1. For an email you want to track, click on the flag beside it (on the right).
      1. To select a different priority (time range within which to follow up), right-click on the Flag beside it and select the appropriate time range.
   2. The email will now appear in Tasks.
      1. To stop tracking the email (i.e. to mark the task as complete), in the list of Tasks, click on the flag – it will change to a check mark and disappear from the list.
      2. You can do the same in your inbox by clicking on the flag.

6. Saving important emails as files.

   1. To save an email as a file, open the email, go to File > Save as, and select the location to which you want to save. The email will be saved as an Outlook message that can be opened with Outlook.
   2. To save as a PDF, simply print the email as a PDF (File > Print > Select Microsoft Print to PDF printer)

7. Manual Send/Receive. This allows you to have a second look through all your emails before you send them, but requires you to remember to do that.

   1. To set manual Send/Receive, go to File > Options > Advanced > Scroll to Send and Receive.
   2. Uncheck the box “Send immediately when connected” and press OK.
   3. Now, all emails that you send will appear in the Outbox.
   4. To send all emails in the Outbox, in the Home tab press “Send/Receive All Folders”.

Download the Tips and Tricks in PDF format: Commit100-MSOutlookTipsNTricks

Microsoft Word has become an essential tool in any office environment. The product has been around for some time, and many features have been developed over the years. Strangely, the majority of users do not use these convenient and effective features.

Our Commit100 expert has put together a list of some of the most used productivity tips and tricks in Microsoft Word.

Download the Tips and Tricks in PDF format: Commit100-MSWordTipsNTricks

1. Generate random text with =rand(8,10) (and press Enter)
2. Fast text selection and navigation
   1. To select an entire paragraph, make three fast clicks anywhere inside the paragraph.
   2. Ctrl + Click selects the sentence.
   3. To select all the text in a paragraph before or after the cursor, press Ctrl + Shift + ↑ or ↓.
   4. To select text in the paragraph by word, before or after the cursor, press Ctrl + Shift + → or ←.
   5. To select text in the paragraph by symbol before or after the cursor, press Shift + → or ←.
   6. To navigate through text by word, Ctrl + Shift + → or ←.
   7. To navigate through text by paragraph, Ctrl + Shift + ↑ or ↓.
   8. To select all the text in a document, Ctrl+A.
3. Easy text alignment. Tab will move the cursor by equal space intervals to the right.
4. View two copies of the document at the same time:
   1. Go to View tab > Split View
   2. Move the divider between the two views to change the size of each.
   3. 
5. Copy and Paste Text:
   1. To copy text, select the text and Ctrl+C.
   2. To paste text, select where to paste and Ctrl+V.
   3. To cut text, select the text and Ctrl+X.
6. Undoing actions after accidentally doing something, perhaps several steps ago. There is (as far as I know) no limit on how many actions you can undo / redo:
   1. To undo an action (step backward), Ctrl+Z.
   2. To redo an action (step forward), Ctrl+Y.
7. To automatically format text as heading of different levels, use the built-in heading templates in HOME tab, Styles area:
   1. Simply place the cursor on the text you want to format, and select the style you wish to apply.
   2. To preview the style without applying, simply hold the mouse over the style block.
8. Finding and replacing text:
   1. To find text, press Ctrl+F and type the text you need to find, then Enter.
   2. To replace a number of reoccurring words / word combinations, Ctrl+H.
9. Spelling check:
   1. Spelling check is enabled by default, and it uses zig-zag underlines to mark text that has spelling mistakes.
   2. To run through all the spelling mistakes, press F7.
   3. You can choose to ignore or replace a misspelled word.
10. Inserting tables
    1. Go to Insert > Table > Select the number of Rows and Columns you need.
    2. Type “+” then Tab multiple times (depending on the number of rows/columns you need) and press Enter.

+             +             +             +             +

↓

11. Insert Table of Contents:
    1. Go to References > Table of Contents > Select one of the automatic tables.
    2. To update the table after you make changes to the document, click anywhere in the table and press F9.

12. Text Formatting.
    1. To make a word­ subscript, Ctrl and +, To make a word­ superscript, Ctrl and Shift and +
    2. To increase font size, use Ctrl and Shift and >, to decrease font size, use Ctrl and Shift and <
    3. To make a word bold, underlined, italic – Ctrl+B, Ctrl+U, Ctrl+I, respectively.
13. Easy converting /saving to PDF using Word’s built-in features.
    1. File > Save As > From the dropdown, select the PDF file format.
    2. File > Print > Select the printer Microsoft Print to PDF.

Download the Tips and Tricks in PDF format: Commit100-MSWordTipsNTricks

Stay tuned for our next blog, where we will discuss tips and tricks for Microsoft Outlook.