Outlook stores our mail, contact folders, calendars and to do list in a data base. If you interested the database is called an OST file (Outlook STore). There are many reasons your Outlook Database can get corrupted or just generally disorganized.  The result can be slow performance or in some cases an error that the OST is corrupted.  It is easy enough to run a repair/tuneup to help.

Easier to show you than explain it!  Here’s a short How To video:

Click here to view the embedded video.

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Good luck

In the last Protecting you Data Resources blog we made a first backup using the built-in Windows Backup utility. But making the Backup is only the beginning – What do we do if we need to get a file or folder back? That process is call Restoring.  You can restore the whole backup, some of the folders, or even just a single file.  To do any of these you use the same Backup and Restore utility in Windows you used to make the Backup.

The general steps for restoring are:

1. If you made the backup on a USB drive, plug the drive into the computer

2. Start the Backup and Restore Utility

3. Click the Restore My Files button

4. Choose what you want to restore

5. Choose where you want to save what you are restoring

6. Click Restore

It is not a difficult process. I am pretty sure you can figure it out on your own, but it always help to have a demo. So here’s a quick run through on video showing restoring 1 file:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Keep watching, Protecting your Data Resources Stop 4 is next. In that one we look at using a different type of backup software, one that is a little smarter than a simple backup and synchronizes files in two locations.

How do I archive my Outlook email?  Is there a way for me to save email and not fill up my mailbox?

These are common questions we are getting more and more.  In the AgriLife Outlook/Exchange system we have Online Archiving set.  It is a great feature, you get 1 Gigabyte of online storage space. If you use this archive method  you can access your email archive anywhere, even using the Outlook Web App.

You can find simple instructions on How to use Online archiving on our First Call web site:  http://first-call.tamu.edu/pdf/Online-Email-Archiving-Guide.pdf

Another option you have is to create a “personal store” file.  A personal store, often called a “pst” after the file name ending is just that. A storage place you create on your computer. Anything you place in it will not burn up space on your online email resources, but it will only be available on your computer.  You can also backup, copy and move personal store files to other computers or backup drives for safe keeping.

Here’s a one pager on how to create your own personal store: How to create a personal store file on your computer

In last article I opened the discussion on protecting your data with backups. In that lesson I wrote about making a simple copy of your files using Windows Explorer.   Making a simple copy this way is easy to do and is BIG step in the right direction, but we can do better!

Data backups have been around since day 1 and there are many software applications and services dedicated to the backup task.  One application we can use is the Backup and Restore utility Microsoft includes in Windows. It has the advantage of being already installed on your computer and comes at a great price!

In this article let’s take a closer look at Windows Backup and Restore.  The Windows utility is pretty basic as backup applications go, but it offers some advantages over the simple copy.  You can more easily control what you backup and save the settings, you can setup automatic backup schedules and you have a means to search out and restore files, folder or an entire backup when needed.

If you have never stumbled across Windows Backup don’t be surprised, it is not exactly at the top of the menu.

To get to it:

About Using Windows Backup and Restore

The first time you use B&R you will go through a Wizard to setup your backup destination and your initial backup. Don’t worry too much about getting it all right in the Wizard, you will be able to go back and fix it and add additional backup jobs.  Here’s a demo of the initial setup with the Wizard:

Click here to view the embedded video.

In the next BLOG article we will take quick look at how to restore a Windows Backup.

There is no better way to protect your files than to make a copy.  We often call this a backup, but  it is really a copy.  Although there are many ways to make a backup, in the next few IT Toolbox BLOG posts we will take a look at the 3 most common methods I see and use.

1. Make a simple copy using Windows

2. Use the built in Windows Backup utility

3. Use a backup/file synchronization software

All 3 will get the job done, all 3 have positive and negative points, but chances are one of these will best fit your computing style and help you protect your files.

The First Step

In any backup strategy the first consideration is WHERE to backup, usually called the “destination.”  The most common today is an external USB hard drive. Other options are server drives, CD or DVD,  USB sticks, another computer on your network or an internet based service.

We discussed using a “Cloud” or Internet based services in an IT Toolbox article: Online Backup and Storage – using the “Cloud”

For these articles will be discussing using a local drive as the destination, either USB Drive or a Shared Server Drive.  USB drives are readily available in sizes large enough to hold all your files and inexpensive when considering the cost of recreating lost files.

Today’s Lesson – the Simple Windows Copy

Any backup is a copy of your important files so using Windows Explorer to copy files to an external drive is a very basic and easy to do backup strategy. Chances are you use Windows to copy files to USB sticks or between folders everyday. The only difference here is the copy is made to the backup destination for safe keeping.

The downside of simple copy is you have to manually perform the copy each time you want to make a fresh backup.  You need to be organized so you don’t forget or lose track of when you backup and what you backed up.

This method is great for making a quick backup and for files that you may not need to backup frequently but need to safely store long term.

Here’s short video to help you get started:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Be sure to watch for the next IT Toolbox:   Using the Windows Backup and Restore Utility

This past month all our Extension County Office websites are now Word Press Driven.  Word Press is hosted web content management system designed to make maintaining a great web presence.  It allows to readily change information, add media like video, audio, photos, pdf documents and add text and links to other resources.

The AgriLife Communications Web Production team has customized Word Press for our County sites to providing a whole tool box of features. They call this customized template AgriFlex. It is flexible and you can control the elements that appear on the screen as well as the content.

The Web Production team is also creating some great resources to help you get the most out of your Word Press site.  They have created a BLOG site (also using Word Press) and a Training resources page:

BLOG:  http://agrilife.org/learnwordpress

Training Site:  http://agrilife.org/wordpress/

Keep your eyes on this IT Toolbox BLOG and our IT Tuesday Facebook page (http://facebook.com/ittuesday) for more tips and help

In our AgriLife Outlook system functional mailboxes, like the Extension County Office boxes, are configured as shared only mailboxes. This is a great feature, but to open the shared mail boxes you need to add it to your Outlook mailbox folders.  The attached document shows you how to do that.

One note:  You can only do this if you have permission to access the mailbox. If you need access to share a generic mailbox you should call or email First Call to get the permission set up.

Accessing_a_Shared_Mailbox_2011-10-07

Data Security Series 2 – Jim Segers

In our first Protecting your Data Resources stop we learned about Windows built-in file and folder encryption. This Windows features adds a solid layer of protection to files. Windows encryption uses your user account name and password as “keys” to encrypt and decrypt.  As a result to view the files you must open them on a computer using your name and password.  If you need to read them on another computer or if you loose your password or if you get an new computer and don’t move these files properly you can lock your self out!

We can kick up the level of protection for data and improve the usability of encryption by using a standalone disk encryption software.  Disk Encryption software uses a mathematical algorithm to make data unreadable to anyone who does not have the “key” to decrypt it.  You provide the password “key” and it is independent of your Windows password.

There are many commercial packages available on the market.  Windows 7 Enterprise and Ultimate versions come with BitLocker disk encryption as a feature.  One well know and trusted software is TrueCrypt.  TrueCrypt is also an Open Source freeware, meaning you can get it and use it for free. If you like it you can make a donation to the project.

You can get TrueCrypt online: http://www.truecrypt.org/     For more about Truecrypt here’s a short article we put together:  TrueCrypt

If you decide to use TrueCrypt I suggest you review the Beginners tutorial http://www.truecrypt.org/docs/?s=tutorial

There are also some helpful videos on YouTube to get you started:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Jim Segers, IT Coordinator Texas AgriLife Extension Service

Most versions of Windows include a feature called EFS – Encrypting File System.  It is an internal method to encrypt your files and folders protecting them from unwanted access.

The files are easily available to you, but if your computer is stolen or someone with another account tries to open them they will not be able to do so.

It is a simple thing to do.  Here’s a link to a short video form Microsoft using Windows 7. If you have Windows XP or Vista the process is the same.

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/Encrypt-or-decrypt-a-folder-or-file

Here’s is a step by step you can share with others in your office:  ( PDF version:  How to Encrypt a File or Folder in Windows)

1. Open Windows Explorer (My Computer in XP or Computer in Windows 7 or Vista)
2. Locate the file or folder you want to protect, right-click the file or folder, and then click Properties.
3. On the General tab, click Advanced.
4. Under Compress or Encrypt attributes, select the Encrypt contents to secure data check box
5. Click OK
6. If the file is located in an unencrypted folder, you receive an Encryption Warning dialog box. Use one of the following steps:

If you want to encrypt only the file, click Encrypt the file only, and then click OK.

If you want to encrypt the file and the folder in which it is located, click Encrypt the file and the parent folder, and then click OK.

We recommend you organize your files into folders and encrypt the folder and all its contents.

Great tips for PowerPoint Presenters.

While giving a presentation, you can jump directly to another slide in the deck.   How? Type in the slide number and press Enter. (Yes, in order for this to work, you should have a printed “handout” with you to refer to the exact slide number. For for example, if someone ask can you go back to slide 5, all you need to do is hit the 5 key and hit the enter key and slide show be moved to slide 5.

During PowerPoint presentation, if you need the pen to highlight an area on the slide, Hold the Ctrl Key down and hit the P key once, this turns the pointer into a pen; circle your material as needed. Now to get the mouse pointer back and release the pen mode, hit the Esc key once, you are ready to move thru the slides. If you do not want to keep the mark up on the screen, hit the E key once, this will erase the markup.