Following my two part series on how to backup and restore (as well as transfer Microsoft Outlook from one computer to another), I received a number of emails asking as well as highlighting other areas of Outlook customisation which can be backed up.

Custom Dictionaries

Custom Dictionaries allow you to store words that are not in the standard dictionary but which are valid. Names, surnames, towns as well as technical terms are common examples of correctly spelled nonexistent dictionary phrases. You would add these words to a custom dictionary so as to prevent the spell checker from prompting you whenever these words are used in an email.

With custom dictionaries it makes more sense to move the file to the folder that holds the pst files. See the article titled “How to backup your Microsoft Office 2007 Outlook in its entirety (Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7)” for more information. For Windows 7, the suggested folder was %USERPROFILE%\Documents\Outlook while under Windows XP it was %USERPROFILE%\My Documents\Outlook. This ensures that all terms added to the dictionary are backed up whenever you backup this folder.

Custom Search

To perform this action, choose the entry Options… from the Tools menu. From the dialog box that comes up click on the Spelling tab; the Spelling and Autocorrection… button; the Custom Dictionaries… button. The dialog box titled Custom Dictionaries comes up. For each dictionary that is defined, you can set the path where it should reside. This can be done by selecting the dictionary and then clicking the browse button and selecting the new location for this file. If you already have data stored in your CUSTOM.DIC file, you should close Microsoft Outlook and move this file using Windows Explorer.

Signatures, Stationary and Templates

Stationery and themes are a set of unified design elements and colour schemes you want to apply to messages. They specify fonts, bullets, background colour, horizontal lines, images, and other design elements you want to include in outgoing e-mail messages. Signatures are parts of a document you embed at the end of each email. You may have a different signature defined for each email account that pours into Microsoft Outlook. You can vary the signature depending on whether you are writing a new email or replying to a communication sent by someone else. Besides being a time saver, signatures allow you to personalize your email. Within companies and organisations a standard signature helps promote a professional identity.

Under the folder %APPDATA%\Microsoft are three directories called Signatures, Stationery and Templates. By including these directories in your backup strategy you would not have to create your customisations if you ever need to reinitialise your Microsoft Outlook installation. You would only need to reselect the appropriate signatures, themes and stationeries the first time you run Microsoft Outlook after a fresh install.

Conclusion

Having to reinstall a computer is one of the most nerve wrecking experiences. Even if you are willing to stay up late into the night or to dedicate a Sunday to reinstall the operating system and programs, remembering and implementing program customisations can ultimately take much longer. Recreating some functionality exactly as it was before can end up being a real bugger. By backing up these settings, getting back to the state you were originally becomes a breeze.

Comments are welcome and should be sent to chribonn@gmail.com.

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