F.A.Q.

Q: What is Email Prioritizer?
Email Prioritizer is an add-in for Microsoft Office Outlook 2007 that helps you manage email overload. It provides a “do not disturb” button that temporarily pauses new email arrival, and it prioritizes email to help you focus on the email messages that are most important to you.

Q: I just installed but I can't find Email Prioritizer. Where should I look?
Run Outlook 2007 and (after our Welcome message) you should see a new toolbar that has our features. If Outlook was running when you installed, you will need to quit Outlook and then restart it before you'll see the toolbar.

Q: I have Outlook 2003 (or an earlier version). Can I use this prototype?
Sorry, this prototype only works on Outlook 2007.

Q: My email account doesn't use Microsoft Exchange. Can I use this prototype?
Sorry, this prototype only works with Exchange email accounts. So, unfortunately, the prototype doesn't work with Live Mail, Hotmail, Gmail and other web email accounts.

Q: I use more than one computer. I've installed the prototype and now funny things are happening...
It's ok to install the prototype on one of your computers, but we don't recommend installing the prototype on more than one computer that accesses the same email account. (If you do, you may see strange results, since the different computers may be trying to assign priorities to the same email messages at the same time.) 

Q: How are priorities assigned to email messages?
Priorities are assigned using a variety of information about the mail, such as who the mail came from.

Q: Can I manually set the priority rating?
Email Prioritizer comes with a set of built-in rules for rating email; however, you can adjust those priorities at any time. You can change the priority of any email using controls that show below the Reading Pane, or using the right-click menu on the email message (right click on the message, choose Priority, and select the new priority).

Q: How long is email paused once the “do not disturb” button is selected?
You can choose to pause email from 10 minutes up to 4 hours, or even have the pause last as long as a meeting you’re attending. 

Q: What data is logged? 
We log data about which features of the prototype are used. We don't log any personal data, or any data that can identify you. We use the data to help us understand how the prototype is used in order to decide if this idea is adding to your productivity.

Q: How can I get support for Email Prioritizer?
Sorry, you can't. Email Prioritizer is not a Microsoft supported application. It's just an experiment to evaluate an idea. Other users may be able to help you out in the discussion forums, but that is not official support.

Q: How can I provide feedback on this application?
Email Prioritizer has a menu choice, “send feedback,” that allows you to provide feedback. You can also send an email to emailpfb@microsoft.com or post your feedback in the Discussion List.

Q: Will Email Prioritizer be included in Outlook?
No, these projects are prototype technology and currently there are no plans to introduce this into future products.

Q: How do I uninstall Email Prioritizer?
On Windows XP, go to Control Panel, Add/Remove Programs, and remove Email Prioritizer from Microsoft Office Labs. You'll need to restart Outlook for the uninstall process to be completed.
On Windows Vista, go to Control Panel, Uninstall a Program, and remove Email Prioritizer from Microsoft Office Labs. You'll need to restart Outlook for the uninstall process to be completed.

Q: I tried to uninstall, but the uninstall program seems to get stuck!
In rare instances, the uninstaller may seem to get stuck. Sometimes there's another window hiding behind the main uninstall window and it's waiting for you to answer a question. Try moving the main uninstall window out of the way so you can see the window that's behind it. 

Q: I uninstalled but I still see star ratings on my emails. How do I get back to the way my inbox looked before I had this prototype?
First, make sure you quit and restart Outlook after you uninstall. Most of the time, uninstalling should put your inbox back to the way it used to look. On very rare occasions, that doesn't happen; and if you have this problem, just use the Outlook View menu, select Current View, and select "Messages". 

Q: I uninstalled but some of my normal arrangements (Conversations, Date, etc.), still look different.  How do I reset them?
Right-click on the “Arranged By:” header at the top of your Inbox, then choose “Custom” from the bottom of the menu.  In the dialog that opens, click the “Reset Current View” button at the bottom of the dialog.  This will reset the existing view to the default Outlook appearance.