I previously posted how to backup the auto-complete list in Outlook by using the NickName file.  I ran into a much more common problem today where old entries in the nickname file are no longer valid and caused me to send messages to the wrong people or old addresses.  I did a quick Google search and came up with a few helpful bits of information.  The first of which is a handy utility that will let you modify the contents of the nickname file and in my case remove the old address.

1. NirSoft’s NK2View – Freeware http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/outlook_nk2_autocomplete.html.  They also have a lot of other handy little utilities for Outlook management and other systems.
2. When adding new addresses the best way to do it is actually create a contact entry in the PST file, but as many people know contact email addresses do not always appear in the drop down list.  Still best practice says to add a new contact.
3. ALWAYS backup the nickname file (read Part 1) because if the file gets corrupted your out of luck!

Good Luck!

-Brent

If you have ever been to an airport, hotel or other public place that offers Wi-Fi service you may have also noticed that some require you to pay for access and others just require you to register.  Depending on your business this can be a good thing as it provides a source for extra revenue, or maybe just more insight into your visitors and how they access the hotspot.  On the other hand it does provide a little bit more security so you don’t end up with leaches on the network.

There are many vendors of systems and access points to provide this type of service, however I stumbled across a Microsoft document that provides information to setup and configure this type of service using existing Windows based servers.  It specifically targets Windows 2003 and Windows XP, but I am sure that is an updated version for 2008 and Vista.  On the other hand it is important to note that it does not contain any information about supporting Apple or Linux based machines.  Even if this solution does not work for you it may be worth the time to read just to understand some concepts and background on how a system to handle this could be implemented.

So without further ado the document can be found here.  If you have used this system or something similar please post your experience and comment on the system as I would be curious how it worked out for you.

-Brent