How to Stay Within Your UAB Mail System Quota And Keep All The Messages You Need

For users whose Exchange mailbox usage is under 2 GB, we recommend paying for a sufficient quota to save the messages in Exchange Server. Saving messages this way provides access through multiple methods including Outlook and Outlook Web Access; regular backups, which can prevent the loss of important communications; and security via access control through BlazerID credentials.

UAB IT Infrastructure periodically evaluates potential technical approaches to provide reliable larger mailboxes; in the meantime, for those whose mailbox needs exceed the supported limit of 2 GB, we recommend involving computer support staff in crafting solutions for your individual circumstances.

The following techniques can help you organize your mail items within Outlook so that you stay under your quota and you can still save all the messages and attachments that you really need. For additional assistance, please contact the AskIT Help Desk at AskIT@uab.edu or 996-5555.

What is the Mail System quota?

At UAB, the Mail System quota applies to all mail items such as messages, attachments, appointments, tasks, etc., that are in your mailbox on the Exchange Server. It does not apply to any personal folders or archive folders (located on your hard drive as .pst files using Outlook, for example), which can help you keep data you need and stay under your Mail System quota. UAB’s standard size limit for faculty and staff mailboxes is 100MB; for students, 50 MB.

This document refers to Outlook mailbox management techniques, but please note that the Mail System quota applies to all members of the UAB community, regardless of what application you use to access your mail.

Is a quota increase possible?

Yes, it is possible, to an extent. Supporting mailboxes larger than 2GB in size is not presently practical, due to the limitations of Exchange. Up to the 2 GB limit, faculty and Staff may purchase extra space as follows:

• Below 100Mb = Free
• 100-600Mb = $31/year
• 600Mb-1.1Gb = $62/year
• 1.1Gb-1.6Gb = $93/year
• 1.6Gb-2Gb= $124/year

To request additional storage, contact AskIT at 996-5555 or by email.

The AskIT Help Desk can also assist you with the mailbox management techniques.

What is taking up all that space?

To easily see how much file space is used by each of your Exchange folders:

In Outlook XP/2003

1. Choose Tools -> Mailbox Cleanup
2. “Click here” to see the size of your mailbox. (In Outlook 2003, the button is marked “View Mailbox Size,” though it is located in the exact same spot)

The size is listed in kilobytes (1000 Kb is 1 Mb; 15000 Kb is 15 Mb). Make a note of:

• folders that you do not use
• folders that seem exceptionally large
• the size of your Deleted Items folder
• the size of your Sent Items folder
• the size of your Journal folder - it should be zero or very small

After noting folders to examine further, return to your Inbox.

Take Action

Solving the problem involves a combination of deleting files and moving files to other “information stores,” either personal folders or archive folders.

Delete Unneeded Items

If your Deleted Items folder was not empty:

• in Outlook 2003/XP, return to Tools -> Mailbox Cleanup and click the Empty button. This will delete any items in your Deleted Items folder.

If your Journal folder was not 0 (and you do not want to use the Journal feature):

• go to Tools -> Options, then click the Journal button. Uncheck any checkboxes that are selected and click OK to turn the Journal off.
• Select the Journal folder in your folder list and delete any entries. If there are many entries, select Edit -> Select All, then delete the files.

Based on the notes taken during your folder size inspection, examine any large folders or folders that are not currently in use:

• Delete messages and folders that you no longer need by selecting them and clicking the Delete button on the toolbar.
• Delete attachments that are no longer needed by right-clicking the attachment and choosing Remove. You can first save attachments to your local hard drive or a network drive by opening the message and choosing File -> Save Attachments.
• Click the Received column header to sort by Received Date. Check the oldest messages to see if they can be deleted.
• Identify large files in your mailbox by Tools -> Mailbox Cleanup, select Find items larger than 250 kilobytes and click Find. Delete any non-essential items.

Empty the Deleted Items folder to remove the deleted items from your mailbox and your Mail System quota.

Move Items out of your Mailbox

After you delete unneeded files, you can move items to “personal folders” or “archive folders” where you can still access the information but the items do not count against your Exchange quota.

For users whose situation does not allow extending their quota but who wish to retain access to mail messages removed from the Exchange server, we recommend archiving less referenced messages in personal folders (PST files). Please note that PST files are files that should be on the local computer to avoid potential corruption when Outlook is referencing them, but which need to be backed up to ensure that they are not lost in the case of a hard drive failure or other technical problem.

Types of Outlook Folders

There are two major types of Outlook folders described below: Mailbox folders and Personal folders.

• Mailbox folders are folders within your Exchange mailbox used to organize your Exchange items. They can be accessed by you and by anyone to whom you give permission.
  • Mailbox folders count in your Exchange file space quota. These include your Inbox, Sent Items, Deleted Items and any folders you create
  • Mailbox folders are available to you whenever you open your mailbox, including when you use Outlook Web Access.
• Personal Folders contain Exchange items but are stored on your local hard drive or on your network space; for example, on your C:\ drive, and not on the Exchange Server. Personal folders are well suited to store data that you need to access from your office workstation but not from home or when you are traveling. They are suitable for long-term archival-type storage.
  • personal folder space does not count against your Mail System file space quota
  • personal folders are only available when you have access to the location where they are stored. They will not be available using Outlook Web Access or from your home computer.
  • personal folders can be added to and removed from your Outlook folder list so that items stored in them are readily available
  • personal folders can hold up to 2 Gb of data.
  • Outlook archive files are a type of personal folder created using the Outlook Archive feature
  • personal folders and archive folders end with a .pst file extension; search for *.pst to locate personal and archive folders.

Creating a Personal Folder

To move items from your UAB mailbox into a personal folder, first create a personal folder.

1. Go to Tools -> E-mail Accounts.
2. Choose View or Change Existing E-mail accounts, then click Next.
3. Choose New Outlook Data File. A personal folder file will be the only option. Click OK.
4. Choose a location and name for the file then click OK. Check with your IT support to learn if the location you choose here will be backed up (to insure that your old email will be safe in case of hard drive failure, etc.). We strongly recommend that all archived Exchange items are backed up in some form to prevent potential data loss.
5. Click OK again to return to the E-mail accounts window
6. Click Finish to return to the Inbox.

The new Personal Folder will be displayed in your folder list. You can move messages or folders from your Exchange space to your local hard drive or network drive simply by dragging them from the Information Viewer onto the folder. You can add to the Personal Folder at any time in the future.

The UAB items in the Personal Folder are available to you only when the local drive or network drive is available to you. If you use Outlook from another computer or Outlook Web Access, items in a Personal Folder are not available.

Adding A Personal Folder to Your Folder List

If your personal folder or archive folder does not appear in your folder list, it can be added in the same way it was created except that instead of typing in a name for the folder, you select the existing personal folder or archive folder. This will be necessary if you create a new Outlook profile or if you get a new computer.

To locate personal folders and archive folders, search for files that end with .pst:

1. Choose Start, then Search (Windows 2000/XP)
2. Select for Files or Folders
3. Specify the drive to search (i.e., C: or E:) and click Search Now
4. Make a note of the location, then use the instructions for Creating a Personal Folder (above) to add the folder to your Outlook Folder List.

Note: be sure to backup your Personal Folders. Copying to a CD or a network drive is a good option.

Archiving Outlook Items

Outlook's Archive feature moves groups of files based on the “modified date” from your Outlook Mailbox to an archive file on your local hard drive or network drive. This feature is designed for files which you do not use regularly but that you do not want to delete and may need in the future. It is an excellent way to clean up your UAB mailbox at the end of a quarter or the end of a year. Some benefits of archiving include:

• contents of archive files do not count against your Mail System quota
• you can add to the archive file
• your existing folder structure is maintained in your new archive file
• archive items can be available to you in Outlook if you add them to your Folder List
• you can archive manually anytime you wish

Manual Archive

To manually archive Outlook items:

1. Choose File -> Archive.
2. Select Archive this folder and all subfolders.
3. Select the folder or folders that you wish to archive.
4. Use the Archive items older than box to select the items to archive.
5. Set the file name and location, for example, My Documents\archive.pst
6. Click OK to begin the archive process. You can add to the archive with subsequent archive commands.
7. Be sure to occasionally back up any archived documents to a network drive or CD to insure against potential data loss.

To back up your PST files (to a network drive, for example), Microsoft provides a utility which can assist you. The utility can be downloaded here. Once installed, simply select the PST file you wish to backup, set the backup interval and location. (Once you have set up the utility, you will need to close Outlook to create the first backup)

Organize for Future Easy Maintenance

Add the Size field to your Inbox

Seeing the size of each message as it is received may help you to delete large messages or move them to a personal folder before you are over quota. You can also click the Size column to sort by size so that your largest messages are displayed together. To add a Size field to your Inbox:

1. With your Inbox active, right-click on any Inbox column heading.
2. Select Field Chooser.
3. Drag the Size field onto the Inbox column heading list

Empty Deleted Items Automatically

To make sure that your Deleted Items are emptied each time you exit Outlook:

1. Choose Tools, Options, then click the Other tab.
2. Verify that Empty the Deleted Items folder upon exiting is checked.
   

Recover deleted items or folders

To give you more confidence to delete items, it is good to know that Deleted Items can be recovered for three days (without involving a disc backup or restore, though these procedures are generally used only in emergencies). To recover recently deleted items:

1. Click the Deleted Items folder to select it.
2. On the Tools menu, click Recover Deleted Items.
3. Select the item or folder you want to retrieve from those displayed, and then click Recover Selected Items. The item will be returned to your Deleted Items folder.

Use Rules to move files automatically

You can use rules to send messages to folders automatically. Sending routine messages, such as listserv messages, to a personal folder can minimize messages in your mailbox. To create a rule, choose Tools -> Rules Wizard and follow the prompts. Rules to Personal Folders are client-only rules because you must be logged in with the personal folders available.

Use Personal Folders

Keep a personal folder listed in your folder list to make it easy to move files from your UAB Mailbox to the personal folder. Follow the instructions above to add a personal folder to your folder list.

Please contact the AskIT Help Desk if you need additional assistance at AskIT@uab.edu or 996-5555.