PC Win: Running Microsoft Mail Windows Client from the Network

Last reviewed: October 20, 1995
Article ID: Q87621
The information in this article applies to:
  • Microsoft Mail for Windows, version 3.0

This article is addressed to the network administrator and outlines the procedure for setting up version 3.0 of Microsoft Mail when Mail is run from the network using the Windows client, and no Mail files are stored locally on the users' workstations. The first section tells how to set up Mail 3.0 when Microsoft Windows and Mail are run entirely from the network. The second section tells how to set up Mail 3.0 when Windows is run locally and Mail 3.0 is run from the network.

  NOTE: Mail version 3.0 was not designed to be run directly from the
  network. Because the file I/O that normally occurs on the local
  workstation is being handled by the network, running Mail from the
  network may decrease Mail's performance.


               RUNNING WINDOWS AND MAIL FROM THE NETWORK
               =========================================

Definitions

  • <MAILEXE> refers to the Microsoft Mail executables directory.
  • <WINSHARE> refers to the shared location of the network

        installation of Windows.
    
  • <WINTEMP> refers to a temporary directory for a temporary

        installation of Windows.
    
  • <MYDIR> refers to the user's network directory where the user

        stores his or her own Windows files (this will include the *.INI
        and *.GRP files).
    

INSTALLATION STEPS

To set up the Mail 3.0 shared files

  1. Install the Windows client in the <MAILEXE> directory, as described in the "Microsoft Mail Administrator's Guide," page 10.

  2. Create the <WINTEMP> directory on the server or a local workstation and run SETUP /N from the <WINSHARE> directory to create a new installation of Windows in the <WINTEMP> directory.

  3. Run Windows from <WINTEMP>. From the MAILEXE directory in the Windows File Manager, start Setup by double-clicking SETUP.EXE. When Setup prompts for the Microsoft Mail directory, type <WINSHARE> as the location. For example, type "L:\WINDOWS" (without quotation marks) if this is the location of the network version of Windows. This will install all the Mail for Windows program files in the same directory as Windows.

  4. Copy MSSPELL.DLL and MSSP_AM.LEX from the <WINTEMP>\MSAPPS\PROOF directory to <WINSHARE>.

  5. Copy SCHEDMSG.DLL from <MAILEXE> to <WINSHARE>.

  6. Set all files in <WINSHARE> to Read-Only. For Novell(R) networks, set the files to Shareable and Read-Only.

  7. Modify the MSMAIL.INI file in <WINTEMP> with any custom settings you want all your users to have (for example, ServerPath). For additional settings that may be included, see pages 52-55 in the "Microsoft Mail Administrator's Guide."

  8. In <MAILEXE>, create the directory \MAILINI.

  9. Copy the following files to <MAILEXE>\MAILINI:

    <WINTEMP>\MSMAIL.INI <WINTEMP>\MSMAILPV.INI <WINTEMP>\MSMAIL\MSMAIL\FILES.INI

  10. Remove <WINTEMP> (including all files, subdirectories, and the directory).

To set up a user for Mail 3.0

  1. In the <MYDIR> directory, create the following directories:

    \MSMAIL \MSMAIL\MSMAIL

  2. Copy the following files from <MAILEXE>\MAILINI:

          Copy          To
          ----          --
    
          MSMAIL.INI    \<MYDIR>
          MSMAILPV.INI  \<MYDIR>
          FILES.INI     \<MYDIR>\MSMAIL\MSMAIL
    
    

  3. In the Windows Program Manager, create a Mail 3.0 icon with the following properties:

          Description:       Microsoft Mail
          Command Line:      <WINSHARE>\MSMAIL.EXE
          Working Director:  <WINSHARE>
          Shortcut Key:      None
          Run Minimized:     Not checked
    
    

  4. Modify the WIN.INI file to include the following settings:

    [Extensions] dcx=<WINSHARE>\faxview.exe ^.dcx scr=<WINSHARE>\faxview.exe ^.scr mmf=<WINSHARE>\msmail.exe

    [Sounds] MailBeep=

    [mail] mapi=1

    [MS Proofing Tools] Spelling (Mail) 1033,0=msspell.dll,mssp_am.lex Custom Dict 1=<MYDIR>\custom.dic

  5. Modify the WINFILE.INI file to include the following setting. The [AddOns] section makes it possible for the user to send a file directly from within File Manager.

    [AddOns] Mail File Manager Extension=sendfile.dll

  6. Run Registration Editor (REGEDIT.EXE) and add the following file type to the Registration Database:

          Identifier:   MicrosoftMail
          File Type:    Microsoft Mail
          Action:       Open
          Command:      <WINSHARE>\MSMAIL.EXE
          Uses DDE:     Not checked
    
    

  7. Verify that the <WINSHARE> directory is in the MS-DOS search path for each user.

               RUNNING WINDOWS LOCALLY AND MAIL FROM THE NETWORK
               =================================================
    
    

Definitions

   -  <WINDIR> refers to an individual user's locally installed
      Windows directory.
   -  <MAILEXE> refers to the Microsoft Mail executables directory.
   -  <EXCELDIR> refers to the directory where Microsoft Excel 3.0 has
      been previously installed.


INSTALLATION STEPS

To set up the Mail 3.0 shared files

  1. Install the Windows client in the <MAILEXE> directory as described in the "Microsoft Mail Administrator's Guide," page 10.

  2. Modify MSMAIL.INI in <MAILEXE> with the following settings and add any additional custom settings you want all your users to have (for example, ServerPath). For additional settings that can be included, see pages 52-55 in the "Microsoft Mail Administrator's Guide."

    [Microsoft Mail] DemosEnabled=1

    [MS Proofing Tools] Spelling=Spelling (Mail) 1033,0 Custom Dict=Custom Dict 1

To set up a user for Mail 3.0

  1. Create the following directories in <WINDIR>:

    <WINDIR>\MSMAIL <WINDIR>\MSMAIL\MSMAIL

  2. Copy the following files from <MAILEXE>:

          Copy               To
          ----               --
    
          MSMAIL.INI         \<WINDIR>
          MSMAILPV.INI       \<WINDIR>
          FILES.INI          \<WINDIR>\MSMAIL\MSMAIL
    
    

  3. In the Windows Program Manager, create a Mail 3.0 icon with the following properties:

          Description:       Microsoft Mail
          Command Line:      <MAILEXE>\MSMAIL.EXE
          Working Director:  <MAILEXE>
          Shortcut Key:      None
          Run Minimized:     Not checked
    
    

  4. Modify the WIN.INI file to include the following settings:

    [Extensions] dcx=<MAILEXE>\faxview.exe ^.dcx scr=<MAILEXE>\faxview.exe ^.scr mmf=<MAILEXE>\msmail.exe

    [Sounds] MailBeep=

    [mail] mapi=1

    [MS Proofing Tools] Spelling (Mail) 1033,0=msspell.dll,mssp_am.lex Custom Dict 1=<WINDIR>\custom.dic

  5. Modify the WINFILE.INI file to include the following setting. The [AddOns] section makes it possible for the user to send a file directly from within File Manager.

    [AddOns] Mail File Manager Extension=sendfile.dll

  6. Run Registration Editor (REGEDIT.EXE) and add the following file type to the Registration Database:

          Identifer:    MicrosoftMail
          File Type:    Microsoft Mail
          Action:       Open
          Command:      <MAILEXE>\MSMAIL.EXE
          Uses DDE:     Not checked
    
    

  7. If you have version 3.0 of Microsoft Excel for Windows, copy SMI.XLA to <EXCELDIR>\XLSTART.

    If you have version 2.0 or later of Microsoft Word for Windows, load SMIAUTO.DOC from <MAILEXE>. The SendMail macro will install itself and exit Word for Windows.

  8. Place the <MAILEXE> directory in the MS-DOS search path for each user.

    NOTE: If you are using Windows version 3.0, you must replace the following files in your <WINDIR> directory with the copies found in <MAILEXE> for Mail Help to operate properly:

          WINHELP.EXE   Windows 3.1 Help engine
          WINHELP.HLP   Windows 3.1 Help file for help
    


Additional reference words: 3.00 install setup
KBCategory: kbusage kbnetwork
KBSubCategory: MailPCWin


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Last reviewed: October 20, 1995
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