The Exchange team has posted a helpdesk oriented document (below) that provides recommendations and prescriptive guidance for updating Outlook calendars to comply with the Daylight Saving Time (DST) 2007 rule changes. The goal is to provide an Outlook user with a “personal touch” experience to help them understand what is happening with their calendar. Enterprise and business customers may find this helpful when dealing with end user questions or answering their helpdesk calls on the subject.
General References
Tools Availability
Guidance
We recommend using the following process for updating Outlook calendars.
I – Verify Operating System Update Has Been Installed
Start by verifying that the Outlook user’s operating system has been updated with the DST 2007 update. An easy way to verify that the update has been installed is to examine the list of available time zones in the Date and Time Control Panel applet. To do this, have the Outlook user:
- Click on Start, and then select Run.
- In the Run area, type timedate.cpl. The Date and Time Properties dialog will appear.
- Select the Time Zone tab.
- Click the Time Zone drop–down box.
- Look for these two time zones:
(GMT-06:00) Guadalajara, Mexico City, Monterrey -New
(GMT-06:00) Guadalajara, Mexico City, Monterrey –Old
as shown in Figure 1 below:
Figure 1 – Windows XP Time Zones After DST 2007 Update is Applied
If both of these time zones are not present, Windows XP is not updated with the DST 2007 update, and must be before proceeding. See http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=931836 for details on the update and to download the update.
If both of these time zones are present in the list, then Windows XP is correctly updated with the DST 2007 update, and you can proceed.
II – Review Outlook Calendar
Once you have confirmed that Windows XP is updated, you can help the Outlook user review their 2007 calendar for any issues present during the date range of March 11 – April 1, 2007 and October 28 – November 4, 2007. You should not move any items unless it is determined that moving them is needed to correct them. If the Outlook user indicates that everything is correct, then there is no need to proceed with rebasing or moving items.
If the Outlook user is a Delegate, ask them to request that their manager review any personal appointments to ensure that there are no problems with those items.
If the Outlook user indicates that meeting times are not correct, then proceed with rebasing by running the Outlook Time Zone Data Update tool (TZMove.exe).
III – Run the Outlook Time Zone Data Update tool
The process for running the Outlook Time Zone Data Update tool begins with creating a new online profile. Using a new, online profile is optional, but recommended as a best practice. The Outlook Time Zone Data Update tool can also be run using the Outlook user’s existing profile.
Creating a New Online Profile
Use the following steps to create a new profile on the Outlook user’s workstation. These instructions can be read to the Outlook user over the phone, or performed by the Help Desk technician that is remotely connected to the Outlook user’s computer using Remote Assistance or similar remote control software.
- Double-click the Mail icon in the Control Panel.
- Click Show Profiles.
- Click Add.
- Add a new profile, and in the Profile Name field, type the name of the user you are assisting.
- Click OK.
- Make sure the option “Add a new email account” is selected and click Next.
- Select “Microsoft Exchange Server” and click Next.
- For the Exchange Server Name enter the name of the Outlook user’s Exchange server.
- Enter the user’s display name and click Check Name.
- You may need to select the users name from a drop–down box.
- The name should appear with an underline under it.
- Uncheck the checkbox for “Use Cached Exchange Mode”
- Click Next and the click Finish.
- Verify that the option in the Mail applet is set to “Prompt for a profile to be used” and click OK.
Once the profile has been created, or after deciding to use the Outlook user’s existing profile, proceed with running the Outlook Time Zone Data Update tool.
Run the Outlook Time Zone Data Update tool using the New Profile or the User’s Profile
Use the following steps to run the Outlook Time Zone Data Update tool using either the newly created profile, or the Outlook user’s existing profile.
1. Launch the Outlook Time Zone Data Update tool by double-clicking the Mail icon on the Outlook user’s desktop.
2. Select the Mailbox for this user as the “Data File“.
3. Make sure that the Outlook user’s correct time zone is selected in the Original Time Zone field.
4. Make sure that the Update to reflect changes to the Windows time zones option is selected, as shown in Figure 2 below:
Figure 2 – Outlook Time Zone Data Update tool
5. The tool will report the number of items to possibly rebase, as shown in Figure 3 below:
Figure 3 – Number of Items that Need Rebasing
6. Click the Details button to get a list of items to be updated, as shown in Figure 4 below.
Figure 4 – Details on Items to Be Updated
7. Ask the Outlook user if any appointments on this list appear to be incorrect (e.g., appear one hour ahead). Any appointments that appear to be one hour ahead will need to be moved.
8. Uncheck any appointments that are indicated as correct (e.g., not 1 hour ahead).
9. Click OK.
After the Outlook Time Zone Data Update tool has updated the checked items, meeting updates will be sent automatically and the Outlook user can expect to receive meeting acceptances. Let the Outlook user know that anyone who receives meeting updates from them should accept them.
Then, review the calendar with the Outlook user and ask them to verify their appointments from March 11 – April 1, 2007. If any appointments appear at the wrong time, instruct the Outlook user to move the appointments by clicking and dragging them to the correct time.
If all of the appointments are not correct proceed with checking for incorrect or missing appointments. If all of the appointments are correct proceed to the discussion of other clients that might access the calendar items.
Confirm the accuracy of items
Only proceed with these steps if the Outlook user has indicated that they are having problems or that items do not appear to be correct. Assist the Outlook user by reviewing appointments between March 11 and April 1 to make sure they are all correct.
Help the Outlook user correct items by instructing them on what actions to take. Ask them to click and drag any appointments that they have organized to the correct time. They should also send out meeting updates if prompted during the move operation. If they want you to move then items, you can, but the ideally it should be the Outlook user that makes the updates.
Check for missing items
If the Outlook user reports missing appointment items during the period from March 11 to April 1, those items might be recoverable using Outlook’s Recover Deleted Item feature. You can use the following steps to try to recover these deleted items:
1. Open Outlook.
2. Select the user’s profile.
3. When the mailbox is opened, select the Deleted Items folder, and look for any deleted items that need to be recovered.
4. Then, select the Inbox.
5. On the menu bar, click Tools, and then choose Recover Deleted Items. The Recover Deleted Items window will be displayed, as shown in Figure 5 below.
Figure 5 – Recover Deleted Items Window
6. Check the Recover Deleted Items window for any items that need to be recovered.
7. Repeat steps 3-5 for the Deleted Items folder and the Calendar folder until all items are recovered.
If missing items are not recoverable then let the Outlook user know that they should contact each meeting organizer and request that they re-send the meeting invitation.
IV – Discuss Other Clients that Access the Outlook User’s Calendar
Once the calendar is updated to the user’s satisfaction, next ask if any other clients or users are accessing their calendar.
- Ask if the Outlook user has a delegate, or if anyone else has permissions to modify their calendar.
- Ask if the Outlook user has multiple machines or a mobile device that they use to access their calendar. It is critical that all clients and mobile devices used to access the calendar be updated with the appropriate DST 2007 update(s).
If the Outlook user mentions that appointments from other users appear incorrect, ask for the names of the meeting organizers and the Help Desk will proactively follow-up with an offer of a calendar review for that Outlook user.
Instruct the Outlook user that they can continue to accept meetings from everyone. If the Outlook user sees future meeting updates, they must accept or decline the updates, and not just delete them.
Appendix A
Scenario 1 |
Calendar items are created under DST 2006 rules and then viewed under DST 2006 rules |
Environment: |
The operating system is not updated to accommodate the new DST rules. This issue may occur if users are not receiving updates from Microsoft Updates and have not taken action to address DST. |
Status: |
Appointments are created that occur during the extended DST periods in March and October 2007 on computers that are not updated to reflect DST 2007. Additionally, meetings and appointments are viewed in Outlook on computers that have been updated to reflect DST 2007. |
Results: |
The calendar items are displayed at the correct time. However, the system time on the computer is off by one hour during the extended DST period. |
Action: |
Update Windows to reflect DST 2007. After the Windows update is installed, users must run the Time Zone Data Update Tool. |
For more information about this update, visit the following Microsoft Update Web site:
http://update.microsoft.com/microsoftupdate/v6/default.aspx?ln=en-us (http://update.microsoft.com/microsoftupdate/v6/default.aspx?ln=en-us)
For more information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
931836 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/931836/) February 2007 cumulative time zone update for Microsoft Windows operating systems
Scenario 2 |
Calendar items are created under DST 2006 rules and then viewed under DST 2007 rules |
Environment: |
The operating system is updated for DST 2007. However, the Time Zone Data Update Tool was not yet run to address appointments that were created under DST 2006 rules.
In this scenario, new calendar items may continue to be created by using mobile devices or other computers that have not been updated for DST 2007. However, the calendar items are viewed on a computer that has been updated. |
Status: |
Calendar items that fall within the extended DST period were previously created on devices under DST 2006 rules. However, these items are then viewed on devices that have been updated to reflect DST 2007 rules. |
Results: |
Calendar items that you organize are off by one hour during extended DST periods. Meetings for which you are an attendee may not be set at the correct local time in Outlook. |
Action: |
Run the Time Zone Data Update Tool to update appointments and meetings that are organized by the user to reflect the new DST rule. Meeting updates are automatically sent to the other attendees.
Avoid creating new calendar items during the extended DST period from other computers or from devices such as mobile devices until the computers or devices have been updated to reflect new DST rules.
There may be meetings for which you are an attendee that occur during the extended DST period and that have not been updated by the meeting organizer. In this case, contact the organizer directly to confirm the time. |
Scenario 3 |
Calendar items are created or updated under DST 2007 rules and then viewed under DST 2006 rules |
Environment: |
Other users have updated the computer that they use to reflect DST 2007 rules, and have sent you meeting invitations that occur during the extended DST period. However, you have not updated the computer that you use to accommodate the new DST rules.
Alternatively, you have updated the computer to reflect the DST 2007 rules and have run the Time Zone Data Update Tool. However, you are now viewing your meetings and appointments from another computer or from a mobile device that has not been updated to reflect the DST 2007 rules. |
Status: |
Appointments and meetings are created on a computer that is updated to use DST 2007 rules. However, appointments and meetings are viewed on a computer that is not updated to use DST 2007 rules. |
Results: |
Appointments and meetings that you organized are off by one hour during extended DST periods. Meetings for which you are an attendee may not be set at the correct local time in Outlook. |
Action: |
Apply the Windows DST update to computers and mobile devices. |
Scenario 4 |
Calendar items are created or updated under DST 2007 rules and then are viewed under DST 2007 rules |
Environment: |
Windows is updated on the computer to reflect DST 2007 rules, and the Time Zone Data Update Tool has been run to update the previously created calendar items. |
|
Other computers and mobile devices that are used to view and create calendar items are updated to reflect DST 2007 rules.
Meetings for which the user is an attendee have been updated by meeting organizers who have updated their systems to reflect DST 2007 rules. |
Status: |
Calendar items were created by the user under DST 2006 rules and were updated by using the Time Zone Data Update Tool. Alternatively, appointments were created after Windows was updated to reflect the new DST rules and are viewed on computers that are updated for DST 2007 rules. |
Results: |
Calendar items display correct times during all time periods. |
Action: |
No action is required. |
This help desk guidance is also posted at http://msexchangeteam.com/archive/2007/03/06/436731.aspx
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