User Error

Here’s how to deploy an Outlook 2003 Junk Email list to your domain via GPO.

1. In a plain text file, specify your safe senders and/or domains.

For example:

@example.com
bob@email.com

2. Place the above file in a location such as \\yourdomain\netlogon. This will ensure that it’s available to all domain users, plus - if you link to it later via the domain UNC path, you won’t be tied to a specific domain controller name.

3.1 Copy the following text, and save it into a file with the extension .adm

CLASS USER

CATEGORY "Microsoft Office Outlook 2003"
    CATEGORY "Tools | Options..."
        CATEGORY "Preferences"
            CATEGORY "E-mail options"
                CATEGORY "Junk E-mail"
                KEYNAME Software\Policies\Microsoft\Office\11.0\Outlook\Options\Mail
                    POLICY "Specify path to Blocked Senders list"
                        PART "Specify full path and filename to Blocked Senders list" EDITTEXT
                            VALUENAME JunkMailBlockedSendersFile
                        END PART
                    END POLICY
                END CATEGORY
            END CATEGORY
        END CATEGORY
    END CATEGORY
END CATEGORY

3.2 Download the official Microsoft Outlook 2003 ADM files. These will allow you to specify the location of the import lists (Safe Sender, Safe Recipient, Blocked Sender)

4. Import the administrative templates into your policy by right-clicking on ‘Administrative Templates’ underneath ‘Computer Configuration’ or ‘User Configuration’, and selecting ‘Add/Remove Templates’

5. Once you’ve imported the template, go to User Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> Microsoft Office Outlook 2003 -> Tools|Options -> Preferences -> E-Mail options -> Junk E-Mail.

5.1 Go to ‘Junk Mail Import List’, select ‘Enabled’, and check the box.

5.2 Specify the location to your safe senders list

You’ll need to do a ‘gpupdate’ (Start, Run, ‘gpupdate’) in order for the policy to take effect. In addition to this, you’ll need to close and re-open Outlook in order to see the changes when you go to Tools -> Options -> Junk-Email -> Safe Senders.

Links:

Office 2003 Service Pack 3 Administrative Template (ADM), OPAs, and Explain Text Update

Office 2003 Resource Kit Downloads

Step-by-Step Guide to Using the Group Policy Management Console