Stupid question of the day award

[trixtah.livejournal.com]

Ok, it's really really trivial, but that's why it irks me even more.

Desktop support guy comes up to me and asks if I know about adding additional mailboxes to Outlook.
Well, yeeesss, since I am the Exchange admin.
So he goes, "User_twitfeatures wants to know why one of the additional mailboxes just shows up as 'User1' and the other shows up as 'Mailbox - User2' in the folder list."

Er, I don't know. (I was simultaneously trying to urgently send out some logs to a supplier's support desk due to backups failing). So, can she access the mailboxes?
Yes.
Can she carry out the functions she needs to do?
Yes.
THEN WHY ARE YOU BOTHERING ME?

I mean, really. It'd gone through Helpdesk, Desktop Support and now the Exchange Admin. I'm happy to help out with wee queries, but for chissakes, one extra word in the folder list that doesn't impact on the functionality?

Found out from the Helpdesk that User_twitfeatures is a "difficult" user. Fine. All the more reason not to waste everyone's time with STUPID questions.

Um. Does anyone actually know why that happens? Because now the question is bugging me, which makes it even more irksome

Comments

[canthlian.livejournal.com]

Um. Does anyone actually know why that happens? Because now the question is bugging me, which makes it even more irksome

Easy. Outlook was written while the developers were on some form of crack. Probably cut with flea powder.

[trixtah.livejournal.com]

Silly me. Of course they were.

I was kind of expecting them to be cugelled into line now that they've been more integrated into the whole MS Office dev team, but they do like to keep up some of their little idiosyncratic habits, don't they?

[greylady.livejournal.com]

Is it the user's own mailbox that's showing up with Mailbox - Name?

On our system, only the user's own mailbox shows up that way, everything else is either a shared folder or a public folder. I'd be willing to bet that it's a similar set up on your system.

[trixtah.livejournal.com]

Oh god, if that's it, I will kill myself. The impression I got from the desktop guy was that both mailboxes we discussed were attached ones (not the original user's).

Should have asked the question! Argh.

[greylady.livejournal.com]

It is not your fault for assuming a basic level of intelligence in other humans. We all make that mistake occasionally...

[redqueenmeg.livejournal.com]

Dunno if this helps, but I'm using OL2003 and am connected to three mailboxes (my own and two "resource accounts"). Each one shows up as Mailbox - Lastname, Firstname

The resource accounts were set up having a first name and a last name, so they show up the same way, like Mailbox - Building #, Conference Room #

[teriwyn.livejournal.com]

I think you're on the right track.

I've observed the originally discussed behavior here at my location. (Some mailboxes say "Mailbox - [Display Name]" and others are just "[Display Name]".

I now note that the ones that say "Mailbox - " in the front ALL have First and Last names. The ones that lack this data only have a Display Name.

Could this be it?

[redqueenmeg.livejournal.com]

I bet that is it. Are you able to change an account to test it? Do you have those rights?

[trixtah.livejournal.com]

See, I'm connected to three other mailboxes too, and they don't show up with "Mailbox -" at all. As they're normal users, they have lastname, firstname as well.

I might try connecting a resource mailbox and see if that's the difference.

OT

[toxico.livejournal.com]

Based on your icon, I thought I'd show you my home PC's microphone:

Re: OT

[ashton-blaze.livejournal.com]

*gasp* it's the Sinister Duck (http://www.neilgaiman.com/journal/2004_01_18_archive.asp#107465297526401928)!!! Oh Noes!!

Re: OT

[trixtah.livejournal.com]

oooooohhhhhhhhhhhh!!! me want!