Information dissemination

Autocomplete in Outlook:  

Resetting Autocomplete list:
                 Outlook's autocomplete(auto complete) feature is very helpful as it keeps suggesting names while you are typing in the To/Cc/Bcc fields. A couple of keystrokes and autocomplete suggests a few names and you don't need to type the entire name every time. It is very handy but it also is a trouble if it keeps suggesting old or unnecessary names.

                 One easy way to delete these entries is to just go to the suggested name/email using up or down arrow keys and press Delete (Del) key. It will be out of the autocomplete list. Still you cannot do this typing every possible first few letters. You have a way to regenerate the whole autocomplete list. This list is called the nickname cache by Microsoft and is stored as a *.nk2 file in your profile. To regenerate this list/cache, do the following.

1. Quit Outlook.
2. Start Microsoft Windows Explorer.
3. Go to Tools->Folder Options->View tab.
4. Under Advanced Settings,Files and Folders, select 'Show hidden files and folders' and click OK.
7. Search for *.NK2 and *.OAB files in your hard disk.  
8. Delete the *.NK2 and *.OAB file with the name of the profile that you want to reset, and then Delete.
9. Restart Outlook.

Outlook will generate a new nickname cache and this means you now have a new Autocomplete list.

Disable Autocomplete:
                 Autocomplete is a neat feature but you might have your own reasons for getting away from it. In case you want to disable this feature follow the following steps in Outlook.

1. Click "Tools", selecting "Options". The "Preferences" tab (first tab) is already selected.
2. Click "E-Mail Options" and then click "Advanced Email Options".
3. Uncheck "Suggest names while completing To, Cc, and Bcc fields" and click "OK".

Automatic Name Resolution by First Name (Ctrl K using firstname):

Client Side or Local Machine:
                Automatic Name Resolution (ANR) is the term used for the procedure used by Outlook to resolve names when you press the Check Names dialog or press Ctrl K. If you are having problems by searching the Active Directory (Address Book) by first name or are frustrated pressing Ctrl K for only first name and are getting back an empty list, try the following steps. 
 
Step 1:
        Close Outlook. Search for *.OAB files and delete all of them. These are the files your Outlook is currently running of and so you have to regenerate them.
        A list of what each of these files stands for is here:
            • Anrdex.oab   This file is an index for resolving ambiguous names.
            • Browse.oab   This is the core file. This file contains the object type, the display name, and a pointer in the Details.oab file for  
                                     each object.
            • Details.oab    This file contains all the object details (those that were included in the generation of the offline address book),
                                     except for the display name.
            • Pdndex.oab   This file contains the changes to domain names and the lists thereof.
            • Rdndex.oab   This file is an index for resolving relative distinguished names.
            • Tmplts.oab    This file contains strings for dialog boxes and for any other items that are static in the offline address book. This
                                     file does not increase if you add additional objects to your directory

Step 2:
        Open Run command and type Regedit. Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Exchange\Exchange Provider
 
Step 3:
        Add/modify the following DWORD values at the above location in the right hand side window

        OAB v4 Full Download Threshold=00000064
        OAB v4 Only                                 =00000001
 
        These are hexadecimal values.
 
Step 4: Restart your machine.

Exchange Server:
               If you are the Exchange Server Administrator or if you have access to update the Exchange server properties you can resolve the above issue by updating the schema to include the first name in the index files generated. By default, Outlook doesn't use the latest Address Book (OAB V4) and hence is the problem where you cannot resolve first names by pressing Ctrl K in the To field. Try changing the settings as described below and it will all be functioning correctly.

               It is possible for users to search the global address list based on First Name. This article explains how to include additional attributes in searches and Address Name Resolutions (ANRs).

1. Start the Microsoft Exchange Administrator program in raw mode by typing admin /r at the command prompt. 
2. On the View menu, click Raw Directory. This should add a container in the left pane called Schema.
3. Double-click the Schema object and press the F5 key to refresh the screen. 
4. Get the properties of the First Name object by double-clicking the object; or, on the File menu, click Properties. A dialog box appears. 
5. Click Yes to view the raw properties of the object. 
6. In the Object attributes list, click to select the Search-Flags attribute. 
7. In the Edit value box, enter the value 2, and then click Set. 
8. Click OK to close the dialog box. 
9. Restart the server. 

Reference: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/q155715/