Expert: Jim Stiles - 4/5/2009

Question
I have Microsoft Outlook 2000 and had to reinstall my operating system and i lost my auto fill e-mail addresses somehow and would like it back if possible.When i start typing the first letter, it before would give me a drop down of names but not any longer.

Answer
Outlook doesn't automatically complete the names of recipients the way that OE does.
For frequently used names, you can set a nickname that Outlook will automatically resolve to the full address. The nickname needs to be part of the contact's full name.

Here's how to set up a nickname:
Start a new message.
Type the text you want to use for the nickname into the To box.
Fill in the subject and start typing a message.

When you see the name in the To box underlined with a red squiggle, right-click on the name. You'll see a choice of matching names from your address book. Choose the one you want to use or click More Names to get other choices.

Next time you want to send a message to that person, just type in the text from Step 2 again. Outlook will automatically get the address for you and will underline the full name in a dashed green line to highlight that auto-resolution did its job.

The good new is, Microsoft will be adding an auto-complete feature in Outlook 10, the new version due out next year.

Jim.