# How do you get an outlook reminder to DO ANYTHING AT ALL?! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [April 24, 2003, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-get-an-outlook-reminder-to-do-anything-at-all/170761 "2003-04-24T03:09:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2003, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-get-an-outlook-reminder-to-do-anything-at-all/170761/21 "2003-04-24T05:40:24Z")
Thankyou **Nanoda**. So I am not going insane afterall. ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2003, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-get-an-outlook-reminder-to-do-anything-at-all/170761/22 "2003-04-24T05:43:01Z")
Hmm, something occurs to me - **techchick** , do you install service packs and such? because chances are those have not been installed here. For all I know the original release of Outlook could concievably have had a bug which causes reminders not to work properly. ---
**Author:** ![techchick68](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ea5d25/32.png) [@techchick68](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/techchick68)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2003, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-get-an-outlook-reminder-to-do-anything-at-all/170761/23 "2003-04-24T05:47:04Z")
**Lobsang** sorry to make this an issue but I worked for my brother’s company and if his Outlook didn’t work, I would have been looking to replace an entire enterprise system, which is why I am so againt what you are saying here. My brother relies HEAVILY upon Outlook to make his life make sense. You name it, from picking up his daughter from gymnastics to his son at hockey lessons to his one appointments for his own hockey stuff to his best friend’s wedding in Las Vegas. He was able, through his hand-held to get all that figured out. They were just in in Vegas last weekend, he has a hockey practice on Tuesdays, along with a hockey play on Friday night…yet last weekend he was able to fly to Vegas for a friend’s wedding…no doubt to his Outlook. Sorry, when I know the facts I can’t help be much more than a shit. It all worked itself out as we all hope it would. ---
**Author:** ![techchick68](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ea5d25/32.png) [@techchick68](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/techchick68)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2003, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-get-an-outlook-reminder-to-do-anything-at-all/170761/24 "2003-04-24T05:49:55Z")
Sorry **Lobsang** My machine is three years old, not an update to know…my puter is working fine…I get reminders of stuff I wanted to know, much later than needed… Please go with that, please…curious. I have a lot of things that might surprise you. ---
**Author:** ![techchick68](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ea5d25/32.png) [@techchick68](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/techchick68)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2003, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-get-an-outlook-reminder-to-do-anything-at-all/170761/25 "2003-04-24T05:51:25Z")
\<—could run a Windows 95 in the realm of the BS I see in this post…Working with it with Win 98…aint that much different…peoiple are lame ---
**Author:** ![techchick68](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ea5d25/32.png) [@techchick68](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/techchick68)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2003, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-get-an-outlook-reminder-to-do-anything-at-all/170761/26 "2003-04-24T05:52:31Z")
Buncha assholes ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2003, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-get-an-outlook-reminder-to-do-anything-at-all/170761/27 "2003-04-24T05:55:47Z")
**techchick68** I am not saying every copy of outlook is faulty! I never said that. I am saying there must be something wrong with this particular installation. As I said - I have managed to successfully set reminders in the past. It could be this version. it could be this particular installation did not properly install the reminders (maybe the cd was scratched and the install software flagged a particular file as corrupt and asked the user if he/she wanted to skip the file, and the user clicked yes) I am really tired - so I might not be reading the signals (from you) properly, and I equally might have missed somethin obvious when setting the reminders. It could be a quirk of running outlook on a mail server. it could be a bad installation, it could be a bug in this exact version, it could be anything!!! Your (and your brother’s) working copies of outlook are highly unlikely to be the same in set up, version, etc as mine. When I get home to my windows xp and outlook xp I am going to try to set reminders - and I am willing to bet they will work first time! ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2003, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-get-an-outlook-reminder-to-do-anything-at-all/170761/28 "2003-04-24T05:59:03Z")
**techchick68** you’ve completely lost me. ---
**Author:** ![techchick68](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ea5d25/32.png) [@techchick68](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/techchick68)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2003, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-get-an-outlook-reminder-to-do-anything-at-all/170761/29 "2003-04-24T06:00:27Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Lobsang \* > techchick68 I am not saying every copy of outlook is faulty! I never said that. I am saying there must be something wrong with this particular installation. And what did I say??? reinstall it… sheessh. Heck it’s time for me to go to bed…yep it is…despite my want or need, the whole thing makes me sick. ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2003, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-get-an-outlook-reminder-to-do-anything-at-all/170761/30 "2003-04-24T06:05:09Z")
I told you I can’t reinstall it. or did you ignore that. What on earth is your problem. Yours works. mine doesn’t get over it for christ’s sake. it is not YOUR problem, as yours works. ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2003, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-get-an-outlook-reminder-to-do-anything-at-all/170761/31 "2003-04-24T06:13:41Z")
I am going to re-read this thread when I am not so … IT REMINDED ME!!! THE IMPORTANT ONE. (none of the tests did though) …tired. to see where it went wrong. maybe it was when I clicked ‘submit’ for the first time. ---
**Author:** ![Fingolfin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/eada6e/32.png) [@Fingolfin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fingolfin)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2003, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-get-an-outlook-reminder-to-do-anything-at-all/170761/32 "2003-04-24T12:15:57Z")
What version of Outlook are you running? You said you checked the ‘default reminder’, but did you make sure the ‘display reminder’ option is checked? **Tools\>Options\>Other\>Advanced Options\>Reminder Options\>Display the Reminder check box.** Also, make sure the Advanced Task check box is checked. **Tools\>Options\>Other\>Advanced Options\>Advanced Tasks\>Set Reminders on Task with Due Dates check box.** ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2003, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-get-an-outlook-reminder-to-do-anything-at-all/170761/33 "2003-04-24T22:31:07Z")
**Fingolfin** both of those options are on. I have already come to the conclusion that I have a ‘bad’ install. It reminds me, but too late. It did successfuly remind me of the one reminder that wasn’t a test. I tried at home on my xp version of outlook and it worked absolutely fine. **techchick68** Sometimes people open pit threads when they have suddenly got fed up or lost their temper with something. It is a venting excersise. I did not start the thread to claim that microsoft had sold, to everyone, a product that doesn’t work. (although they do - every piece of software they sell has bugs, Why do you think they release service packs and patches.) I simply opened it to vent. Your reaction to me was (and still is) unexpected and inappropriate. You drew me into an argument about something that wasn’t that important to me. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Composer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/898d66/32.png) [@The\_Composer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Composer)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2003, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-get-an-outlook-reminder-to-do-anything-at-all/170761/34 "2003-04-25T13:51:20Z")
**techchick68** , I think the only asshole in this thread is you. The Pit is for small vents such as this (and larger ones if the poster deems it necessary). Most of your posts have been so incoherent that they totally miss the OP’s point. **Lobsang** , sounds like you’ve already figured out it was a bad install. Don’t waste your time arguing with **techchick68**. I’m a fellow programmer. I feel your pain. ---
**Author:** ![UrbanChic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9dc877/32.png) [@UrbanChic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UrbanChic)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2003, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-get-an-outlook-reminder-to-do-anything-at-all/170761/35 "2003-04-25T14:25:53Z")
Be _more_ of a bitch, techchick. Your first post to this thread was so offbase it’s actually kind of funny. Lob, not all of us tech chicks are like that. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![c\_goat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f4b2a3/32.png) [@c\_goat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/c_goat)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2003, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-get-an-outlook-reminder-to-do-anything-at-all/170761/36 "2003-04-25T16:10:23Z")
**Lobsang** I know exactly what you’re going through, my Outlook does the same thing. It’s not that the reminders don’t work, they do work, only AFTER the time has passed (or when you go into Outlook and look at your calendar). To me that says my settings are correct to turn on the reminders. Usually I leave Outlook minimized on the taskbar while I work. I haven’t spent much time trying to fix it, but my guess is that the Outlook reminder thread is going to sleep and somehow getting a lower priority in the OS. Because of this, it doesn’t wake up as often as it should to do its polling cycle. I don’t know how to verify that. Maybe it’s OS related, I’m running Win 2000, version 5.00.2195 with Service Pack 3. (From control panel-\>system) ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2003, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-get-an-outlook-reminder-to-do-anything-at-all/170761/37 "2003-04-25T16:45:33Z")
How do I send out a reminder that **techchick** got pissy for no good reason in this thread? I can’t get the fucking thing to work. ---
**Author:** ![UrbanChic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9dc877/32.png) [@UrbanChic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UrbanChic)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2003, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-get-an-outlook-reminder-to-do-anything-at-all/170761/38 "2003-04-26T13:56:04Z")
Say, I just thought of something. Is your Outlook set to the correct time zone? ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2003, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-get-an-outlook-reminder-to-do-anything-at-all/170761/39 "2003-04-27T01:35:13Z")
The computer is. I didn’t know outlook could be set seperately. It’s good thinking **JuanitaTech** but I know my outlook is set to the right time, because it is accurate when it tells me exactly how late I am for something. And the one reminder that worked that day worked at the right time. I didn’t know anyone posted to this thread after my last post (I do less vanity searches these days) And was pleasantly surprised to see the last few positive posts. Thanks guys. ---
**Author:** ![Jervoise](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d2c977/32.png) [@Jervoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jervoise)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2003, 11:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-get-an-outlook-reminder-to-do-anything-at-all/170761/40 "2003-04-27T11:03:33Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by c\_goat \* > **Lobsang I know exactly what you’re going through, my Outlook does the same thing. It’s not that the reminders don’t work, they do work, only AFTER the time has passed (or when you go into Outlook and look at your calendar). To me that says my settings are correct to turn on the reminders. Usually I leave Outlook minimized on the taskbar while I work.** Huh. I have exactly the same problem. All the correct options are set, but my reminders for meeting arrive WAY too late. Outlook shits me to tears. As an added bonus, the tech people at my work are useless turds. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-get-an-outlook-reminder-to-do-anything-at-all/170761.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-get-an-outlook-reminder-to-do-anything-at-all/170761.md?page=3)