A frequently asked question is "Can I get Outlook to open in my Hotmail Inbox so that I can see messages in my without having to first click the Outlook shortcut?"

In Outlook 2003, you can select any folder as your startup folder. (Tools, Options, Other, Advanced)

Users of older Outlook versions need to create a shortcut pointing to that folder and use the shortcut to open Outlook.

Create a shortcut using the full path to OL and add /select foldername to the command line. The command line will look something like:

"C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\OFFICE11\outlook.exe" /select Outlook:\\Hotmail\Inbox

Tip: To get the proper path for any folder, show the Web toolbar and select the folder. Copy the path from the Address bar.