How to disable the Group By feature for e-mail messages when you deploy an upgrade to Outlook 2007 for many users

Important This article contains information about how to modify the registry. Make sure that you back up the registry before you modify it. Make sure that you know how to restore the registry if a problem occurs. For more information about how to back up, restore, and modify the registry, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: This article describes how to disable the Group By feature for e-mail messages when you deploy an upgrade to Microsoft Office Outlook 2007 for many users.

By default, Outlook 2007 applies a Group By feature when it displays e-mail messages in folders. Outlook 2007 applies this feature to custom views and to default views.

The Group By feature for e-mail messages can cause problems when you deploy an upgrade, especially if you have created a custom view in a folder. For example, a custom view may sort e-mail messages by date or by sender. When you deploy an upgrade, Outlook 2007 applies the Group By feature for e-mail messages regardless of the views that you have already created. You must re-create any custom views that you want to keep.

To disable the Group By feature for e-mail messages, use one of the following methods.

Method 1: Use the "Show in Groups" command

To disable the Group By feature for e-mail messages on a single client computer, point to Arrange By on the View menu, and then click Show in Groups.

Note When the Show in Groups check box is clear, the Group By feature is disabled.

Method 2: Use the /CleanViews parameter

To run the /CleanViews parameter to disable the the Group By feature for e-mail messages, you must first create the AutoArrangeViews registry DWORD value before you start Outlook 2007.
Warning Serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly by using Registry Editor or by using another method. These problems might require that you reinstall the operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that these problems can be solved. Modify the registry at your own risk.
To create the AutoArrangeViews registry DWORD value, follow these steps:

1. Exit Outlook 2007.
2. Click Start, click Run, type regedit in the Open box, and then click OK.
3. Locate and then click the following registry subkey:
   HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\12.0\Outlook\Setup
4. On the Edit menu, point to New, and then click DWORD Value.
5. Type AutoArrangeViews, and then press ENTER.
6. Right-click AutoArrangeViews, and then click Modify.
7. In the Value data box, type 0, and then click OK.
8. On the File menu, click Exit to exit Registry Editor.

Start Outlook by using the /CleanViews parameter. To do this, click Start, click Run, type Outlook.exe /CleanViews in the Open box, and then click OK.

Method 3: Use the Office Customization Tool (OCT)

As an administrator, you can use the Office Customization Tool (OCT) to create a Setup customization file (.msp). This Setup customization file modifies the Microsoft Office 2007 installation when you deploy Office 2007.

To disable the Group By feature for e-mail messages when you deploy Outlook 2007 for many users, enable the Disable Show In Groups and new style arrangements on old views policy setting in the OCT. To do this, follow these steps:

1. In the OCT, under Features, click Modify user settings.
2. Expand Microsoft Office Outlook 12.
3. Click Miscellaneous.
4. Double-click Disable Show In Groups and new style arrangements on old views.
5. Click Enabled.
6. Click to select the Check to disable Show In Groups and Applied Arrangements check box, and then click OK.