In order to be Windows XP certified, Outlook 2003 doesn't install a desktop icon. To access the properties dialog you can either right click on the icon pinned to the start menu or open the Mail applet in Control Panel.

If you really want a desktop icon, you can re-create it by adding a key to the registry.

1. Open the Registry Editor. Navigate to the following key:
   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\ CurrentVersion\Explorer\Desktop\NameSpace
2. Click Edit | Add Key and add the following key: {00020D75-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}

Quit the Registry Editor. Refresh the desktop to see the restored icon. You may need to log off windows and log back on to see the icon.

A tip from a reader: "If you receive errors, try changing the default value under {00020D75-0000-0000-C000-000000000046} to 3.  The change of the default value stopped the errors here on the few machines running Outlook 2003."

***Outlook 2003 users can drag the Start menu icon to the desktop -- while the icon has a shortcut arrow on it, right-click on it to reach the Properties menu.***