Session time-out settings for Outlook Web Access on Exchange 2000 Server

When you use an earlier-version browser (such as Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.0) to log on to Exchange 2000 Microsoft Outlook Web Access (OWA), if you begin to compose a new e-mail message, switch to another window to do something else, and then return to the message later, you may be redirected to the root of the Inbox (the user session times out) instead of the message composition screen.

This problem can occur if the server uses the default setting for inactivity timeout (UserContextTimeout), which is sixty minutes.

To resolve this problem, add the UserContextTimeout value to the Exchange 2000 server. To do so, you need to edit the registry.

WARNING: If you use Registry Editor incorrectly, you may cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that you can solve problems that result from using Registry Editor incorrectly. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.

To set the UserContextTimeout value, on the Exchange 2000 server:

1. Start Registry Editor (Regedt32.exe).
2. Locate and click the following key in the registry:
   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\MSExchangeWEB\
3. On the Edit menu, click Add Value, and then add the following registry value:
   Value name: UserContextTimeout
   Data type: DWORD
   Radix: Decimal
   Value data: The minimum value is 1 (minute) and the maximum value is 1440 (24 hours). If the value is outside this range (inclusive), the value is ignored.
4. Quit Registry Editor.

You must either restart the server or restart all of the Exchange 2000 services for this change to take effect.

NOTE: The above setting has to do with the connection between the client and the server and it does not affect authentication in any way. When you set the user context time-out to a number, even if this time-out passes, the client browser will still have the user's credentials cached and the user will not be prompted for credentials..

This behavior is by design.