OL97: Unable to Save Rules After Installing Rules Wizard

In Microsoft Outlook 97, you may not be able to save all of your Rules Wizard rules after converting them from Inbox Assistant rules.

If you choose to convert the Inbox Assistant rules to Rules Wizard rules, the Rules Wizard disables and keeps the old Inbox Assistant rules and saves the newly converted rules back to the server. If you use Microsoft Exchange Server, the combination of Inbox Assistant rules and Rules Wizard rules may take up more space than is available on the server.

To successfully save all of your Inbox Assistant rules, follow these steps:

1. Remove the Rules Wizard.
   1. On Tools menu, click Options and then click the General tab.
   2. Click Add-In Manager.
   3. Click to clear the Rules Wizard check box and click OK twice.
2. Reinstate the Inbox Assistant rules.
   1. On the Tools menu, click Inbox Assistant.
   2. Reselect your Inbox Assistant rules by clicking each one.
   3. Click OK.
3. Restart Windows.
   1. Quit Outlook.
   2. Click Start, click Shut Down. Click Restart The Computer, and then click Yes.
4. Reinstate the Rules Wizard.
   1. On the Tools menu, click Options and then click the General tab.
   2. Click Add-In Manager.
   3. Click to select the Rules Wizard check box and click OK twice.
5. Export and delete your Inbox Assistant Rules.
   1. On the Tools menu, click Rules Wizard.
   2. Click Yes and then click OK to convert the Inbox Assistant Rules.
   3. In the Rules Wizard dialog box, click Options.
   4. Click Export Rules, type a file name, and click Save and click OK.
   5. Click Cancel.
6. Remove the Rules Wizard again.
   1. On Tools menu, click Options and then the General tab.
   2. Click Add-In Manager.
   3. Click to clear the Rules Wizard check box and click OK twice.
7. Delete the Inbox Assistant Rules.
   1. On the Tools menu, click Inbox Assistant.
   2. Remove all Inbox Assistant rules by clicking Delete Rule for each one.
   3. Click OK.
8. Reinstate the Rules Wizard again.
   1. On the Tools menu, click Options and then click the General tab.
   2. Click Add-In Manager.
   3. Click to select Rules Wizard check box and click OK twice.
9. Import your Inbox Assistant rules
   1. On the Tools menu, click Rules Wizard.
   2. In the Rules Wizard dialog box, click Options.
   3. In the Options dialog box, click Import Rules.
   4. Select the file saved in step 5d above and click Open and then OK.

Your Inbox Assistant rules should now be converted to Rule Wizard rules.

Microsoft Exchange Server has a maximum limit of 32 kilobytes (KB) for storage of rules. Rules vary in size, but some rules can be significantly larger when they involve multiple recipients in a forward action. Each recipient can add up to 500 bytes to the size of the rule. As a rough estimate, the simplest rules take from 200 to 500 bytes. Rules involving recipients add approximately 500 bytes per recipient. A rule that forwards a message to five recipients, can be over 3 KB in size.

When rules involve several recipients, it is best to create a distribution list and use the distribution list as the recipient. This allows more rules to be created before reaching the 32 KB rule limit. Personal distribution lists are not allowed in rules; only distribution lists created through the Microsoft Exchange Server administration program.

How To Obtain the Rules Wizard

You can download the Rules Wizard from the Microsoft Web site at: