Troubleshooting Outlook configuration problems

This article describes how to troubleshoot common Microsoft Outlook 98 configuration problems for Internet, Microsoft Mail, Exchange, and Online services. You should begin your troubleshooting with the section titled, "General Configuration Troubleshooting," and then proceed to the section for your particular service type.

This article discusses the following topics:

• Services
• General Configuration Troubleshooting
• Internet Configurations
  • Checking Your Internet Connection
  • Setting TCP/IP as Default Protocol
  • Other Internet Connection Issues
• Microsoft Mail Configurations
  • Create a Test Postoffice
  • Other Microsoft Mail Issues
• Exchange Server Configurations
• Lotus Notes
• Lotus cc:Mail

Transport Services

This list shows available Outlook services. Other transport services are untested and may not work properly with Outlook.

Service

Internet E-mail
Microsoft Mail
Microsoft Exchange Server
Personal Address Book
Outlook Address Book
Personal Folders
Microsoft Fax (Windows 95 Setup)
Outlook Support for Lotus cc:Mail (Valupack for Outlook 98)
Lotus cc:Mail (Installed by Lotus cc:Mail client)

General Configuration Troubleshooting

Outlook creates a default profile called Microsoft Outlook. Most users will either add services to this profile or create a new profile with new services. The first troubleshooting step for configuration issues is to create a new profile that includes only the service with which you are having problems. When this is working, you can add additional services, checking each one.

NOTE: With respect to Mail services, you can only add one of each service into a single profile. That is, you can not add two CompuServe Mail services, or two MSN services into a single profile. You can, however add one Internet E-mail service, one MSN service, and one CompuServe Mail service into a single profile. The Internet E-mail service is an exception as it allows for multiple Internet Mail accounts.

Create a New Profile

To create a new profile from Control Panel, follow these steps:

1. Click the Start button, point to Settings and double-click the Mail And Fax icon. (The icon is a Mail icon if you did not install fax services.)
2. On the Services tab, click Show Profiles to list your profiles.
3. Click Add to open the Inbox Setup Wizard.
4. Check that the default is set to "Use the following information services."
5. Click to clear all services except the one you are troubleshooting. For troubleshooting purposes, add only one service at a time.
6. Click Next and in the Profile Name box, type a name for the new profile.
7. Follow the Inbox Setup Wizard prompts, answering the questions for your service until you finish.

Checking Your Internet Connection

To make sure your Internet connection is working properly, log on to your Internet connection and ping a known Internet Protocol (IP) address by typing the following command at an MS-DOS prompt:

ping <IP address>

where <IP address> is the IP address of an Internet server.

If you can ping a known IP address successfully, basic TCP/IP connectivity is functioning properly. Next, try to ping the Internet server using "servername.com" instead of the IP address. At an MS-DOS prompt type the following command:

ping servername.com

If this works, your Domain Name Server (DNS) settings are functioning properly.

A DNS maintains a database for resolving host names and IP addresses, allowing users of computers configured to query the DNS to specify remote computers by friendly host names rather than IP addresses. DNS domains are not the same as Windows NT networking domains.

For example, issuing the "ping ftp.microsoft.com" command goes to the DNS server you specified for your internet connection, looks up the IP address for the site, and then pings that IP address.

For more information on connecting to the Internet, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Setting TCP/IP as Default Protocol

Once you know that your Internet connection is working, you should check that TCP/IP is set as the default protocol. Follow these steps to make sure that TCP/IP is your default protocol:

1. On the Windows desktop, use your right mouse button to click Network Neighborhood.
2. Click properties to open the Network Properties.
   
   For Windows 95:
   1. On the Configuration tab, click TCP/IP and click Properties to open the TCP/IP Properties.
   2. Click the Advanced tab, click to select the "Set this protocol to be the default protocol" check box and then click OK.
   For Windows NT:
   1. Click the Bindings tab.
   2. In the Show Binding For list, click All Services.
   3. Expand the list for all services and use the Move Up and Move Down buttons to position the TCP/IP protocol at the top of each list.
   NOTE: While you are in the TCP/IP Properties, you should verify that all Internet configuration information is correct. If you are in doubt about any setting, contact your Internet Service Provider (ISP).
3. Click OK.

Other Internet Connection Issues

• Most Internet addresses and connection settings are case sensitive. Check for correct capitalization.
• Make sure your profile does not include multiple services that require a modem connection. For example, Internet and fax services in the same profile may cause modem conflicts within Outlook.
• Establish your Internet connection, and then start Outlook. If you receive an error trying to send or receive mail, confirm all of your Internet Mail settings with your Internet service provider. You may have entered a domain name server or news server address instead of the mail server.
• Remote Mail configurations may cause unexpected results. If you configured a service for Remote Mail, you may lose connections, or mail may not be sent or received as expected.

For more information, click the following article numbers to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Create a Microsoft Mail Test Postoffice

When troubleshooting Microsoft Mail problems, you must first determine if Outlook or the MSMail Postoffice is the cause. The easiest way to do this is to create a test Postoffice.

To create a test Postoffice, follow these steps:

1. In Control Panel, double-click Microsoft Mail Post Office to open the Microsoft Workgroup Postoffice Admin Wizard.
2. Click "Create a new Workgroup Postoffice."
3. In the Postoffice Location box, type a location to c:\ or a local drive and click Next.
   
   NOTE: By default the Admin Wizard creates a folder called wgpo0000. This folder derives its name from Work Group Post Office.
4. Confirm the location and click Next.
5. Fill in the Administrator Account Information and click OK.

This completes the Postoffice creation. To add users, go to Control Panel, Microsoft Mail Postoffice, and click to select "Administer an Existing Post Office."

Create a new profile with Microsoft Mail service and point to the test Postoffice you just created. If this profile works, your original Postoffice is the problem. Check with the original Postoffice administrator to verify that the configuration information is correct.

Other Microsoft Mail Issues

• Microsoft Mail connection information is case-sensitive. Check for correct capitalization.
• Remote Mail configurations may cause unexpected results. If you configured a service for Remote Mail, you may lose connections or mail may not send or receive as expected.

For more information about Remote Mail, type "remote mail" in the Office Assistant, click Search, and then click to view "Use Remote Mail."

Exchange Server Configurations

Outlook ships with an Exchange client. You can use this program to determine if your configuration problem is unique to Outlook. If the problem persists when using the Exchange client, you may have a server or profile issue.

Locate the Exchng32.exe file in the Program Files folder. The exact location will vary depending on the operating system. By default, Exchng32.exe is either in the Microsoft Exchange or the Windows Messaging subfolder. The file size is 83,776 bytes with a date of 11/17/96. Start Exchng32.exe with the same profile as you used with Outlook.

If your problem does not persist with the Exchange client, the problem may be with Outlook or one of its associated files. You may have to remove and re-install Outlook using Add/Remove Programs in Control Panel.

If the problem continues with Exchng32.exe, you should suspect a server or profile issue and use the following steps to continue troubleshooting:

Server or Profile Troubleshooting

1. Resolve your mailbox name with the server by clicking the Check Names button in the properties sheet for Exchange Server.
2. If possible, configure a profile without the Exchange Server and see if the problem persists.
3. If possible, change the delivery location and see if the problem persists. NOTE: Before you change the delivery from a Mailbox location to a Personal Folder, make sure you move any existing mail messages from the Inbox folder.

Lotus Notes

Outlook does not support Lotus Notes services.

For more information about transitioning from Lotus Notes to Outlook, type "lotus notes" in the Office Assistant, click Search, and then click to view "If you use Lotus Notes 4.0."

Lotus cc:Mail

Outlook provides Lotus cc:Mail service as part of the ValuPack on the Outlook 98 CD. Follow these steps to troubleshoot cc:Mail configuration problems:

1. Start by mapping a drive to your cc:Mail folder and creating a new cc:Mail only profile.
2. Re-install cc:Mail from the ValuPack. Outlook does not support the Lotus provided cc:Mail transport service; you must use the Microsoft provided cc:Mail transport service from the ValuPack.
   
   NOTE: If you use Windows NT Workstation 4.0, before adding the cc:Mail information service to your profile install the 32-bit version of Vendor Independent Messaging(VIM), available from Lotus support at IBM Corporation.
3. Verify with your cc:Mail administrator that your cc:Mail service properties are correct:
   
   On the Outlook Tools menu, click Services to open the Services dialog box.
   
   Click Properties and check all settings under the Logon, Delivery, and Addressing tabs.

For more information about Lotus cc:Mail, type "cc:Mail" in the Office Assistant, click Search, and then click to view "If you use Lotus cc:Mail."

For more information about profiles and services, type "configuring services" in the Office Assistant, click Search, and then click to view "About user profiles and information services."

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