A delay occurs when you open a message in Outlook 2002 with Instant Messaging enabled

If you are connected to a Microsoft Exchange computer and have Instant Messaging enabled in Outlook 2002, when you open an e-mail message from a sender who is outside your Exchange domain or open an attachment in an e-mail message from a sender who is outside your Exchange domain, it may take up to 60 seconds to open the message or attachment.

This problem can occur if Exchange Instant Messaging components are installed on your computer and Instant Messaging is enabled in Outlook 2002.

To troubleshoot this issue, use the following methods in the order in which they are presented.

Method 1: Update Office XP

To resolve this issue, install the latest Service Pack for Microsoft Office XP, or install the "Outlook 2002 Public Update: June 14, 2001".

NOTE: This Public Update is part of the Microsoft Office XP Service Pack 1 (SP-1), but, for your convenience, the Public Update also is available individually. If you already applied Office XP SP-1, you do not need to apply this Public Update.

For additional information about how to obtain the latest Office XP Service Pack, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: To obtain the "Outlook 2002 Public Update: June 14, 2001," visit the following Microsoft Web site:

Method 2: Disable Instant Messaging

To disable Instant Messaging in Outlook:

1. On the Tools menu, click Options.
2. Click the Other tab.
3. Under Instant Messaging, click to clear the Enable Instant Messaging in Microsoft Outlook check box.
4. Click OK.

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed at the beginning of this article.
This problem was first corrected in the Outlook 2002 Public Update: June 14, 2001.

If a person who is on your buddy list sends you an e-mail message, the Outlook Instant Messaging integration feature shows you whether or not that person is online when you open the message.