OL2002: You Receive an NDR When You Use a Simple MAPI Program to Send a Message

If you use a simple Messaging Application Programming Interface (MAPI) program to send a message to a recipient type other than Microsoft Exchange Server, you may receive a non-delivery report (NDR).

This problem occurs if the Outlook profile that you specified in the simple MAPI program includes multiple e-mail accounts, one of which is an Exchange Server account. In this situation, Outlook 2002 tries to send the message by using the Exchange Server account instead of the correct account.

This problem occurs if the recipient's profile specifies that new messages are delivered to the Exchange Server mailbox. The problem does not occur if the profile specifies that new messages are delivered to a personal folders (.pst) file.

To resolve this problem, add a registry key to Outlook 2002 to force an extra internal check that allows external programs to send messages correctly.

How to Force Outlook to Always Check for a Delivery Account

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.

1. Start Registry Editor (Regedt32.exe).
2. Locate and then click the following key in the registry:
   HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\Common\MailSettings
3. On the Edit menu, click Add Value, and then add the following registry value:
   Value name: StrictAccountOrder
   Data type: DWORD
   Value data: 1
4. Quit Registry Editor.

Note that in this configuration, Outlook 2002 is responsible for spooling the message for delivery. Therefore, if Outlook 2002 is not running when you send the message from the external program, the message is not delivered until you start Outlook 2002.

When you use Outlook 2002 you can have a mixture of e-mail accounts, and you can select which account you want to use to deliver a particular message. Outlook 2002 is the first version of Microsoft Outlook that allows you to have both an Exchange Server account and a Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP)/Post Office Protocol (POP), which work correctly in the same messaging profile.

When you send a message from Outlook 2002, Outlook 2002 delivers the message by using the e-mail account that you selected. However, in some scenarios where you send the message by using an external program, Outlook 2002 does not actually submit the message, and the delivery account that you selected is not used.

A common example of this scenario occurs when you have both an Exchange Server account and an SMTP account in your profile. You want the message to be delivered by using the SMTP account, but instead Outlook 2002 tries to deliver the message by using the Exchange Server account. If the Exchange Server account cannot deliver SMTP mail, Outlook 2002 generates an NDR.

The following list describes some examples of external programs that operate in this way:

• Microsoft Word or Microsoft Excel, specifically when you point to Send to on the File menu, and then click Mail Recipient (as Attachment)
• Third-party fax programs that render a fax and send it through an SMTP account