Duplicate e-mail messages are downloaded from a POP3 e-mail server account in Outlook 2003

After you download your e-mail messages in Microsoft Office Outlook 2003 from a POP3 e-mail server, and then you download your messages again, duplicate e-mail messages may be downloaded.

This problem may occur if you use the Leave a copy of messages on the server option.

To set the Leave a copy of messages on the server option, follow these steps:

1. On the Tools menu, click E-mail Accounts.
2. Click View or change existing e-mail accounts, and then click Next.
3. Click your POP3 e-mail account, and then click Change.
4. Click More Settings.
5. On the Advanced tab, click to select the Leave a copy of messages on the server check box, and then click OK.

This problem was first fixed in a hotfix that is now contained in a service pack. If you installed the latest Office 2003 service pack, you do not have to install the hotfix.

Service pack information

This problem is corrected in Office 2003 Service Pack 2.

To resolve this problem, obtain the latest service pack for Office 2003. For more information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

How to obtain the hotfix

This issue is fixed in the Outlook 2003 post-Service Pack 1 Hotfix Package that is dated September 13, 2004. For additional information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: Important note The first time that you download your e-mail messages from a POP3 e-mail server after you install this hotfix, you may still receive duplicate e-mail messages. However, this problem is resolved with each subsequent download thereafter.

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed in the "Applies to" section.
This problem was first corrected in Office 2003 Service Pack 2.