OLEXP: Outlook Express Does Not Prompt You for an Identity

If you use the Ask Me option to configure multiple identities in Outlook Express, you may not be prompted for an identity when you start Outlook Express.

NOTE: In Outlook Express 5.01 and later, the Ask Me option has been changed to Use this identity when starting a program.

This issue can occur if you are running another programs that uses identities (such as Microsoft MSN Messenger), or if you start Outlook Express with an identity, quit Outlook Express without logging off from the identity, and then restart Outlook Express.

To resolve this issue, log off as the identity, or restart the computer. To log off as the current identity in Outlook Express:

1. On the File menu, click Exit and Log Off Identity.
2. If the Exit and Log Off Identity command is not available, point to Identities, click Logoff for the identity from which you want to log off, and then restart Outlook Express.

This behavior is by design.

Outlook Express is an identity-aware program. When you quit Outlook Express without logging off, the identity is maintained so that other identity-aware programs can use the identity. For example, when you use Outlook Express to log off an identity, other identity-aware programs such as MSN Messenger are also logged off.