Outlook problem - very strange!

[godzuki]

We run Exchange 2000 with Outlook 2002 clients operating on Win XP SP1. Everything is great for these PCs. As we roll out Win XP SP2 though we are reliasing Outlook is doing something a bit weird. If you display the Outlook Today screen and you recieve an email - Outlook Today is not highlighting the fact. But if you open your inbox - the new email is there.

The same is true in reverse too. If you send an email and are in the Outlook Today view - the Outbox appears to have an item in it - but when you open the Outbox there is nothing there...

Bit weird eh! It means some of our users that view the Outlook Today screen are thinking emails are not coming in when in fact they have been sitting in there Inbox for ages!!

Anyone come across this with Exchange 2000/Outlook 2002/XP SP2?

We are on SP3 of Outlook so thats up to date.

I'm at a loss for words!!!!!

HELP

 

[tf1]

This is a known problem. IIRC, it has something to do with SP2 blocking the network protocol that Outlook was using for security reasons.

This can be changed and I believe you should be able to find an article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base telling you how to do this.


Regards: tf1

 

[Rules2liveby]

I have the same problem. Except with Outlook 2000 (SP3) running on Windows XP (SP2) and Exchange 2000 (SP3). Emails are not being refreshed and another folder needs to be clicked before an update.

Microsoft's Knowledgebase has an article describing this problem and a workaround using an ForcePolling registry tweak - this helps sometimes, but doesn't in the longer term. I now have a PC (withe the above specs) PLUS the registry additions and it still has the problem. Any other suggestions anyone??

 

[rye8261]

Add outlook to the allowable programs for the windows firewall under SP2. I had the problem where the folders wouldn't refresh and after I added outlook to the sp2 firewall it worked fine for me and my other xp clients.

If you are using group policy is would be something like this depending on where outlook is installed:

%programfiles%\Microsoft Office\Office\outlook.exe:*:enabled:Microsoft Outlook

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http://www.ryesworld.com

http://www.northernohiohouses.com

 

[Rules2liveby]

Thanks for your message - I came across this solution elswhere too, however...

I have made a bit of an error. The PC in question is actually Windows XP Service Pack 1, not 2 as I said, so this isn't the problem. Sorry for the mixup - but the problem remains.

 

[Rules2liveby]

Solution found (for me at least).

Right - learned about the notification process. The Store.exe service is responsible and when it receives a new email for a mailbox it looks to check what IP address if any is currently logged on and sends a notification. It uses a port between 1 and 1024 UDP. UDP is connectionless so there is no confirmation within the protocol that the packet is received at all.

Here's the thing. Outlook must reply to the server to say "ok let's have the details of the notification" or something similar, but was failing on my Windows XP (SP1 and SP2) machines. No firewall is between the server and the PC but still failing.

What I do have on the PCs is the ISA 2000 Server Firewall Client and it seems that Outlook was sending the reply via the ISA Server (which didn't know what to do with it). The problem is solved by ensuring that the LDT on the ISA Server is correct (i.e. *.mycompany.internal was added) and then restarting the ISA Services and Refreshing the settings from the Update Now button in the Firewall Client.

Who'd have thought it?