Error Message: “The operation failed due to an installation problem. Restart Outlook and try again.”
I received this error message this morning when I opened Outlook 2003 with a new user profile. It opened fine with the local Administrator account.
I checked the Windows Event Viewer and there’s a “Warning” entry there for MsiInstaller (Event ID 1004) with a description of “Detection of product… The resource ‘HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\11.0\Common\UserData’ does not exist.”
Doing the following fixed the problem for me:
Start -> Run -> type in regedit.
Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\11.0\Common (or HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\11.0\Outlook as others have pointed out, please check your event logs to see which one you need to select (thanks to Supercow for noticing this)).
(I recommend that you back up your registry first before making any changes) Right-click on Common -> New -> DWORD Value. Name it UserData.
Double click on the DWORD value that you just created (i.e. UserData) and set Value data: to 1.
Close the Registry Editor and open Outlook again.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
The connection to Microsoft Exchange is unavailable. Outlook must be online or connected to complete - Cant add Outlook accounts
Hi have recently started getting the following error message when setting up new accounts with Outlook 2007:
The connection to Microsoft Exchange is unavailable. Outlook must be online or connected to complete this action.
Outlook then prompts me to enter the username and password, i do so and get message again. This happens on Windows XP Professional and Vista, i cannot setup any accounts for new machines.
Points to note are that OWA works fine, and previous users who are already setup work fine also. It seems to be limited to setting up new Outlook 2007 accounts.
It can find the username fine. It comes up with green ticks underr the Online Search for your server settings
Quick update i removed Exchange from the mail001 box. I then rebooted the DC, and then rebooted mail box. Then it started working again.
This is great in that it works, however i am a bit concerned about migrating my 2003 server box mail server to Windows Server 2008 in case i get the same problems again.
Indeed not sure if its 100% fixed i hope it doesnt come back. Any ideas as to why it would have stopped working?
what made the most impact, as i was intermittently getting the domain controller could not be found, was to update the system bios and all hardware updates and drivers for the server itself (not microsoft stuff, manufacturer stuff) which made a big difference. so go to your hardware manufacturer and get the updates.
One solution I found...don't know if this will work for you.
On the local box, I removed the MS Office update: KB972363 and then I was able to connect to the account to my Exchange Server.
Here's the description of this KB from microsoft: http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx/kb/972363?p=1
at the bottom are "known issues".
Connection to Microsoft Exchange Server is not available...Outlook must be online or connected to compete this activ
Explain your issue in full detail here:
Can not send or receive any email due to the above error popping up as soon as I log on to Outllok...using Vista as software and Outllook 2003 and have Webroot antivirus
Please Also Include:
Operating system (e.g. WinXP):
Program and version you use to access Gmail (e.g. Internet Explorer 7 or Outlook 2003):
Your antivirus software (e.g. Norton 2007):
Any extensions, toolbars or plug-ins
You haven't provided enough info. I have to assume that you're talking about trying to send mail with your Gmail account. Are you using Outlook to manage your Gmail? If so, which version? If I had to guess, you're doing this at work but your Exchange server has crapped out temporarily. If so, it probably hijacked Outlook, which will continue polling the Exchange server till it comes out of its coma. I recommend using gmail.com with your favorite browser till then
The connection to Microsoft Exchange is unavailable. Outlook must be online or connected to complete this action.
Outlook then prompts me to enter the username and password, i do so and get message again. This happens on Windows XP Professional and Vista, i cannot setup any accounts for new machines.
Points to note are that OWA works fine, and previous users who are already setup work fine also. It seems to be limited to setting up new Outlook 2007 accounts.
It can find the username fine. It comes up with green ticks underr the Online Search for your server settings
Quick update i removed Exchange from the mail001 box. I then rebooted the DC, and then rebooted mail box. Then it started working again.
This is great in that it works, however i am a bit concerned about migrating my 2003 server box mail server to Windows Server 2008 in case i get the same problems again.
Indeed not sure if its 100% fixed i hope it doesnt come back. Any ideas as to why it would have stopped working?
what made the most impact, as i was intermittently getting the domain controller could not be found, was to update the system bios and all hardware updates and drivers for the server itself (not microsoft stuff, manufacturer stuff) which made a big difference. so go to your hardware manufacturer and get the updates.
One solution I found...don't know if this will work for you.
On the local box, I removed the MS Office update: KB972363 and then I was able to connect to the account to my Exchange Server.
Here's the description of this KB from microsoft: http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx/kb/972363?p=1
at the bottom are "known issues".
Connection to Microsoft Exchange Server is not available...Outlook must be online or connected to compete this activ
Explain your issue in full detail here:
Can not send or receive any email due to the above error popping up as soon as I log on to Outllok...using Vista as software and Outllook 2003 and have Webroot antivirus
Please Also Include:
Operating system (e.g. WinXP):
Program and version you use to access Gmail (e.g. Internet Explorer 7 or Outlook 2003):
Your antivirus software (e.g. Norton 2007):
Any extensions, toolbars or plug-ins
You haven't provided enough info. I have to assume that you're talking about trying to send mail with your Gmail account. Are you using Outlook to manage your Gmail? If so, which version? If I had to guess, you're doing this at work but your Exchange server has crapped out temporarily. If so, it probably hijacked Outlook, which will continue polling the Exchange server till it comes out of its coma. I recommend using gmail.com with your favorite browser till then
How to configure Outlook to a specific global catalog server or to the closest global catalog server
In some situations, you may notice excessive network traffic when Microsoft Outlook attempts to contact the global catalog server.
This article describes how to configure Outlook to a specific global catalog server or to the closest global catalog server.
Note If the global catalog server and the Exchange Server computer are in the same site as the Outlook client, you do not need to make this registry setting. The normal referral mechanism provides the best performance.
This behavior occurs when the Exchange Server computer (where the Outlook client is homed) and the global catalog server are both located in a site that is remote from the Outlook client location.
Important This section, method, or task contains steps that tell you how to modify the registry. However, serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly. Therefore, make sure that you follow these steps carefully. For added protection, back up the registry before you modify it. Then, you can restore the registry if a problem occurs. For more information about how to back up and restore the registry, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
322756 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/322756/ ) How to back up and restore the registry in Windows
How to set the closest global catalog server
To have us set the closest global catalog server for you, go to the "Fix it for me" section. To set the closest global catalog server yourself, go to the "Let me fix it myself" section.
Fix it for me
To set the closest global catalog server automatically, click the Fix it button or link. Click Run in the File Download dialog box, and then follow the steps in the Fix it wizard.
Note this wizard may be in English only; however, the automatic fix also works for other language versions of Windows.
Note if you are not on the computer that has the problem, save the Fix it solution to a flash drive or a CD and then run it on the computer that has the problem.
Let me fix it myself
Use the following steps to force Outlook to identify and use the closest global catalog server yourself.
Click Start, and then click Run.
In the Open box, type regedit.exe, and then click OK.
Locate and then click the following key in the registry:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Exchange\Exchange Provider
Note You may have to create the registry path.
On the Edit menu, click Add Value, and then add the following registry value:
Value name: Closest GC
Data type: REG_DWORD
Radix: Hexadecimal
Value data: 0x00000001
Quit Registry Editor.
How to set a specific global catalog server
In other topologies, you may want to force Outlook to communicate with a specific global catalog server, not necessarily the global catalog server that is closest to the Outlook client.
Note although you can manually change the registry parameter in the MAPI profile, it is overwritten the next time that you start Outlook.
To force Outlook to use a pre-defined global catalog server, use the following steps to set the following special registry parameter to point to the Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN). Doing this over-rides any setting in the MAPI profile.
Click Start, and then click Run.
In the Open box, type regedit.exe, and then click OK.
Locate and then click the following key in the registry:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Exchange\Exchange Provider
Note You may have to create the registry path.
On the Edit menu, click Add Value, and then add the following registry value:
Value name: DS Server
Data type: REG_SZ (string)
Value data: FQDN of the global catalog server
Quit Registry Editor. If Outlook stops responding after you set the closest global catalog server or set a specific global catalog server, Outlook returns to the DSProxy process on the Exchange 2000 server and requests a new referral. The following are two possible limitations if you configure Outlook to a specific global catalog server:
The client-detected global catalog server may be out of date or semi-functional. If the global catalog server is having problems but still responds to Named Service Provider Interface (NSPI) requests, Outlook may not stop responding, and Outlook may return to the DSProxy for a new referral.
In multidomain environments, the global catalog server that you select may not be in the same domain as group objects in the Active Directory directory service. Therefore, users cannot update group membership because the local global catalog server has a read-only copy of the group.
This behavior can also affect how you add delegate permissions to a third party's account.
This behavior was recently changed so that you receive an error message when the "Send on Behalf Of" permission is not written. For more information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
This article describes how to configure Outlook to a specific global catalog server or to the closest global catalog server.
Note If the global catalog server and the Exchange Server computer are in the same site as the Outlook client, you do not need to make this registry setting. The normal referral mechanism provides the best performance.
This behavior occurs when the Exchange Server computer (where the Outlook client is homed) and the global catalog server are both located in a site that is remote from the Outlook client location.
Important This section, method, or task contains steps that tell you how to modify the registry. However, serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly. Therefore, make sure that you follow these steps carefully. For added protection, back up the registry before you modify it. Then, you can restore the registry if a problem occurs. For more information about how to back up and restore the registry, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
322756 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/322756/ ) How to back up and restore the registry in Windows
How to set the closest global catalog server
To have us set the closest global catalog server for you, go to the "Fix it for me" section. To set the closest global catalog server yourself, go to the "Let me fix it myself" section.
Fix it for me
To set the closest global catalog server automatically, click the Fix it button or link. Click Run in the File Download dialog box, and then follow the steps in the Fix it wizard.
Note this wizard may be in English only; however, the automatic fix also works for other language versions of Windows.
Note if you are not on the computer that has the problem, save the Fix it solution to a flash drive or a CD and then run it on the computer that has the problem.
Let me fix it myself
Use the following steps to force Outlook to identify and use the closest global catalog server yourself.
Click Start, and then click Run.
In the Open box, type regedit.exe, and then click OK.
Locate and then click the following key in the registry:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Exchange\Exchange Provider
Note You may have to create the registry path.
On the Edit menu, click Add Value, and then add the following registry value:
Value name: Closest GC
Data type: REG_DWORD
Radix: Hexadecimal
Value data: 0x00000001
Quit Registry Editor.
How to set a specific global catalog server
In other topologies, you may want to force Outlook to communicate with a specific global catalog server, not necessarily the global catalog server that is closest to the Outlook client.
Note although you can manually change the registry parameter in the MAPI profile, it is overwritten the next time that you start Outlook.
To force Outlook to use a pre-defined global catalog server, use the following steps to set the following special registry parameter to point to the Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN). Doing this over-rides any setting in the MAPI profile.
Click Start, and then click Run.
In the Open box, type regedit.exe, and then click OK.
Locate and then click the following key in the registry:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Exchange\Exchange Provider
Note You may have to create the registry path.
On the Edit menu, click Add Value, and then add the following registry value:
Value name: DS Server
Data type: REG_SZ (string)
Value data: FQDN of the global catalog server
Quit Registry Editor. If Outlook stops responding after you set the closest global catalog server or set a specific global catalog server, Outlook returns to the DSProxy process on the Exchange 2000 server and requests a new referral. The following are two possible limitations if you configure Outlook to a specific global catalog server:
The client-detected global catalog server may be out of date or semi-functional. If the global catalog server is having problems but still responds to Named Service Provider Interface (NSPI) requests, Outlook may not stop responding, and Outlook may return to the DSProxy for a new referral.
In multidomain environments, the global catalog server that you select may not be in the same domain as group objects in the Active Directory directory service. Therefore, users cannot update group membership because the local global catalog server has a read-only copy of the group.
This behavior can also affect how you add delegate permissions to a third party's account.
This behavior was recently changed so that you receive an error message when the "Send on Behalf Of" permission is not written. For more information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
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