MS Exchange cannot find server please retry..

[WinnieB]

I have a machine in my network that every morning, i have to change the properties by removing exchange and adding it! This is kinda boring because it doesnt write any error message in the application log.
I use outlook.
I also dont understand why 1 machine out of 50 would do this.
can someone explain?
I use outlook and MS Exchange

[Jon Finley]

Winnie... I think we need some more information.

You remove "exchange" each morning. Are you uninstalling a program, or deleting a profile? What do you mean?

What OS is the client running?

What version of Outlook?

Are the network setting on the client machine the same as on the other "working" machines?

Same patches/SP's/Hotfixes as the other systems?

Jon

[WinnieB]

Hello Jon.
I run Windows NT SP 6.0.
My outlook is version 2000.

Each morning I have to remove the profile and add it again. The settings is the same as to all other machines. I use DHCP, and automatic IP address finding.

The event viewer shows no errors.
Winnie

[Jon Finley]

One possibility is that the USER profile is damaged, therefore it doesn't properly save the Outlook profile within it.

It may also be permissions based, in that the profile settings aren't being saved properly in the Registry.

If the USER profile is damaged, do the following: As the local admin, physically copy the User's profile directories over to a folder/directory off of drive C: (this provides a backup for any data the User stored within their profile), then delete the User's profile.

Login as the User (creates a fresh profile), then copy over whatever data the User may have had from the copy you made earlier. Last, create a new Outlook profile. This one should stay.

Jon

[WinnieB]

Thanks Jon,
How do I create the new outlook profile?
The way I do it everyday.
Delete then add a new exchange profile?

[Poweruser]

1. Delete The Profile on Outlook.
2. Make a backup copy of the User profile . Go to explored and make a copy so you dont loose the settings.
3. Delete the user Profile by logging in as a differnt User on that Machine. Under Explorer.
4. Log back in as the User , This should create a new user Profile.
5. Create a new Outlook profile.

[WinnieB]

Hi,
I managed to do that and it didnt work.
So I removed office and reinstalled it. Same to outlook.
After doing all this it still didnt work. It still has the same problem.
Any more tips

[Jon Finley]

Well..... then lets look at how the client machine connect out to the Exchange server.

The connection is controlled through DNS and WINS.

You said that IP's are through DHCP... I'm assuming that the Exchange Server is on a fixed IP though.... right?

When this problem occurs, can you ping the exchange server (by name and by IP address)?

Can you telnet to the SMTP port? i.e.
telnet 192.168.2.200 25

Is the exchange server on the same subnet?

Are the subnet masks set the same?

Jon

Jon

[WinnieB]

Hi Jon,

My way of IP configuration is static.
The machine can do among other things browse with no problema t all.
My connection is through DNS and WINS.

I configured all subnet masks to be same this includes the server. But I will confirm if it matches the server. This is what I am not sure. Apparently today 5 other machines stated behaving the same way.
All network conections are set in the same way. DHCP, DNS, WINS and IP config to be static. Though am suspecting its something on the network settings on that particular IP address.

ANy more tips

[Randy McGlenn II]

I have had something to this effect happen with an outlook 2k client, it had to do with the security privileges on the local disk. Outlook tries to create the offline folder when it starts up and if it can't do that it can report unusual errors or act like it cannot connect. I would check to see if the user priveleges are set so that they may write to the disk/folder that outlook is installed to and see if in fact it is trying to create an offline folder. The setting for that is in the Advanced Tab of Exchange and there is a button for off-line folders. I would recommend turning it off if you don't need it.