MS Outlook hassles

March 10, 2004 8:31 AM

MS Outlook 2000 (SP-3) continues to send emails to my contacts' former addresses. I've tried using the Windows Address Book to make changes to email addresses instead of the Contacts card view, but still have the same problem. I've examined all the fields of the updated contacts and the old address is nowhere to be found, yet Outlook insists on sending to it. What gives?

I've Googled/MSKBed at length for this problem but have got nowhere. I'd also welcome suggestions for Outlook replacements while I wait for Chandler. I like Outlook's (semi-)integrated contact/task/schedule/email management, and the ease with which it synchronises with my PalmVx.

posted by cbrody to Computers & Internet (6 answers total)

This depends on how you are picking addresses to send to. If you're typing names and letting Outlook resolve them using the contact list, that could be the source of your problem. I haven't found documentation of it, but many years of Outlook use have demonstrated to me that there is a cache used to look up name-address translations -- contact list and GAL changes aren't always picked up. I have no idea how to control the behavior of this cache.

If you're clicking the handy To: and Cc: buttons and selecting the contact from the dialog box, or doing a right click "Send Email To" on the contact, I'm way off base and something else is wrong.
posted by majick at 9:48 AM on March 10, 2004

You might try throwing this at it. If it doesn't help, I'd suggest hunting around at Slipstick (which is where I found the linked page above).
posted by willnot at 11:33 AM on March 10, 2004

Response by poster: willnot, thank you! That seems to have fixed it. This has been bugging me for months.

majick, it didn't seem to matter whether I let Outlook resolve the name or not. As long the name was in the nickname list it seemed to use the old (cached) address.

Unfortunately there's no direct way to find out what address Outlook actually used: when you get the properties of a sent item, it does an address book lookup. Does anyone know whether it's possible to see the actual headers that were sent?
posted by cbrody at 12:11 PM on March 10, 2004

Select the mesage, right click and get options. There's a box there that lists the headers.
posted by willnot at 1:21 PM on March 10, 2004

...except that none of my messages list any headers in that box. Thank you MS, that's very helpful.
posted by willnot at 1:24 PM on March 10, 2004

On the subject, has anyone a suggestion for a mail client for someone who wants to migrate away from Outlook 2002 and Outlook express?
posted by dmt at 3:18 PM on March 10, 2004