You receive a "No transport provider was available for delivery to this recipient" error message when you try to send an e-mail message in Outlook 2000 (197417)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Outlook 2000
This article was previously published under Q197417

SYMPTOMS

When you send a mail message, you may receive an undeliverable message from the system administrator. The error in the body of the message is:
No transport provider was available for delivery to this recipient.
This is commonly referred to as an non-delivery Report (NDR).

CAUSE

There are several reasons for this error message. They include:
  • A damaged Personal folder.
  • The installation of Microsoft Outlook Express is damaged.
  • Outlook Express has been removed.
  • No mail transport service in the mail profile.
  • Improperly configured mail transport in the mail profile.
  • A damaged contact within a distribution list.
  • A damaged contact.
  • An apostrophe in your computer name.
  • The mail server is expecting the addresses to be enclosed in angle (<>) brackets.
  • The mail server doesn't recognize your IP address.
  • The POP3 enabled Microsoft Exchange Server you are connecting to is not properly configured for Secure Socket Layer (SSL) authentication.
  • No Delivery or Address Type for Microsoft Mail Service

RESOLUTION

To determine which of these causes is producing the error message in your case, see the troubleshooting articles in the "More Information" section.

Make sure that Outlook Express is installed and working correctly if you send mail through the Internet e-mail service in the Corporate or Workgroup installation, or the Internet Mail Only installation.

A Damaged Personal Folder in the Corporate Workgroup Installation

NOTE: The following steps apply if you use the Corporate Workgroup installation. See the next section for steps for the Internet Mail installation.

Remove the Personal Folder from your mail profile and add a new one. To do so, follow these steps:
  1. Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
  2. Double-click the Mail icon.
  3. Click to select the Personal Folder, and then click Remove and then click Yes.
  4. Click Add. Click to select Personal Folders and click OK. Type a name for the folder, and then click Open, OK, and OK.
NOTE: All mail messages, contacts, tasks, journal entries, appointments, and so forth will remain in your old Personal Folder (pst). If you import information from your old pst to the new pst, damaged information may also be imported.

A Damaged Personal Folder in the Internet Mail Installation

NOTE: The following steps apply if you use the Internet Mail installation. See the previous section for steps for the Corporate Workgroup installation.
  1. On the File menu, point to New, and click Personal Folders File (.pst).
  2. Select a location to store the file, type a unique name in the File Name box, and click Create.
  3. Select the desired options in "Create Microsoft Personal Folders" and click OK.
  4. On the View menu, click Folder List (if it is not already displayed).
  5. Click the new Personal Folder file in the Folder List.
  6. On the File menu, point to Folder, and click "Properties for 'Personal Folder.'"
  7. Click to select "Deliver POP mail to this personal folders file," and then click OK.

No Mail Transport Service in the Mail Profile

NOTE: The following steps apply if you use the Corporate Workgroup installation.

Add the proper mail transport to your mail profile. To do so, follow these steps:
  1. Click Start, point to Settings, and click Control Panel.
  2. Double-click the Mail icon.
  3. Click Add, and then click to select the mail transport service you want to install. Click OK.
  4. Enter the information as requested for the mail transport that you are installing.

Improperly Configured Mail Transport in the Mail Profile

  1. Click Start, point to Settings, and click Control Panel.
  2. Double-click the Mail icon.
  3. Click Show Profiles, click to select the profile, and then click Properties.
  4. Click to select the mail transport from the list, and then click Properties.
  5. Check all of the settings and compare them to the information provided by your ISP or System Administrator. Correct if necessary, and then click OK to close the dialog boxes.

    NOTE: It may be necessary to create a new profile instead of modifying the existing one.

A Damaged Contact Within a Distribution List

A damaged contact within a distribution list (DL) can create an NDR when sending an e-mail message to a distribution list. To find the damaged contact, you will need to send a series of test messages with small groups (1/2) of the original distribution list. Once you receive the NDR, you can then narrow the group and eventually isolate the damaged contact. The damaged contact will need to be deleted and re-created (see the following section for creating a new contact.)

A Damaged Contact

To delete and re-create the contact, follow these steps:

  1. In the Contact folder, click to select the damaged contact.
  2. On the Edit menu, click Delete, or press CTRL+D.
  3. On the Actions menu, click New Contact.
  4. Enter the information into the Contact form, and then click Save and Close.

An Apostrophe in Your Computer Name

To remove the apostrophe from your computer name, follow these steps:
  1. In Control Panel, double-click the Network icon.
  2. On the Identification tab, type a new name for your computer without the apostrophe.
  3. Click OK, and then restart your computer.

Mail Server Expects Addresses to Be in Angle Brackets

Some SMTP servers require that addresses be enclosed in angle brackets. This is particularly true for older mail server systems. In addition, your e-mail name, which is defined in the Internet e-mail information service properties, must also be enclosed in angle brackets.

For example, the e-mail addresses should have this format:

<myemailname@isp.com>

Check with your Internet Service Provider (ISP) for their addressing requirements. For other people with newer servers to be able to reply to your messages, you must type your e-mail name in the Reply Name box without angle brackets.

Unrecognized IP Address

This can occur if you connect to the Internet using one service provider (ISP), and attempt to send e-mail through a different ISP's mail server. The error is an attempt to prevent the sending of junk mail (SPAM). The only solution is to send e-mail using the mail server of the active connection.

Improperly Configured Microsoft Exchange Server POP Service

The referenced error may occur if the Microsoft Exchange Server is not properly configured to use Secure Socket Layer (SSL) authentication.

For additional information on configuring SSL on the Microsoft Exchange Server, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

175439 XFOR: Enabling SSL For Exchange Server

No Delivery or Address Type for Microsoft Mail Service

If you are using Outlook with the Corporate or Workgroup (CW) setup option and the Microsoft Mail service is in your profile, this problem can occur if the delivery options or address type settings are incorrect. Use the following steps to check these settings:
  1. Exit Outlook.
  2. Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
  3. Double-click the Mail or Mail and Fax icon.
  4. Click Show Profiles if you have more than one profile.
  5. On the General tab, click to select your Microsoft Mail profile, and then click Properties.
  6. On the Services tab, click to select Microsoft Mail and then click Properties.
  7. Under the Delivery tab, make sure both "Enable Outgoing mail Delivery" and "Enable Incoming mail Delivery" are checked, and then click Address Types.
  8. Make sure that at least one address type is listed and checked and then click OK, OK, OK, and Close.

MORE INFORMATION

Troubleshooting Damaged .pst Files

For additional information about troubleshooting damaged .pst files, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

195720 OL2000: Undeliverable Mail Message When Sending Internet Mail

Installing and Configuring Mail Transports

For additional information on installing and configuring mail transports, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

195478 OL2000: (CW) User Profiles and Information Services

For additional information about Outlook 2000 and Outlook Express, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

230076 OL2000: Why Outlook 2000 Requires Outlook Express

Modification Type:MinorLast Reviewed:10/7/2004
Keywords:kbemail kbsendmail kberrmsg kbprb KB197417
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