OL97: "Unable to Open Your Default Mail Folders" Error Message When You Try to Work with Offline Folder (291960)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Outlook 97
This article was previously published under Q291960

SYMPTOMS

When you attempt to work offline with an Offline folder (.ost), the following error message may appear:
Unable To Open Your Default Mail Folders. You must connect to your MS Exchange Server with the current profile. Would you like to open your default folder instead?

RESOLUTION

To resolve this error message, log on to Windows at the logon prompt, rather than clicking Cancel, to gain access to Windows. Logging on to Windows configures the system for offline authentication in Microsoft Exchange Client and Outlook.

MORE INFORMATION

If you have already logged on to Windows and you still receive the error message when you try to work offline, perform the following procedures.

First, remove all hardware profiles except Undocked Profile:
  1. Click Start on the taskbar, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
  2. Double-click System.
  3. Click the Hardware tab, and then click Hardware Profiles.
  4. For each profile that you want to delete, under Available hardware profiles, click the hardware profile, and then click Delete.
Next, create a separate hardware profile that excludes the network interface card (NIC):
  1. Under Available hardware profiles, click Undocked Profile, and then click Copy.
  2. In the To box, type Docked,and then click OK.
  3. Click OK to quit the Hardware Profiles dialog box.
Then, do one of the following to deal with the error message:

To resolve this error message when the system is undocked:
  1. Click Start on the taskbar, and then click Shut Down.
  2. Under What do you want the computer to do?, click Restart, and then click OK.
  3. Press the down-arrow until Undocked Profile is highlighted, and then press ENTER.
  4. On the Hardware tab, click Device Manager.
  5. Double-click PCMCIA adapters, right-click the NIC, and then click Disable.
  6. Start Outlook 97.
  7. On the Tools menu, click Services.
  8. Click Microsoft Exchange Server, and then click Properties.
  9. Click Manually control connection state, and then click OK twice.
To eliminate the error message when the system is docked:
  1. Remove the NIC from Device Manager:
    1. Click Start on the taskbar, and then click Shut Down.
    2. Under What do you want the computer to do?, click Restart, and then click OK.
    3. Press the down-arrow until Docked Profile is highlighted, and then press ENTER.
    4. On the Hardware tab, click Device Manager.
    5. Double-click PCMCIA adapters, right-click the NIC, and then click Remove.
  2. Physically remove the NIC from the computer.
  3. Click Start on the taskbar, and then click Shut Down.
  4. Under What do you want the computer to do?, click Restart, and then click OK.
  5. Press the down-arrow until Docked Profile is highlighted, and then press ENTER.
  6. Reinstall the NIC into the computer, and then configure the NIC as necessary.
  7. Reinstall any networking components as necessary.
  8. Start Outlook 97, and then on the Tools menu, click Synchronize to synchronize online and offline folders.
  9. Test Online and Offline mode in Docked configuration.
  10. Click Start on the taskbar, and then click Shut Down.
  11. Under What do you want the computer to do?, click Restart, and then click OK.
  12. Press the down-arrow until Docked Profile is highlighted, and then press ENTER.
  13. Start Outlook 97 in Offline mode.
Modification Type:MajorLast Reviewed:7/27/2001
Keywords:kbenv kbnetwork kbprb KB291960
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