An e-mail message may not be formatted correctly when a recipient sends the e-mail message from an Exchange Server 2003 computer to another Exchange recipient (835992)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 Standard Edition
  • Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 Enterprise Edition

SYMPTOMS

When a Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 recipient sends an e-mail message to another Exchange recipient, the e-mail message may not be formatted correctly.

CAUSE

This problem may occur when all the following conditions are true:
  • The e-mail message is relayed by a smart host from one Exchange computer to another.
  • The e-mail message contains a line of text that has more than 998 characters.
  • The Exchange Server 2003 computer uses 7-bit encoding to send messages in MIME format.
  • One of the following character sets or code pages is used to compose the e-mail message: ISO-2022-KR, ISO-2022-JP, csISO2022JP, or UTF-7.
This problem occurs when some Asian character sets are used to compose an e-mail message, and the message is sent in MIME format by using 7-bit encoding. The problem occurs because the lines in the text that are longer than 998 characters cannot be wrapped, and the characters are labeled with incorrect 7-bit encoding during transport to the final mailbox server.

The default MIME encoding in Exchange Server 2003 is 7-bit transfer encoding. The MIME encoding in some Asian languages must be set to an encoding method that is different from 7-bit encoding. The lines of text that contain more than 998 characters can then be wrapped.

RESOLUTION

Service pack information

To resolve this problem, obtain the latest service pack for Exchange Server 2003. For more information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

836993 How to obtain the latest service packs for Exchange Server 2003

Hotfix information

A supported hotfix is now available from Microsoft, but it is only intended to correct the problem that is described in this article. Only apply it to systems that are experiencing this specific problem. This hotfix may receive additional testing. Therefore, if you are not severely affected by this problem, we recommend that you wait for the next Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 service pack that contains this hotfix.

To resolve this problem immediately, contact Microsoft Product Support Services to obtain the hotfix. For a complete list of Microsoft Product Support Services telephone numbers and information about support costs, visit the following Microsoft Web site:

http://support.microsoft.com/contactus/?ws=support

Note In special cases, charges that are ordinarily incurred for support calls may be canceled if a Microsoft Support Professional determines that a specific update will resolve your problem. The usual support costs will apply to additional support questions and issues that do not qualify for the specific update in question.

Prerequisites

No prerequisites are required.

Restart requirement

You must restart your computer after you apply this hotfix.

Hotfix replacement information

This hotfix does not replace any other hotfixes.

File information

The English version of this hotfix has the file attributes (or later file attributes) that are listed in the following table. The dates and times for these files are listed in coordinated universal time (UTC). When you view the file information, it is converted to local time. To find the difference between UTC and local time, use the Time Zone tab in the Date and Time tool in Control Panel. 

Date         Time   Version            Size    File name	Platform
------------------------------------------------------------------------
26-Feb-2004  11:19  6.5.6980.72       373,248  Exsmtp.dll       x86
26-Feb-2004  09:20  6.5.6980.72        49,152  Mdbevent.dll     x86
26-Feb-2004  10:00  6.5.6980.72     3,190,272  Mdbmsg.dll       x86
26-Feb-2004  09:22  6.5.6980.72        24,064  Mdbrole.dll      x86
26-Feb-2004  10:48  6.5.6980.72        13,312  Mdbtask.dll      x86
26-Feb-2004  10:45  6.5.6980.72     5,045,760  Store.exe        x86

MORE INFORMATION

After you apply this hotfix, you can use registry values to set the MIME encoding method in the following registry subkey:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\MSExchangeIS\ParametersSystem\InternetContent\TransferEncodingFor7bit

The hotfix that resolves this issue lets an administrator use the registry to select the transfer encoding for all the character sets that are affected. The administrator must set the encoding method correctly based on the clients and their encoding capability.

Use the appropriate value from the following table to control the MIME encoding behavior.
ValueBehavior
0Always use 7-bit encoding for both HTML and plain text.
1Always use quoted-printable encoding for both HTML and plain text.
2Always use Base64 encoding for both HTML and plain text.
5Use quoted-printable encoding for HTML and plain text. If plain-text line wrapping is enabled, use quoted-printable encoding for HTML, and use 7-bit encoding for plain text.
6Use Base64 encoding for HTML and plain text. If plain-text line wrapping is enabled, use Base64 encoding for HTML, and use 7-bit encoding for plain text.
13 (=0x0D)Always use quoted-printable encoding for HTML, and always use 7-bit encoding for plain text.
14 (=0x0E)Always use Base64 encoding for HTML, and always use 7-bit encoding for plain text.
Exchange uses the default value of zero for 7-bit encoding if the registry subkey value contains a value that is not listed in this article, or if a value is not present. After you change the value of the TransferEncodingFor7bit subkey, you must stop and then restart the Microsoft Exchange Information Store service on the Exchange 2003 computer.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed in the "Applies to" section.

This problem was first corrected in Exchange Server 2003 Service Pack 2.

MORE INFORMATION

For additional information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

824684 Description of the standard terminology that is used to describe Microsoft software updates

For additional information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

817903 New naming schema for Exchange Server software update packages

Modification Type:MinorLast Reviewed:6/1/2006
Keywords:kbQFE kbHotfixServer kbfix kbBug kbExchange2003preSP1fix KB835992 kbAudITPRO
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