Outlook stops responding when you first open it.

[jimi33]

Our company uses Exchange 5.5 and Outlook 2000 for the cleints. When the users try to open outlook, it opens and then works for about 30 seconds and then stops responding. You have to task mgr and end application. It's very sporatic and does not happen to everyone. began happening to me on friday but now it's working fine for me. I'd say about half the company is affected. Any help Please???? thanks

 

[mcymatt]

1. Is Outlook the only thing effected?
2. What protocols are you running?
3. Are all of the effected users on the same switch?

 

[pikk]

Hi Jimi33

I get the same thing here. Same setup as well but i believe it is network related. Happens to about a third of my clients here and it's very sporadic. Usually rebooting the affected system...resolves the issue, albeit temporarily.

To sum up...I'd have to guess that Outlook is really picky about the quality of the network connection it uses. The slightest error in the NIC, Cable or Switch can seem to throw it off.

Hope this helps.

P'

 

[jimi33]

yes. only outlook is effected.
i'm running tcpip.
no the users are spread across two switches.

 

[mcymatt]

What are you using for name resolution?

 

[jimi33]

wins
also just to see if it would make a difference, i add the ip and name to the lmhost file on a user workstation that was having the issue. Didn't work.

 

[mcymatt]

Try using the HOSTS file. Make sure that there is no extention at the end of the file name.

 

[mcymatt]

You may want to use DNS also. Here we use DHCP for the IP addresses, DNS for all of the PCs & WINS for the old PCs. We have had no issues with Exchange dropping connectivity to Outlook users. The answer with the HOSTS file I used for some old 95 & 98 PCs that were taking a long time to connect to Exchange.

Good Luck!

 

[jimi33]

I am using DNS. sorry about that. Well i edited the users host file and still the same thing. still freezes. sometimes it comes back and sometimes it doesn't.

 

[mcymatt]

If All users are on the same switch, are the ones that drop off in the same block?

EX:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16

1-4 and 9-12 are the same block and
5-8 and 13-16 are another block of ports.

Are you able to add another switch to test those ports?

 

[jimi33]

The users are not all on the same switch. We have two switches and both are having the same issue.

 

[mcymatt]

Where there any network changes on Thursday or Friday?
Server Changes?
Hardware added?
Ip address scheme?
Service Packs / updates?
What Sp for Exchange are you on?
Office updates @ the local PCs?