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kickassf

macrumors newbie
Mar 7, 2009
5
0
Outlook 2011 freezing window

Hello guys,
My outlook was working fine for the past couple of days, with exchange server and proxy settings for my network.
Since this morning it's been crashing on me on opening.
It opens, synchronizes the files, and comes up with a 'insert password' window, which just freezes. whether you type a password or click on cancel.
it just wont go away!
at the same time, outlook works in the background, it receives emails as normal, but is unable to send any emails, or delete the ones in the outbox.

I tried quitting it, restarting the whole machine, but it doesnt make any difference. that box is still frozen at the centre of my screen

Any ideas on how to solve the issue?

regards,
Maria
 

wilsonlaidlaw

macrumors 6502
Oct 29, 2008
443
74
Not easy

Firstly I presume you have repaired your database, if not do so, this is an easy job just hold down Opt key as you start Outlook and follow instructions.

If this does not work, you will have to do as follows: If you have not another user, set a test user up in System Preferences/Users. Then restart in safe mode (hold down space bar when re-starting). Log on to test user and see if you can start and use Outlook properly - shut Outlook down. You will have to copy your identity over from original user/documents/microsoft user data/Office 2011 identities into documents/etc/etc in the test user then start Outlook again and check all your stored email from original identity are visible. Change back to the original user and move the original identity into a temp folder in case you need it again. On original user, delete all Outlook preference files, plist files, caches, start up logs (look on Mactopia website to get list of all you should delete). Restart in safe mode again and log onto main user. Copy identity from test user to documents/etc/etc in main user. You should find that if you start Outlook now in main user, all will be well. If this all works, then delete your test user and restart in normal mode. Phew!!

Wilson
 

wilsonlaidlaw

macrumors 6502
Oct 29, 2008
443
74
Before you do all the above

Before you do the above, have you done the usual Mac first aid, when anything is not behaving as it should? Verify your hard disc in Disk Utility and repair if required. Then repair file permissions, also in Disk Utility.
 

marc11

macrumors 68000
Mar 30, 2011
1,618
4
NY USA
I recently started having many of the same problems. After having Outlook w/OFM 2011 since it came out it was working fine. Then suddenly Outlook will chime to notify me new mail arrived, but showed no new mail. If I closed Outlook and reopened the new mail would show. Then, it would chime, but closing and reopening wouldn't show the new mail, even though I knew the mail was on the server. During this time, I would often get connection errors, or "General" error notifications.

Last week, Outlook said the database needed to be rebuilt, so I let it do its thing and the issues became worse. Lots of connection and general errors, chimes with no messages, etc.

I gave up and moved to Apple Mail. When the next generation of iWork comes out, good, better or bad I will switch to that and just delete OFM with all its bugs. MS gets no more $$$$ from me for delivering crap. And don't get me started on the synch issues....
 

wilsonlaidlaw

macrumors 6502
Oct 29, 2008
443
74
Outlook 2011 - Steve Ballmer's way of trying to get us to give up Macs

Outlook 2011 is really a very poor product. It improves only slightly on Entourage 2008's poor stability and is worse in many other ways. Now some months after introduction and service pack one, we still do not have a re-send button and signatures still don't work properly (if you change signatures from your default for that account, using the signature button, it adds the option signature rather than replacing the default, as it should do). Identities become corrupted too easily and are a nightmare to rebuild, with the rebuild system just not working (alt on start up). The promised stationery was never there and looks as if it is not going to be added. I actually feel ripped off by MS on this expensive product. Well that makes a change - not! Notes are still not synching properly. Field names have still not been updated to match address book or Mobile Me properly, so synching info goes missing both ways.

Apple Mail is sadly one of Apple's more inferior products and is not fit for business use. Thunderbird was not bad when it came out in 2004 but has not really been improved since. Mail/calendar/contacts/notes programs must be very difficult to get right or someone would have made a better product than any one of the above, all of which have serious issues.

I wait in hope (but not much).........
 

marc11

macrumors 68000
Mar 30, 2011
1,618
4
NY USA
Outlook 2011 is really a very poor product. It improves only slightly on Entourage 2008's poor stability and is worse in many other ways. Now some months after introduction and service pack one, we still do not have a re-send button and signatures still don't work properly (if you change signatures from your default for that account, using the signature button, it adds the option signature rather than replacing the default, as it should do). Identities become corrupted too easily and are a nightmare to rebuild, with the rebuild system just not working (alt on start up). The promised stationery was never there and looks as if it is not going to be added. I actually feel ripped off by MS on this expensive product. Well that makes a change - not! Notes are still not synching properly. Field names have still not been updated to match address book or Mobile Me properly, so synching info goes missing both ways.

Apple Mail is sadly one of Apple's more inferior products and is not fit for business use. Thunderbird was not bad when it came out in 2004 but has not really been improved since. Mail/calendar/contacts/notes programs must be very difficult to get right or someone would have made a better product than any one of the above, all of which have serious issues.

I wait in hope (but not much).........

How about the crappy menu navigation, lack of real archive ability, no way to export in PST formats used by all other Outlook versions, no ability to read PST files, only import them. Crappy file/folder management, a joke of a cal funtion where it creates new cals instead of just assigning a category, inability to set a default category...more more more.

Just a crap product overall. Hoping mail improves with the next OS version. If it does and if iWork is revamped I plan to remove Office from my Mac (may actually just buy iWork now and delete Office anyway.
 

pjvancouver

macrumors newbie
Aug 22, 2011
1
0
Outlook Disaster

I am soooooo over Outlook in the OFM 2011. It crashes CONSTANTLY. I updated from 2008 as you assume that there is actually and improvement...well firstly...why the shift from Entourage anyhow??? It worked, it was STABLE....and IT HAD THE FEATURES. Now I may be stupid...but why is it that I cannot link e mails to events in the calendar???

I would REEEEEALY like to just change back to total OFM 2008 and Entourage. I have lost so much time and energy and business with the Outlook constant crashes.
 

wilsonlaidlaw

macrumors 6502
Oct 29, 2008
443
74
I am soooooo over Outlook in the OFM 2011. It crashes CONSTANTLY. I updated from 2008 as you assume that there is actually and improvement...well firstly...why the shift from Entourage anyhow??? It worked, it was STABLE....and IT HAD THE FEATURES. Now I may be stupid...but why is it that I cannot link e mails to events in the calendar???

I would REEEEEALY like to just change back to total OFM 2008 and Entourage. I have lost so much time and energy and business with the Outlook constant crashes.

I think you may be suffering from a fonts incompatibility issue. Run the validation report on all fonts from Font Book App (Lion). I have the feeling it may be called Font Manager in Snow Leopard but not sure. There is definitely something wrong with your system. Outlook is a poor product but the one thing it is, in the latest version (14.1.2) is stable. It did have identity corruption issues to begin with but MS have sorted that.

Wilson
 

therussell182

macrumors newbie
Jul 3, 2010
7
0
I've had the same problem after downloading and installing Mac OS X Lion. My solution was to switch over the the new "Mail". It is beautiful and is easy to use. Try it.
 

wilsonlaidlaw

macrumors 6502
Oct 29, 2008
443
74
I've had the same problem after downloading and installing Mac OS X Lion. My solution was to switch over the the new "Mail". It is beautiful and is easy to use. Try it.

Tried Mail, didn't like it. Given how long it has been around, its integration with iCal, Notes and Address Book is woeful. A proper port of Outlook for Windows 2010 is what I need, with synching sorted, proper import and export, customisable stationery and an improved layout, that stays the way that you set it, rather than reverting to the way that MS would like it to be.

Thunderbird was not bad in 2004 but has not moved with the times. The lack of a decent office integrated mailing/scheduling/contacts and noting system is the worst aspect of using a Mac. It is what OL2011 is purported to be but sadly isn't.
 

ru4real

macrumors member
May 19, 2010
91
0
I did a system update a few days ago on Lion, and ever since I haven't been able to create any emails in Outlook. I am beyond frustrated at this point, I have followed all the Microsoft suggestions (can't update Safari in Lion anymore (wtf Apple?!?), validated fonts, etc etc), and nothing is working. I even deleted all my accounts in Outlook, didn't help. Deleted my Main Identity folder, didn't help. Deleted every trace of Outlook on my system and reinstalled, didn't help!! What am I supposed to do? Roll my entire system back through Time Machine because my freaking Outlook broke? I am so very frustrated right now.
 

wilsonlaidlaw

macrumors 6502
Oct 29, 2008
443
74
I did a system update a few days ago on Lion, and ever since I haven't been able to create any emails in Outlook. I am beyond frustrated at this point, I have followed all the Microsoft suggestions (can't update Safari in Lion anymore (wtf Apple?!?), validated fonts, etc etc), and nothing is working. I even deleted all my accounts in Outlook, didn't help. Deleted my Main Identity folder, didn't help. Deleted every trace of Outlook on my system and reinstalled, didn't help!! What am I supposed to do? Roll my entire system back through Time Machine because my freaking Outlook broke? I am so very frustrated right now.

OK - proceed as follows. Make a new test user in System Preferences, restart in safe mode (hold down space bar whilst restarting) for test user. See if Outlook will start up. If it will not, I think you will have to reinstall Outlook as the app must have become corrupted.

If it will start, quit OL, then copy the new user identity into a temp folder and copy original identity from original user into correct location for the new user. Restart Outlook and check that all your emails appear. Copy the identity that test user originally made from temporary folder into location for your original user. Restart in safe mode again for original user and check that Outlook starts but with empty identity. Quit and finally copy your original identity from test user back into correct location for original user, overwriting the blank identity. Restart the system again in normal mode and you should find that Outlook works properly.

Are you sure you are fully updated on Outlook. Outlook 2011 was behaving like this when it first came out and this was the cure. I thought that MS had sorted this, as I have not had it happen to me for some months now.

Wilson

----------

Sorry, should have said before restarting OL with blank identity for original user, you must delete ALL OL .plist files. Use Spotlight to search for them. Repair will not work unless you do this.
 

colorworx

macrumors newbie
Aug 29, 2011
1
0
Very Unstable ATTACHMENT delete

In order to keep my Outlook of OFM 2011 more efficient; I use to delete attachment of both incoming and outgoing email that's older than one year; before this action I'll export an archive as a backup.

Even I am in the very latest version of 14.1.2; I can hardly select multiple email and choose "Attachment Remove All"; neither by right click nor select from the menu.

I had once successful when I created a "Rule", then select multiple email (that's moved outside the inbox to a folder named Detach-In that I name it myself); it went succesfully!

However, when I do the same for "Detach-Sent" neither 3 options mentioned above works (from menu, right-click of attachment remove, or right-click to apply rule of attachment delete)

CAN ANYONE HELP PLEASE?:confused:
 

wilsonlaidlaw

macrumors 6502
Oct 29, 2008
443
74
Does anyone have an answer to this question? I would like to delete the account, and keep the emails.

You can export the emails as a .olm data file, start a new account and then reimport them to the new account. When you go to the export dialog box, you tick which categories of data you want to export.
 
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