Re: Exchange 5.5 IMAP problem

From: Eric Kwang (nospam_at_yahoo.com)
Date: 07/02/04 

Date: Thu, 01 Jul 2004 21:36:08 -0700

In article <u0GYDY3XEHA.3512@TK2MSFTNGP12.phx.gbl>,
 dot <""stephen.buckley\"@youcaygeeesspee(dot)coe(dot)youcay"> wrote:

> I have a very strange problem that I would be very thankful if someone
> could explain to me and even more thankful if someone could tell me how
> to fix!
>
> We are running Exchange 5.5 standard on Win NT4 SP 5.
> Mostly people access their email Via Outlook for Windows or Outlook 2001
> for Mac on OS 8.6 and 9.x. Recently we have acquired new Macs that don't
> boot OS9 and consequently have been investigating OS X native mail
> clients that can retrieve mail from exchange.
>
> Using various IMAP clients, Mozilla, Entourage, Thunderbird etc.
> certain messages (always messages with attachments) will cause the mail
> client to report the following error when attempting to download the
> message headers in their parent folder.
>
>
> *******************************************
> Entourage reports the following error:
>
> Error
> Mail could not be received at this time
>
> Explanation
> The server returned the following error.
> One or more arguments are invalid.
> Error 1025
> *******************************************
>
> Other mail clients also report that "arguments are invalid" and fail in
> exactly the same manner.
>
> When this occurs the problem message is not displayed in the folder and
> every time the mail client refreshes it's header list the error
> re-occurs. This is not only very very irritating but also results in the
> recipient not being aware that they have one (or more) unread emails
> with attachments.
>
> When the folder containing this errant message is viewed in Outlook
> (for Mac or Windows) there is no error message and the email with the
> attachment is listed and may be opened and read as usual. However, when
> the email with the problematic attachment is viewed the
> document icon for the attached file is always incorrect: The icon
> displayed is for a document with the correct creator but with a much
> older file type (for instance problematic .xls attachments display with
> very lack and white Excel version 1 icons) interestingly in emails with
> multiple attachments where only one of which is problematic the
> attachment causing the problem will be the only attachment with the
> "older" icon.
>
> The only solution I have found to this problem is to use outlook
> running on another mac or PC to save the problem file from the email
> remove the attachment save the email without the attachment then re
> attach the file and save the email again. Once this is done the email
> will appear in its parent folder when viewed on an IMAP client and there
> is no error reported when the IMAP client attempts to download the
> message headers for the folder.
>
> I have also found that some OS9 Macs consistently start generating
> emails with these problem attachments and have found that I can fix this
> problem by a rather hit an miss approach of
>
> 1) rebuilding desktop
> 2) manualy re specifying the mappings for all the commonly used file
> types (mainly office and graphics formats in our case) in the internet
> control panel.
>
> Whilst this works I have no idea what is going on, why it fixes
> anything of causes things to go wrong in the first place. I suspect that
> it has something to do with the MIME type or some other attachment
> description that is being (or not being assigned) to the attachment and
> how this gets dealt with by Exchange in the process of feeding the email
> out to an IMAP client.
> I have also noticed that there is a string resource in the "Exchange
> Preferences' file installed by outlook 2001, called Mac File Types, what
> this is doing and how it interacts with the Mac OS9 internet file
> mappings (which are derived from the old internet config app I believe).
> I have a sneaking suspicion that Outlook might be trying to be helpful
> and updating the installed file mappings with the ones in here.
>
> In conclusion then, I am looking for answers or some guidance to the
> following questions;
>
> Does anyone know what exactly is causing Exchange to barf on these
> emails with strange attachments?
>
> Does anyone know why some but not other mac OS9 machines running
> Outlook 2001 create these attachments?
>
> Finally does anyone know of a fix to either Exchange or either my IMAP
> or Outlook clients that can prevent this form happening.
>
>
> I would be grateful for any feedback to either this newsgroup or to
> Stephen dot buckley at ukgsp dot co dot uk
>
> Stephen

Hi Stephen,

Entourage X/2004 both require Exchange Server 2000 SP2 and later. Sorry!