Accept, Tentative, and Decline buttons missing

[JKing]

I'm having a problem with Outlook 2003 / Exchange 2003. When sending
calendar appointments, the recipients are receiving them as regular emails
instead of normal meeting requests where they can click Accept, Tenative, or
Decline. This is happening to some users while others are receiving calendar
requests normally.

Anyone know why some users are receiving them as regular emails only?

Thanks.

 

[PTS]

Hi Jking,

We are having the same issue with Outlook. Have you managed to find a
response yet to this? It seems Users have some not all meeting requests come
through as standard e-mails and not requests.

If anyone could help it would save alot of time searching around! Cheers

 

[JKing]

Nope, I'm still having the same issues. I called MS tech support and he
offered some suggestions, but I'm still having the same issue. One of the
suggestions he offered was to go to each person having the problem and blow
away their Outlook profile, rename some files, and recreate the profile
without any add-ons. This has to be done at the sender's PC as well as the
recipient's. I have not tried this method yet as some of the recipients are
outside the company.

 

[BillR [MVP]]

In what format are the messages being received? Something along the way
might be changing them to plain text. That's where I'd look first.

 

[PTS]

Thanks for the reply Jking,

I have created a new POST on this subject to try and get a few more people
looking to resolve it. As it is a real problem for me. I shall let you know
if I find a solution.

With regards to what MS are telling you; I am not too sure what they are
trying to achive with that.

Have you tried moving the meeting request away from the Inbox as in my
testing this sometimes then gives you the options to accept/decline. Could
always try starting Outlook with the switch /resetfolders in case something
is corrupted within the inbox location. Also i have read about deleting
Normal.dot to see if this resolves it. More switches can be found at:

http://www.petri.co.il/outlook_2003_command_line_switches.htm

I think the problem with this issue is its all hit and miss. Are we looking
at an issue with the client or the external sender?

Thanks

 

[PTS]

Hi Bill,

Thanks for the update. Can you please tell me what format the messages
should be in then? Rich Text or HTML?

Thanks

 

[JKing]

Thanks PTS for your replies. It's nice to know that someone else out there
is having the same problem I am. It's driving me crazy as well as some of
our users, with the President being one of them.

Hit and miss is a perfect way of describing this issue. It happened again
just yesterday when the President's secretary sent a meeting request to the
President and he received it as a standard text email. Then it will work
fine for about a week and it'll crop back up again. Quite frustrating.

Thanks for the link and for your suggestions.

 

[PTS]

Hi Bill,

I have just been looking into the format of e-mails and it is set to HTML.
But from my understanding of Outlook a meeting request is not in the same
format as to creating standard e-mails?

I shall do some further testing and let you know.

Cheers

 

[JKing]

I'll look into this as well.

Thanks.

In what format are the messages being received? Something along the way
might be changing them to plain text. That's where I'd look first.

 

[BillR [MVP]]

It should go out and arrive as Rich Text. To check open an invitation from
Sent Items and try to Reply to it. You should see the message reply format
as RTF. Do the same with one that arrives and see if it is still RTF. If it
isn't then something is converting it on the way.

 

[PTS]

Ok just done some intensive testing and have come back with the most weird
set of results. First of all I shall detail the enviroment so we have an
understanding:

External User (Me) - Outlook 2003 with Exchange 2007 Server

Internal User (Client) - Outlook 2003 with Exchange 2003 Server

Ok now for the testing:

External > Internal = E-mail ONLY! (HTML) Have tried all different types of
e-mail format as well.

Internal > External = Meeting Request correctly being displayed.

Now this is the baffling part. Some questions I suppose we shoudl answer is:

1. Is it something to do with Exchange 2007 > 2003?
2. Is it a setting or display propertie within Outlook when sending?

I have tested with my internal users and I can send a meeting request to
them fine so I know its not my Outlook. I have got the client to test an
internal request and that is fine as well.

So the ONLY differrance I can see is the Exchange Servers.

Bill - Can you tell me if Meeting Requests are created Server-Side or
Client-Side?

Many Thanks!

 

[JKing]

I'd also like to add that we are strictly an Exchange 2003 / Outlook 2003
environment. We talked about upgrading to Exchange 2007 but haven't done so
yet. Every time one of my users sends a meeting request that some (not all)
of the recipients receive as a standard email, I have the user then send me
the same meeting request. And every single time it comes to me normally. I
have about 150 users, and about 20 of them use meeting requests on a regular
basis. Everything will be fine then all of a sudden half of those users call
me reporting the problem. Then it will work fine for these users for about a
week or two then it will act up again. No rhyme or reason to it.

 

[BillR [MVP]]

Client side. they can be sent without Exchange. I'd say one of your servers
is messing with the message format. The Exchange guys might know what is
going on.
On the client side you can set "always send to this recipient using Outlook
Rich Text" for a Contact and see if it makes a difference when an invite is
sent to them. it probably won't.

 

[PTS]

Hi Jking,

Can you answer a question for me?

1. Does it all work fine sending meeting requests internally?

Only I seem to be having the issue only from External to Internal.
Everything works fine if the request is sent within the same domain.

Its a very odd one. Have we found a BUG in Outlook do you think?

Cheers

 

[JKing]

The issue happens both internally and externally.

Not sure about the bug. It all started happening back in March when I
applied the TZMOVE utility on everyone's Outlook regarding the early time
change. But according to the guy I spoke with at MS, he said that had
nothing to do with it.

 

[PTS]

Thank Bill for your help,

I have posted it in an Exchange Forum. If you wish to view please see below:

http://forums.microsoft.com/TechNet/ShowPost.aspx?PostID=1905459&SiteID=17

http://forums.msexchange.org/m_1800447024/mpage_1/key_/tm.htm#1800447024

Still if anyone has any ideas please let me know. This issue seems to stump
most people I have talked to about.

Thanks..

 

[BillR [MVP]]

Just as an added test check to see if an RTF email gets through as RTF. Set
Outlook not to convert RTF to html for "Internet Email" first (even though
this isn't Internet Email).

 

[PTS]

Hi Bill,

Rich Text e-mail works fine.

As anther test I tried sending a meeting request to a mailbox we only have
OWA with. The request stills comes through as an e-mail only.

This is very odd. More and more it is pointing towards something to do with
the Exchange platforms.

What do you think?

Thanks.

 

[PTS]

Hi JKing,

How did your testing go? I am trying my hardest to resolve this issue as it
is a real pain in the backside. LOL.

Thanks

 

[JKing]

I haven't had a chance yet to do a lot of extensive testing this week,
however, the President's secretary is having her PC replaced either today or
tomorrow. She's the main user who's having the meeting request issues,
especially when she sets up meetings for the President. I'm anxious to see
if replacing her computer will make any difference. If it doesn't, and she's
still having issues, then that rules out PC issues. At that point it will
either be her Outlook profile (corrupt?), or like you said, an Exchange
issue. If replacing her PC does solve the problem, I'll be glad for her but
no nearer to figuring out what the problem is.

I'll let you know what happens.

Thanks.