Mail merge from Outlook folder to Word

[truearies]

Using Windows XP, Word 2003, Outlook 2003
I use Outlook to create separate address folders for Christmas card list,
etc. and have always used the mail merge function in Word to print labels.
When I tried to pull up the Outlook folder today I get a window "Data Link
Properties" asking me to "specify the following to connect to Access data"
and when I close that window the message says "Operation cannot be completed
because of dialog or database engine failures. Please try again later." I
have never seen this before and haven't a clue as to what to do. Can you
help, in non-technical language please?

 

[Peter Jamieson]

When you connect to Outlook data from Word, Word actually uses the Jet
(Access) database engine to get the data. That's why the error message
mentions Access. I can't tell you what has gone wrong, although a lot of
people seem to encounter this problem.

However, these days it is /usually better to initiate your merges starting
from Outlook - select one of your contacts folders in Outlook, click Outlook
Tools|Mail Merge.., read the dialog box carefully and take it from there.
But be careful, because the field names used when you work that way are not
always the same as the ones when you "initiate from Word"

 

[truearies]

I'm sorry but I don't find starting through outlook any easier. That's
asking me also for some kind of database and I don't know how to figure out
what its asking for. I have been doing my label starting in Word with mail
merge for years and just used it at Christmas with no problem. I don't
understand where this new message came from and I don't understand why
there's not a fix. Thank you for your reply and hopefully someone else has
another idea.

 

[Peter Jamieson]

I didn't direct you to the following article before, because if the "start
from Outlook" approach works it is usually the simplest and best workaround.
But since it doesn't, it is probably best to start with the steps in
Microsoft's article at

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/322215/en-us

 

[Peter Jamieson]

BTW, the people here are mostly volunteers. You can always contact
Microsoft's telephone support and see if they can provide a fix or a better
diagnosis. I do not think they have published any others in this area in
their Knowledgebase, which is where the article I just posted comes from.
However, if your product is not still under warranty they may charge and I
really don't know how that works.

 

[truearies]

Thank you very much for your replies. I will follow through on your
suggestions.