Office SP2 Causes Signature Problem

[Foxyshadis]

There's a group policy setting, Disable signature for replies and
forwards (not sure what registry key that corresponds to). Pre-SP2 it
would grey out the box in Outlook options, mail format, labeled
signature for replies and forwards. In SP2 it now greys out all three
boxes relating to signatures, ie, account selection and signature
selection for new messages.

Disabling that single group policy setting brought all three back, so
it's not a different new setting. Either the .adm should be updated or
the setting fixed.

 

[Sue Mosher [MVP-Outlook]]

According to http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;898076, this is by design:

"If either the 'Disable signatures for new messages' policy or the 'Disable signatures for replies and forwards' policy is set, the user interface for the signature options is disabled in Outlook 2003 and in Word 2003. This means that you cannot use the user interface to modify or to create new signatures."

I agree with you that being unable to create any new signatures at all through the Tools | Options | Mail Format dialog is an unexpected and perhaps undesireable side effect.

FWIW, my experience in earlier versions of Outlook 2003 is that this policy setting didn't work at all (probably related to the move to per-account signature settings in OL2003).
--
Sue Mosher, Outlook MVP
Author of Configuring Microsoft Outlook 2003

and Microsoft Outlook Programming - Jumpstart for
Administrators, Power Users, and Developers