Connection problems from Outlook 2003 to Exchange 5.5

[Stephen Yang]

Hello all,

I have one machine which won't connect to our Exchange server with
Outlook 2003.

I get the following error messages:

Task 'Microsoft Exchange Server' reported error (0x8004011D) : 'The
server is not available. Contact your administrator if this condition
persists.'

Task 'Microsoft Exchange Server - Sending' reported error (0x80040115) :
'The connection to the Microsoft Exchange Server is unavailable.
Outlook must be online or connected to complete this action.'

I don't know if the problem is specific to the machine, or specific to
the location because:

If I bring the machine into my office and connect there, it works fine.
Since my office and the warehouse (where the machine is normally
located) is on the same network, it is not a VPN problem. Nor would it
be a TCPIP problem, unless somehow the TCPIP files/settings/whatever
related became corrupted.

The obvious thing to check would be the network cabling, and port config
on the network switch, but I've found nothing obviously wrong. The
computer can access all the other shared resources on our Exchange
Server computer just fine.

Other things I've tried so far include flushing the DNS cache,
hardcoding the IP address of our Exchange Server into the HOSTS file,
checking the license manager to make sure we weren't over our limit,
deleting all the .ost/.pst files, deleting the .srs/xml files in
C:\Documents and Settings\username\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook,
and created new profiles from scratch.

As a part of creating the new profiles, Outlook doesn't have any
problems validating the user name on the server.

Any other ideas out there I should try?

This is the only machine affected in the entire building. I have 83
other users set up exactly the same way just fine.

Thanks!

 

[Roady [MVP]]

Just for kicks, connect the machine with the LAN cable of the person sitting
closest to it and try again.

 

[Stephen Yang]

Well, since it's out in the warehouse, the next closest system is about
50 feet away, so I tried a few things:

Swapped the port that the cable is connected to on the switch with
another known good workstation. No change. Outlook stays disconnected,
but the system can see all the other shared resources of our Exchange
server. Then swapped the cable back into the assigned port.

Moved the system over into the same office and connected with a
different (and shorter) cable. This works. Also used this shorter cable
into the other port that's assigned for the warehouse location. This
also worked.

While this implies a cable problem, I then did one more test.

Tried my laptop using the cable that the other system doesn't seem to
like to the assigned warehouse port. Outlook connected just fine. Same
version of software. Same level of current patches to Office (SP3).

My Fluke cable tester also confirms that the original cable is just
fine. In case it really was a problem with the cable run, I put a
desktop network switch next to the warehouse computer. Verified with my
laptop that this worked okay. Plugged in the warehouse computer, and no
difference. Still shows Disconnected. Same error messages as before.

And finally, I also updated the Realtek driver for it, from Windows
Update. This too still did not work. Same Disconnected status. Same
error messages.

Weird, huh?