Oulook 2007 Unexpected Error on sending to distribution list

[Rob Schneider]

I have a distribution list created when using Outlook 2003. Upgraded to
2007. The dist list successfully moved across. When I try to send to
that distribution list, Outlook 2007 reports "unexpected error" and
failes to send. I can send the same email to the distribution list when
I manually enter each person's email address into the "TO" field.

I presume this a "bug". Frankly surprised such a bug still exists. Am
I doing something wrong?

 

[Russ Valentine [MVP-Outlook]]

Hard to say. We don't know what you did. How you migrated your data to the
new installation will determine whether a DL will still work. DL's do not
survive an upgrade unless you migrate your data correctly.
Very few people even use DL's in Outlook and haven't for years. They are far
too fragile and unreliable, as you appear just now to be discovering.

 

[Rob Schneider]

Hard to say. We don't know what you did. How you migrated your data to the
new installation will determine whether a DL will still work. DL's do not
survive an upgrade unless you migrate your data correctly.
Very few people even use DL's in Outlook and haven't for years. They are far
too fragile and unreliable, as you appear just now to be discovering.

I did the upgrade by exporting from Outlook 2003 the Address list to a
special PST File, then after upgrade importing the calendar data from
that PST file into the new FILE.

I wasn't aware of Outlook's fragile distribution lists. I use only this
one for about a dozen people (board of a club I run). To have to
abandon automation and help from the cmoputer, and to have to write in
each of the addresses on each email seems too much of a pain ... so, now
hearing of the fragility of distribution list, I simply recreated it
with another name. Worked.

Thanks!

 

[Russ Valentine [MVP-Outlook]]

Why would you export your data? You already had a PST file. Exporting is the
number one way to destroy DL's.

 

[Rob Schneider]

Why would you export your data? You already had a PST file. Exporting is the
number one way to destroy DL's.

Being naive, I guess.

 

[Patrick Philippot]

I have a distribution list created when using Outlook 2003. Upgraded
to 2007. The dist list successfully moved across. When I try to
send to that distribution list, Outlook 2007 reports "unexpected
error" and failes to send. I can send the same email to the
distribution list when I manually enter each person's email address
into the "TO" field.

I have the very same problem here. I could not describe it with more
details. Distribution list created in OL 2003, upgraded to 2007 and switched
from ANSI format to UNICODE. After the error occured multiple times I
deleted the list and re-created it. Same problem. Moreover, when I click on
the + sign to expand the list, I get the following error:

"Cannot perform the requested operation. The command selected is not valid
for this recipient. The operation failed."

I never had any such problem in OL 2003.

 

[Cary Liu]

Error message when you try to expand a distribution list in Outlook 2007 on
a Windows Vista-based computer: "The command selected is not valid for this
recipient"
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/927013

This shoulbe useful for you

 

[Patrick Philippot]

Error message when you try to expand a distribution list in Outlook
2007 on a Windows Vista-based computer: "The command selected is not
valid for this recipient"
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/927013

Thanks Cary.

Cause #2 described in this document applies to my case. However, this
doesn't explain the initial problem ("Unexpected error" when trying to send
email to the distribution list while sending email by specifying all
recipients individually in the "To" field works).