SEND TO AS FILE ATTACHMENT does not work unless Outlook is open (2nd post)

[Kent Meyer]

I have several computers that cannot use the SEND TO (AS FILE ATTACHMENT)
function from within Excel unless they also have Outlook open.

The users have a file open in Excel 2003 and they do NOT have Outlook open,
they click on SEND TO (AS FILE ATTACHMENT) and they get the correct message
window on the screen where they can type in the address of the person to
send the message to. It will even connect to their Exchange profile and
allow them to verify the recipient's name. When they click send though they
get the following two errors:

"The action could not be completed."

Click OK and get this:

"General Mail Failure. Quit Microsoft Office Excel, restart the mail system
and try again."

Excel and the message window then lock up and the only way to close them is
with Task Manager.

If the user opens Outloook first before sending the Excel file and uses the
SEND TO (AS FILE ATTACHMENT) the message is sent without any problems.

I have tried using Detect and Repair, installing all patches/updates for
Office 2003 and nothing seems to fix the problem.

Has anybody seen this error and know how to fix it?

Thank you!
Kent

 

[JeffG]

Has anybody seen this error and know how to fix it?

I've seen it happen without rhyme or reason across my entire support
base at one time or another. It helps less the frequency of the issue
to only have one profile choice for the logged on user. It also helps
to have Outlook open at the time, but I've also seen the same error
even if Outlook is not open and even if there is only one profile.

Unfortunately, I never could figure out exactly what the problem was -
so I taught my users to save the file and use FILE/INSERT from Outlook
and pretend that command didn't exist in the rest of the office aps.

If there is an answer for this issue, I'd appreciate hearing about it
myself - a work-around is OK, but it's not a fix...

Always more words than help.
JeffG

 

[Milly Staples [MVP - Outlook]]

See your answer posted elsewhere. This is a common situation when Outlook
does not close completely. Check Task Manager to see if outlook.exe is
still running for those users who can send to from Office applications
without Outlook OBVIOUSLY open.

--
Milly Staples [MVP - Outlook]

Post all replies to the group to keep the discussion intact. Due to
the (insert latest virus name here) virus, all mail sent to my personal
account will be deleted without reading.

After furious head scratching, Kent Meyer asked:

| I have several computers that cannot use the SEND TO (AS FILE
| ATTACHMENT) function from within Excel unless they also have Outlook
| open.
|
| The users have a file open in Excel 2003 and they do NOT have Outlook
| open, they click on SEND TO (AS FILE ATTACHMENT) and they get the
| correct message window on the screen where they can type in the
| address of the person to send the message to. It will even connect to
| their Exchange profile and allow them to verify the recipient's name.
| When they click send though they get the following two errors:
|
| "The action could not be completed."
|
| Click OK and get this:
|
| "General Mail Failure. Quit Microsoft Office Excel, restart the mail
| system and try again."
|
| Excel and the message window then lock up and the only way to close
| them is with Task Manager.
|
| If the user opens Outloook first before sending the Excel file and
| uses the SEND TO (AS FILE ATTACHMENT) the message is sent without any
| problems.
|
| I have tried using Detect and Repair, installing all patches/updates
| for Office 2003 and nothing seems to fix the problem.
|
| Has anybody seen this error and know how to fix it?
|
| Thank you!
| Kent

 

[Kent Meyer]

That doesn't seem the be the problem though.... They can try this as the
very first thing

after restarting the computer and it still freezes up. Outlook isn't running
in Processes

on Task Manager.

It is really weird!

Thanks for the info though!