Jim,

Not as the default news reader - but the SP for Office did reset the default
mail program. And that was the problem.

You know, I suspected it was the service pack, but was guessing that it was
bad code. It never occurred to me that it might have been a deliberate
effect - despite the fact that MSFT has a long history of precisely that
sort of blunder.

Thanks and thanks to all.

Mike

"Jim Pickering" wrote in message
...
Is Outlook Express set as your default news reader? Have you asked the
question in an Outlook newsgroup since a PST file is only used by Outlook?
If you install any Office updates that action will reset your default mail
and news reading program to Outlook every time. In spite of complaints
about that type of behaviour to the Office team, there has been no change
to the problems that Office updates cause for Outlook Express users.
--
Jim Pickering
MVP-Outlook Express/Windows Mail
Please reply to newsgroup only so that others may be helped with your
feedback.


"dubya" wrote in message
...
The reply and forward buttons and menu commands have stopped working
properly. Just discovered it and I don't use them all that much, so I
can only guess that it began sometime in the last three weeks or so.

The "unexpected behavior" is that clicking on "reply" or "forward" brings
up an error message: "The file: drive\directory\directory\outlook.pst
could not be found."

The post new message and the reply to group commands are still working.

Many things have changed in the last three weeks, but the only possible
causes I can think of are five or six security patches to XP, and the
application of Serv. Pack 2 to Office 2003.

Anyone have any ideas?

Thanks!

Mike