Outlook 2002 = 2003: multiple copies of rule-processed emails.
 

Hi,

I have been a long time user of Outlook since (I think) about the '98
version. I have always used rules and am familiar with them and have
had no problems. Until recently.

Recently I was forced to upgrade from 2002 to 2003 version by corporate
IT. 2002 version had been working perfectly for a few years.

My problem is that mail rules don't work for me correctly in 2003
version following the upgrade. We don't use Exchange, I am fetching the
email from a POP server. In an attempt to narrow down the problem, I
simply deleted every rule I had, and created 4 brand new ones to start
with, but I have exactly the same problem as with the scads of rules
imported from 02=03 versions.

These new rules are extremely simple: they are all of the form
"Apply this rule after the message arrives
with bla in the subject
move it to the bla folder
and stop processing more rules "

In most cases the folder in question is in another (open) .PST file on
the local machine.

I have two problems with this

1) the rule will complete silently, no error or warning, but I will get
two copies of the message in the destination folder. The message will
be correctly removed from the inbox.

2) the rule will complete but popup an error, stating "cannot remove
messages from the folder" and I will have two copies of the message in
the destination folder. The message will be correctly removed from the
inbox.

I get a ton of email so this is majorly annoying, to the extent of
being untenable.

I have searched the groups and do not see what I can possibly be doing
wrong, especially since this had worked for years.

Any hints very gratefully accepted before I toss the entire thing in
the garbage and beg IT to let me revert to 2002. Although they probably
won't let me. In which case I guess it's Thunderbird for me :-) ...
although I see from the forums that importing email from Outlook to
TBird is an inexact science. Oh well.

Thanks
Liam