Hi all,
I have rules setup in my Outlook 2003 at work, which have stopped working
for no apparent reason.

Outlook is running off an exchange server.

Now the rules in question are simple, they move mail sent from a specified
address to a specified folder.

The rules are set to run automatically, but when they do, an error crops up
stating Outlook cannot find the specified folder.

I have triple checked the rules, re-created the rules, deleted and re-
created the folders in question, but this still doesn't make the rules
work.

However I can run these rules manually and they work!

So what is causing the problem when it comes to Outlook doing them
automatically?

Thanks in advance,
Craig

Where is the target folder located?

--
Sue Mosher, Outlook MVP
Author of Configuring Microsoft Outlook 2003
http://www.turtleflock.com/olconfig/index.htm
and Microsoft Outlook Programming - Jumpstart for
Administrators, Power Users, and Developers
http://www.outlookcode.com/jumpstart.aspx

"Craig" wrote in message ...
Hi all,
I have rules setup in my Outlook 2003 at work, which have stopped working
for no apparent reason.

Outlook is running off an exchange server.

Now the rules in question are simple, they move mail sent from a specified
address to a specified folder.

The rules are set to run automatically, but when they do, an error crops up
stating Outlook cannot find the specified folder.

I have triple checked the rules, re-created the rules, deleted and re-
created the folders in question, but this still doesn't make the rules
work.

However I can run these rules manually and they work!

So what is causing the problem when it comes to Outlook doing them
automatically?

Thanks in advance,
Craig

Sue Mosher [MVP-Outlook] wrote:
Where is the target folder located?


Hi Sue

I've the same problem.
The target folder is locatet in my ExchangeProfile, so there is no
reason not to find it.

I tried to fix the problem with OWA, and it works, but unfortunately
OWA-rules don't contain a 'stop processing more rules' option.
So the OWA-Workaround is no real solution.

What problem is that? Often I've found that when people say they have the same problem, there's some key difference that they forget to highlight. It's best if you describe the problem, your version of Outlook, etc. starting at the beginning.

--
Sue Mosher, Outlook MVP
Author of Configuring Microsoft Outlook 2003
http://www.turtleflock.com/olconfig/index.htm
and Microsoft Outlook Programming - Jumpstart for
Administrators, Power Users, and Developers
http://www.outlookcode.com/jumpstart.aspx

"BeyondTheSilence" wrote in message oups.com...
Sue Mosher [MVP-Outlook] wrote:
Where is the target folder located?


Hi Sue

I've the same problem.
The target folder is locatet in my ExchangeProfile, so there is no
reason not to find it.

I tried to fix the problem with OWA, and it works, but unfortunately
OWA-rules don't contain a 'stop processing more rules' option.
So the OWA-Workaround is no real solution.

I posted an apparently similar problem here June 13, when I wrote:

If I select my rules to run automatically, then every time I receive
any email, it stays at the top of my Inbox and I get the error message:


"The folder you are trying to move or copy the message to can't be
found. Make sure the rule refers to a valid folder."

And yet, if I go to Run Rules Now and apply all of the same rules
manually to what has just arrived, they work fine, as they always had
until yesterday.

I'm using Outlook 2003 (11.6568.6568) SP2.

All of the destination folders are located narrower to my Inbox.

The Windows version is XP Professional 5.1, build
2600.xpsp2_gdr.040517-1325, SP2.

Same problem here.

Using Windows XP Professional 2002 SP2,
Outlook 2003 11.6359.6408 SP1

I have two rules that were working sweet for about 6 months. The rules
move incoming mail to two different folders.

Now when the mail arrives it goes to my inbox and I get the error
"cannot move or copy to the specified folder..." I run the rules
manually, and they work, the messages get moved to the folders. So the
folders exist, they are the right ones, and the rules work manually. So
why don't they work automatically?

I was able to solve this by Exporting the rules to a file, turning off Cached
Exchange mode on the client, restarting Outlook, deleting all rules,
importing the rules back in, then reenable Cached Exchange mode.

What I think is happening is when a rule is created or updated with Cached
Exchange mode on, Outlook saves a pointer to the cached folder, rather than
the server's folder when it saves the rule back up to the server. When you
take Outlook out of Cached Exchange mode, Outlook no longer has a pointer to
its local cached folder, so the rule is created with a pointer to the server.

This is why OWA works - it's pointing directly to the server's folder, not
to a client.

Kind of a pain in the neck, but it does the trick for us.

Hope this helps.

- Mike

" wrote:

Same problem here.

Using Windows XP Professional 2002 SP2,
Outlook 2003 11.6359.6408 SP1

I have two rules that were working sweet for about 6 months. The rules
move incoming mail to two different folders.

Now when the mail arrives it goes to my inbox and I get the error
"cannot move or copy to the specified folder..." I run the rules
manually, and they work, the messages get moved to the folders. So the
folders exist, they are the right ones, and the rules work manually. So
why don't they work automatically?

I spotted this question and hoped for an applicable answer, since I am having
the same problem, although I am using a POP3 server, not a Exchange server.

My rules, all of which move messages to designated folders had been working
automatically until I moved my outlook.pst folder to a new location on my
computer. Now they only work manually.

I have tried exporting them, then deleting them, then restarting Outlook
2003, then re-importing them. But the problem remains.

If my folders were corrupted in the database, why would it be possible for
the rules to work in the manual mode? What is different--so far as rule
application is concerned--between manual mode and automatic mode?

Any and all suggestions would be welcomed!

Ben

--
Teachers Live Forever!


"Craig" wrote:

Hi all,
I have rules setup in my Outlook 2003 at work, which have stopped working
for no apparent reason.

Outlook is running off an exchange server.

Now the rules in question are simple, they move mail sent from a specified
address to a specified folder.

The rules are set to run automatically, but when they do, an error crops up
stating Outlook cannot find the specified folder.

I have triple checked the rules, re-created the rules, deleted and re-
created the folders in question, but this still doesn't make the rules
work.

However I can run these rules manually and they work!

So what is causing the problem when it comes to Outlook doing them
automatically?

Thanks in advance,
Craig

Ben Feese wrote:

My rules, all of which move messages to designated folders had been
working automatically until I moved my outlook.pst folder to a new
location on my computer. Now they only work manually.

State the method you used to move the PST.

If my folders were corrupted in the database, why would it be
possible for the rules to work in the manual mode? What is
different--so far as rule application is concerned--between manual
mode and automatic mode?

Have you tried changing each rule to point again to the correct folder?
Click the folder name and reselect the folder from the PST, saving the rule
when you finish.
--
Brian Tillman

Any and all suggestions would be welcomed!

Ben


Hi all,
I have rules setup in my Outlook 2003 at work, which have stopped
working for no apparent reason.

Outlook is running off an exchange server.

Now the rules in question are simple, they move mail sent from a
specified address to a specified folder.

The rules are set to run automatically, but when they do, an error
crops up stating Outlook cannot find the specified folder.

I have triple checked the rules, re-created the rules, deleted and
re- created the folders in question, but this still doesn't make the
rules work.

However I can run these rules manually and they work!

So what is causing the problem when it comes to Outlook doing them
automatically?

Thanks in advance,
Craig

Hi All,

We have had this error occur on a few of our many machines, we run
Outlook 2003 off an exchange server. We are also using Cached mode.
In the end we deleted the rules and recreated the OST file in the users
profile, after recreating the rule, it worked perfectly. Next time the
problem crops up we would like to try just recreating the ost and
seeing if that is enough.

Hope this helps some of you out there, as I could find virtually
nothing out there in the great wide web that would lead to any
definitive answers.

Good luck! it's a very frustrating issue.

Brian Tillman wrote:
Ben Feese wrote:

My rules, all of which move messages to designated folders had been
working automatically until I moved my outlook.pst folder to a new
location on my computer. Now they only work manually.

State the method you used to move the PST.

If my folders were corrupted in the database, why would it be
possible for the rules to work in the manual mode? What is
different--so far as rule application is concerned--between manual
mode and automatic mode?

Have you tried changing each rule to point again to the correct folder?
Click the folder name and reselect the folder from the PST, saving the rule
when you finish.
--
Brian Tillman

Any and all suggestions would be welcomed!

Ben


Hi all,
I have rules setup in my Outlook 2003 at work, which have stopped
working for no apparent reason.

Outlook is running off an exchange server.

Now the rules in question are simple, they move mail sent from a
specified address to a specified folder.

The rules are set to run automatically, but when they do, an error
crops up stating Outlook cannot find the specified folder.

I have triple checked the rules, re-created the rules, deleted and
re- created the folders in question, but this still doesn't make the
rules work.

However I can run these rules manually and they work!

So what is causing the problem when it comes to Outlook doing them
automatically?

Thanks in advance,
Craig