Microsoft KB Archive/149968

Bob Err Msg: I’m Having E-Mail Connecting Problems

PSS ID Number: Q149968 Article last modified on 03-19-1997

1.0, 1.0a

WINDOWS

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========================================================= 1.0, 1.0a WINDOWS

= SUMMARY =

Bob email can fail if Bob is installed to the root folder of your hard drive; Household Account information is missing or the e-mail profile for the Bob user contains non-Bob services

= SYMPTOMS =

When you try to start Bob E-Mail, you receive the following error message:

Sorry! I’m having e-mail connecting problems. Please exit any programs you have running, turn off your computer, and turn it on again. Then try again.

If it still doesn’t work, please refer to the Bob Magazine for a telephone number to call for help. 

= CAUSE =

There are several possible causes of this error:


 * Bob is installed in the root folder of your hard drive. This causes the error when you try to do a mail run, but not when you start Bob E-Mail.
 * The E-Mail Household Account information is missing. This can occur if the Mailroom settings file, Mailroom.ini, is deleted, renamed, or corrupted.
 * The e-mail profile for the Bob user contains non-Bob services, such as Microsoft Fax. This can cause Bob E-mail error 249 or other messages about Fax. If the problem is by a fax service, your fax program will start, or there will be a Fax icon on the Windows 95 taskbar.
 * If Microsoft Exchange is not installed properly, you receive the above error message before you enter the Bob E-Mail.

= RESOLUTION =

Determine if the problem affects a new Bob user; this will indicate if the problem is with individual e-mail profile or with the e-mail system in general. To determine if this problem affects a new Bob user do the following:


 * 1) At the Bob front door, sign in as a new user named Testmail.
 * 2) Enter the home, and start Bob E-Mail.

If you don’t get the error message cited at the top of this article, proceed to “Check the E-mail Profile” section of this article.

If you get the error message, there are several possible resolutions listed below. Try these troubleshooting steps one at a time until the problem is resolved.


 * Check for Root Folder Installation
 * Rebuild the Mailroom.ini File
 * Remove and Reinstall Bob
 * Reinstall Microsoft Exchange

Check for Root Folder Installation
To see if Bob is installed in the root folder of your hard drive do the following:

Windows 95:

  Click the Start button, point to Find, and then click Files and Folders.   In the Named box, type the following: Utopia.dll   In the Look In box, type the following: X: (where X is the drive letter of your hard drive)   Click the Include Subfolders box to place a check mark in it.    Examine the In Folder column to see where Utopia.dll is located. If it is in X:(where X is the drive letter of your hard drive) Bob is installed in the root folder. 

If Bob is installed in the root folder, you must run Bob Setup to remove Bob, and then reinstall it to a subfolder such as C:.

For more information, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

ARTICLE-ID: Q131220 TITLE : E-mail Mail Run Fails When Bob Is Installed to Root Directory

Windows 3.1:


 * 1) In Program Manager, click the Bob icon.
 * 2) On the File menu, click Properties.
 * 3) If the Command Line box reads X:.exe&quot; (where X is the drive letter of your hard drive), Bob is installed to the root folder.

If Bob is installed in the root folder, you must run Bob Setup to remove Bob, and then reinstall it to a subfolder such as C:.

Rebuild the Mailroom.ini File
  Rename Mailroom.ini to Mailroom.old. Mailroom.ini is located in your Bob folder. (For example, C:.ini.) For more information about how to perform this task in Windows, see your Windows printed documentation or online Help. </li>  Start Bob and start E-Mail. A new Mailroom.ini is created without the Household E-mail information. </li>  Click OK when you see the error message cited at the top of this article. </li>  Click Other Options, and then click Request Or Update Your E-mail Service. </li>  Click Tell Me Your E-mail Information. </li>  Your individual E-mail ID will already be entered. Click A-OK. </li>  Fill in the Household E-mail Account Information dialog box, using the information from your Bob E-mail Welcome Kit and then click A-OK. </li>  Click OK when you see the error message cited at the top of this article. </li>  Exit and restart Bob E-Mail. </li></ol>

Remove and Reinstall Bob
This is the simplest resolution, but doing this will delete all personal customizations made to Bob since your first installation.

NOTE: If you have made changes to Bob that you wish to keep, do not use this procedure.


 * 1) Run Bob Setup, following the directions on page 8 of the Bob Companion booklet.
 * 2) Click the Remove All button, and follow the onscreen instructions.
 * 3) Run Bob Setup again, and follow the onscreen instructions for a complete installation.

If this does not resolve the problem, reinstall your non-Bob e-mail program.

Reinstall Microsoft Exchange
Follow these steps to remove and reinstall Exchange:


 * Write down Exchange Profiles
 * Remove Exchange
 * Add Exchange
 * Rebuild Profiles

NOTE: For information on examining and rebuilding or creating profiles, see Exchange’s online Help or printed documentation. The following instructions only cover adding or removing Exchange for Windows 95. For other versions of Exchange, refer to your Exchange documentation.


 * 1) Click the Start button, point to Settings, click Control Panel, and then double-click Add/Remove Programs.
 * 2) On the Windows Setup tab, click the Microsoft Exchange check box to clear it. If you are prompted to remove Microsoft Fax, remove it also.
 * 3) Click OK.
 * 4) After Microsoft Exchange is removed, restart Windows 95.
 * 5) In Control Panel, double-click Add/Remove Programs.
 * 6) On the Windows Setup tab, click the Microsoft Exchange check box to select it. If you also removed Microsoft Fax, click that check box to select it.
 * 7) Click OK.

= MORE INFORMATION =

Check the E-Mail Profile
The e-mail profile that Bob uses is named after your Bob preferred name; this is the name you see at the front door. The e-mail profile should list only Bob E-Mail Service, and a Personal Folder (.pst file). An entry for Microsoft Fax in the Bob user’s profile causes the error message.

If you are using Windows 95 and Microsoft Exchange, you can create a new Windows e-mail profile, and then reassign it to the existing Bob user.

If you are using Microsoft Exchange or Windows 95, please follow the steps in the “RESOLUTION” section of this article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

ARTICLE-ID: Q149839 TITLE : Bob E-mail: I Couldn’t Find Your E-mail Information

NOTE: If you are using another e-mail program that modifies your e-mail profile, you may have a conflict when you use the same login name for Bob E- Mail and another e-mail program. Contact your e-mail vendor for more information on how to examine or change your e-mail profile.

KBCategory: Kbusage kbtshoot KBSubcategory: B_mailroom

Additional reference words: w_bob Yikes, an error has occured! Hey! There’s and error! email ====================================================================== Keywords : B_mailroom Version : 1.0, 1.0a Platform : WINDOWS ============================================================================= Copyright Microsoft Corporation 1997.