Outlook 2003 calendar slowness.

[Helen Smith]

We are experiencing 1-2 minute delays when opening other user's calendars, and sometimes when opening their own. Once it's cached it's much faster. Servers are not overloaded, users are running Office 2003, SP2. Exchange servers are 2003 native. Has anybody seen this?

 

[madmatt]

Is there a slight delay (even longer on older computers) in opening different folders, too?

Regardless, a specific file that was updated by Service Pack 2 is the cause (there was a thread that I started but it appears to have been lost in the rollback).

Solution: the file in question is MSMAPI32.DLL (which can be found in “C:\Program Files\Common Files\System\MSMAPI\1033”). To resolve this issue you should fine an older version of MSMAPI32.DLL (specifically from Service Pack 1) and then rename the current version (i.e. MSMAPI32.BAK) and finally replace it with the file from SP1.

Outlook should be closed during this process. Once the process is complete simply open Outlook and there should be no delay.

I have the MSMAPI32.DLL file from SP1 at work and I can zip it tomorrow if you can’t find it yourself. Let me know.

 

[Helen Smith]

Thanks, MadMatt! I did try this and it seemed to work for most people, but one user who is on a different mail server had the same old slowness. Also, I called Microsoft about the switch and they more or less freaked out and said, "now you're in unsupported mode". They said the Mapi file actually operates hand-in-hand with two other Mapi files in the same location and they didn't know what else this would effect. Have you had any problems with any other apps? How did you figure this fix out?

 

[madmatt]

Of course Microsoft is going to tell you this method is unsupported (and I should have said the same). That's why I suggested making a backup of the original.

I have rolled out this fix domain wide. My users haven't experienced any slowness whatsoever since I ran an automated fix and replaced the MSMAPI32.DLL from SP2 with MSMAPI32.DLL from SP1.

If Microsoft would fix the issue (they know there is an issue) in a timelier manner then such unsupported fixes wouldn't be necessary.

It took about a month's worth of research to trace the issue back to this file. And a lot of reading.

I haven't had any issues in my environment since applying this unsupported fix.

 

[Helen Smith]

Of course Microsoft is going to tell you this method is unsupported (and I should have said the same). That's why I suggested making a backup of the original.

I have rolled out this fix domain wide. My users haven't experienced any slowness whatsoever since I ran an automated fix and replaced the MSMAPI32.DLL from SP2 with MSMAPI32.DLL from SP1.

If Microsoft would fix the issue (they know there is an issue) in a timelier manner then such unsupported fixes wouldn't be necessary.

It took about a month's worth of research to trace the issue back to this file. And a lot of reading.

I haven't had any issues in my environment since applying this unsupported fix.

Thanks very much for the speedy response. My boss is asking for documentation for this fix. Can you refer me to any of the sources you mentioned you had read? He needs some ammo to present it to the directors. Thanks Again!

 

[madmatt]

Microsoft provided me with a list of files that were updated post-SP1. An update that was released after SP1 and before SP2 (that wasn't general release) made its way into SP2.

A similar list can be viewed at http://support.microsoft.com/kb/906451/

Other than telling you how to resolve the issue I cannot be of further help. I don't have additional information to offer on this fix. It was discovered in house and I wrote a batch file to take care of the fix.

You can demonstrate the affects of MSMAPI32.DLL (SP2) by replacing it with the version from SP1 and then back to SP2.

MSMAPI32.DLL
Base Product: 11.0.5601.1
SP1: 11.0.6361.0 (1326KB)
SP2: 11.0.6566.0 (1382KB)

 

[madmatt]

Furthermore, since it is an unsupported fix and no information is offered on the Microsoft web site you are not likely to find any such documentation. Demonstrating the affects and research are your best avenues towards a resolution.

 

[ming]

Don't want to hijack this thread, but since you're talking about Outlook, it there a way of making downloading items from the hotmail inbox into personal folders a lot faster?
Normal downloads from a website using a browser takes seconds, but it's taking 5 minutes to download some emails that are about a few mb big in total.

 

[kcnychief]

what protocol are you using, POP3 or IMAP?

 

[ming]

what protocol are you using, POP3 or IMAP?

http (Hotmail)

 

[kcnychief]

http (Hotmail)

*confused*

Are you trying to configure Outlook, to download your hotmail into it?

 

[ming]

*confused*

Are you trying to configure Outlook, to download your hotmail into it?

Yes and No, I've already set up my hotmail account in Outlook. But when it comes to downloading the emails on to my PC, it takes ages to get the email transferred on to my machine.

 

[kcnychief]

Yes and No, I've already set up my hotmail account in Outlook. But when it comes to downloading the emails on to my PC, it takes ages to get the email transferred on to my machine.

OK, at least I understood you correctly. Which brings me back to my original question, what is the protocol you are using within Outlook? I would assume since hotmail is a free service, it is more than likely POP3, but it could be IMAP.

 

[ming]

OK, at least I understood you correctly. Which brings me back to my original question, what is the protocol you are using within Outlook? I would assume since hotmail is a free service, it is more than likely POP3, but it could be IMAP.

Hotmail (in Outlook) uses a http protocol rather than Pop or Imap.

 

[kcnychief]

Hotmail (in Outlook) uses a http protocol rather than Pop or Imap.

Have you disabled or removed Windows Messenger?

 

[ming]

Have you disabled or removed Windows Messenger?

Yup. But what's that got to do with downloading emails into Outlook?

 

[kcnychief]

Not sure, but I found this on the internet, give it a shot:

This tweak fixes the issue of Hotmail or Outlook being slow after Disabling or Removing Messenger


Go to Start --> Run and type regedit
Navigate to the Registry Key below.

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT/Messenger.MsgrObject.


Right click on the Messenger.MsgrObject key and select rename.
Rename it to Messenger.MsgrObjectold

 

[ming]

I'll look into that registry thing when I'm at home... thx.

 

[kcnychief]

I'll look into that registry thing when I'm at home... thx.

Yup, let me know how it works out

 

[ming]

Yup, let me know how it works out

Will do... but need to send myself a large email first to test the download speed. lol