HELP -- Outlook 2003 Mailbox Full?

[Bilbo]

I have an Outlook 2003 client on WinXP SP2 who started getting
warnings from the SBS 2K3 server that her mailbox was filling up.

Of course, like a EULA acceptance, she acknowledged the message and
kept right on working. This went on for the better part of a week and
finally, the mailbox really DID fill up. She was also getting Synch
Error messages alleging the Mailbox Store was full.

I augmented her mailbox size quota such that this problem should have
disappeared. However, it didn't.

Next, I constructed a new Outlook Profile using the MAIL applet in
Control Panel and switched her to it.

Kept getting the same message and more synch errors. I've since taken
her offline from exchange server. She still gets messages to the
effect that her junk mail folder is out of space -- it is, she's
offline from Exchange 2003. (she sends and receives POP3 mail from an
external mail host -- soon to be moved to inhouse Exchange server --
and her connection to that mail host is fine).

I've looked at the information store on the server and it is WELL
under the capacity limits set up in the registry. I don't know of
anyone else getting these or similar messages on the domain. Also,
she deleted or archived lots of data such that her mailbox size is
well below her quota.

So, according to the server -- so far -- she shouldn't have a problem.

I really would prefer NOT to have to re-build the Information Store
because it's tedious and requires a visit to each desktop to reconnect
users to the server.

What should I have done to clean up her local Outlook profile? Should
I have manually gone in and deleted all her obsolete .PSTs and other
files clearly tied to her obsolete profile before firing up Outlook
for the first time under her new profile?

This is an ACUTE problem -- all helpful suggestions welcome.

TIA

 

[Bilbo]

Upon further investigation, I have come to the inescapable conclusion
that when an administrator elects to grant additional mailbox quota
space to a user, he should remember that the unit of allocation is
actually

KILOBYTES -- NOT MEGABYTES!!!

Dumb, dumb...

Here's my sign...

:-(

Fixing this fixed the user up within about 10 minutes.

Thanks to all who were about to try to help.

Bilbo

 

[Roady [MVP]]

Could you be a bit more clear on the issue?
-Is she using an Exchange account connection or a POP3 account connection?
-What is the exact error reported?
-Is mail delivered to a pst-file or to the Exchange mailbox?
-What is the size of the pst-file/Exchange mailbox?
-What is the set quota on her mailbox?

Note that pst-files don't count for on-line (Exchange) storage quota.

 

[Bilbo]

Sorry Roady, I'd hoped to forestall anyone actually replying to my
post.

As to your questions:

a) BOTH Exchange and POP3 account connections;
b) Several; synch errors saying mailbox store was full;
Send/receive errors with same message;
Junk mail folder unable to accept messages;
c) Mail is delivered to Exchange;
d) Mailbox size was intended to be 400MB;
e) I found the quota set to 400KB; <---- PROBLEM IDENTIFIED

Well, not exactly. Problem was that a 300MB mailbox filled up and in
trying to extend quota to 400MB, three trailing zeros were dropped
which resulted in a quota of 400KB! The mailbox was by definition
overloaded and it took me a long time to see this and find the
mistake. So the problem was the Administrator. <shame, shame>

It's not the first time this has bitten me and it probably won't be
the last. I wish MS had changed the Limits to be allocated in MB
rather than KB. Ah well....

Thanks for the comeback. Sorry you worried over it.

My bad...

Bilbo

 

[Roady [MVP]]

Alright, good to here you've got it solved

--
Robert Sparnaaij [MVP-Outlook]
Coauthor, Configuring Microsoft Outlook 2003


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