Foreword

1. Check the compatibility page to make sure that your Outlook version is supported. That page also describes known limitations
2. Check the BlueMind FAQ page that lists a number of known issues with Outlook and solutions: FAQ - Outlook

Trouble with mail

1. Make sure that the IMAP service is available on the machine by typing the following in a command line window:

   telnet bluemind.domain.net 143

   or

   openssl s_client -connect bluemind.domain.net:993

   If BlueMind is set up on multiple servers with an edge server on the frond end, you should check the connection between the edge and the BlueMind servers

2. Enable and check the troubleshooting logs (see below)

3. Check Outlook's IMAP syncing logs: they can be seen in folder view under "Sync issues". For instance, you can see if a large message is blocking syncing.
   

   Ignore errors in "Shared folders" and "Other users": Outlook attempts to select them although they are virtual folders.

4. Check the server logs: /var/log/bm-ips/ips.log file 

Connector issues

1. On the machine concerned, make sure:

   1. that the version installed (see below) matches the BlueMind and the Outlook version numbers

      The connector version must match the version of Outlook installed on the machine, which isn't always the same as the Windows version: Outlook 32-bit may be installed on a Windows 64-bit version, you must therefore use the 32-bit version of the connector.

   2. that the server and login ID are filled in correctly: the login ID is the user's full email address including the domain, e.g. john.smith@domain.loc, not "john.smith"
      1. in IMAP email settings 
      2. in the connector for contacts and the calendar
   3. that the password is correct (check it by logging into BlueMind in an internet browser)
2. Enable detailed logging in the connector and check the logs (see below)
3. Check the server logs  /var/log/bm/core.log file 

The issue persists

If despite this, the issue isn't resolved, open a ticket (depending on the support available to you) in the BlueMind bug tracker describing the information collected during this investigation.

FAQ

Where can I find the version of the connector installed on my machine?

To find the version of the connector installed on your machine, hover on the BlueMind synchronization logo in Outlook (don't click): a tooltip showing the connector version is displayed:

Retrieving Outlook logs

Two types of logs can be useful:

• BlueMind connector logs, for calendar and contact synchronization issues

• IMAP logs, for trouble sending and receiving emails

IMAP logs

Like for BlueMind connector logs, you must enable advanced logging in order to collect as much information as possible.

To do this:

• Outlook 2007:

  1. Go to the "Tools" menu > "Options" > "Other" tab > Advanced options

  2. Check the "Enable logging (troubleshooting)" box

  3. Exit and restart Outlook
     

• Outlook 2010 and above:
  

  1. Go to File > Options > Advanced options

  2. In "Other", check the "Enable troubleshooting logging (requires restarting Outlook)" box

  3. Exit and restart Outlook.

Next, regardless of the Outlook version you are using:

• Rerun the scenario that triggers the issue
• Exit Outlook to make sure that all the data is written to the log file

Once this is done, you can retrieve the logs in your temporary logging folder:

• Open Windows explorer and type the text below in the address bar:

  %TEMP%\Outlook Logging

• Type <Enter> to confirm
  This takes you straight to the folder concerned.

• The files you might want to retrieve are:
  • the SMTP log folder, for outgoing messages: emailaddress-Outgoing-date-time.log
  • the IMAP log file, for incoming messages: IMAP-emailaddress-Incoming-date-time.log

To find out more about Outlook logging and logging files: https://support.office.com/en-us/article/What-is-the-Enable-logging-troubleshooting-option-0fdc446d-d1d4-42c7-bd73-74ffd4034af5?fromAR=1&omkt=en-US&ui=en-US&rs=en-US&ad=US

BlueMind Connector Logs

In order to retrieve the appropriate logs, you must first enable advanced logging.

To do this:

• Go to advanced options:
  
  • Outlook 2007: " Tools/Options" menu > "BlueMind" tab > "Advanced options" button.
  • Outlook 2010 and above: "File" menu > "BlueMind" tab > "Advanced" button.
• Check the "Enable advanced logging" box:
  
• Replay the scenario that triggered the issue.

Once this is done, you can retrieve the logs you need. They are located in the BlueMind folder in your temporary files folder:

• Open Windows explorer and enter the following text in the address bar:

  %TEMP%\BlueMind

• Type <Enter> to confirm.
  This takes you straight to the folder.

• Logs are located in the file bm-connector-outlook-log.*

Known Issues

Outlook synchronization takes a very long time and causes problems

Issues/Symptoms: Outlook synchronization seems to be "late" with respect to other clients (e.g. mobile ones), messages that can be seen in webmail are not shown in the client, synchronization seems to take very long and sometimes results in errors.

Cause: this may be because of a mail service containing a large number of folders and sub-folders.

Technical explication: Outlook in IMAP does not retrieve messages in real time in folders other than the Inbox. Other folders are checked during send/receive – setting for this can be changed in Send/Receive > Send/receive groups > Define send/receive groups.

On a large mail service with many folders, setting send/receive to retrieve all every time may cause the system to be slow and may seem to take forever.
This is because of Outlook's default send/receive configuration which is highly resource and time consuming.
By default, it iterates all the mailbox's folders and performs IMAP commands for each of them to:

• retrieve new or deleted messages
• count the number of unread messages

Solution: there is no need for these operations to be performed on every folder and sub-folder:
The number of unread messages is useful for users' Inbox and mail services folders shared with them only (users or shared mailboxes).
Messages in sub-folders do not need to be retrieved every time: they go into sub-folders when users sort them in Outlook. These messages only need to be retrieved when the user displays the folder.
As a result, the recommended user settings is:

• Send/Receive menu > Send/receive groups > Define send/receive groups
• Uncheck "Get unread folder count for subscribed folders"
• Choose "Use the custom behaviour described below"
• Check the user's root folders and other users accounts they are subscribed to.
• Confirm.

Messages are sent multiple times

Issues/symptoms: messages containing one or several attachments are sent multiples times.

Cause: because these messages are heavy, Outlook may lose the server connection (e.g. because of a poor internet connection) and starts sending the messages again. It duplicates the message in the Sent Items folder and when the connection to BlueMind is re-established properly, the messages are all sent.

Solution: increase server timeout

• go to account settings > "More Settings..." button > "Advanced" tab

• increase "server timeouts" using the cursor:
  

  Do not use the maximum setting straight away. It is best to increase it gradually and test the new setting in order to keep the minimum timeout needed.

The Outlook connector doesn't load on start-up

Issues/Symptoms:

• the connector doesn't load when Outlook starts and it doesn't show as enabled in the list of add-ins.
• the connector does load when it is enabled by clicking it in the list of COM add-ins but doesn't load during later Outlook start-ups.

Cause: the Windows key registry value that controls load behavior has been modified, either by Outlook after a previous connector load error, either by third-party software, such as an antivirus.

Solution: correct the key registry value to re-enable loading on start-up. To do this:

• Open the Windows registry editor
• Browse to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office\Outlook\Addins\ Bluemind.bm-addin
• Change the LoadBehavior value to 3
• Browse to HKEY_CURRENT_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office\Outlook\Addins\ Bluemind.bm-addin
• Change the LoadBehavior value to 3

The connector still doesn't load, it has been disabled by Outlook

Issue/symptom: despite having made the above checks, the connector still isn't shown. It is present in File > Options > Add-ins, but it is disabled.

Cause: at some point, Outlook has detected an issue and as a result disabled the connector.

Solution: you need to hard-reenable the connector:

• go to Files > Options > Add-ins
• at the bottom of the screen, in the "Manage:" drop-down list choose "Disabled items"
• click "Go"
• select the BlueMind connector
• click "Enable" 
• go back to File > Options > Add-ins
• in the "Manage:" drop-down list choose "COM Add-ins"
• check the box for the BlueMind connector
• click OK
• restart Outlook

For more information about this: 

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-gb/visualstudio/vsto/how-to-re-enable-a-vsto-add-in-that-has-been-disabled

Unable to uninstall or reinstall the Outlook connector

Issue/Symptom: Unable to uninstall or reinstall the Outlook connector. During uninstall, an error window is displayed with the message "Error 1001: the specified service already exists"

Cause: Windows' automatic update service for the connector is in an inconsistent installation state.

Solution: use Windows's automatic fix to complete the uninstallation, which is available at: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/17588/fix-problems-that-block-programs-from-being-installed-or-removed

If the tool fails, you have to manually uninstall the autoupdate service: open a command prompt and type the following command:

sc delete "AutoUpdateService"

The connector no longer synchronizes

Issue/Symptom: the connector used to work properly but it has stopped synchornizing, with no warning message. Reinstalling has failed to resolve the issue.

In the detailed logs, the following error appears:

Fail to init RDOSession
System.Runtime.InteropServices.COMException (0x8000FFFF): Interface not supported
   � Redemption.IRDOSession.set_MAPIOBJECT(Object Value)
   � dataConversion.UtilsRdoSession..ctor(Object mapiObject) dans C:\jenkins2\workspace\outlook-artifacts\closed\outlook\bm-connector-outlook\dataConversion\UtilsRdoSession.cs:ligne 23

This can have 2 causes:

1. Cause: an issue with saving Outlook components which may be caused by a recent Windows update.

   Solution: Repair Office: https://support.office.com/en-us/article/repair-an-office-application-7821d4b6-7c1d-4205-aa0e-a6b40c5bb88b?omkt=en-US&ui=en-US&rs=en-US&ad=US
2. Cause: version conflict
   Solution: uninstall earlier Outlook versions or uninstall Microsoft Office pre-installed Desktop Apps: https://support.office.com/en-us/article/outlook-freezes-clicking-the-signature-button-c70b36c2-66ca-401c-ab45-f29a46495d02?ui=en-US&rs=en-US&ad=US

MAPI_E_NOT_FOUND error in logs

Issue/Symptom: Bugs such as emails sent as plain text, syncing issues and the following error appears in the connector's detailed logs:

ERROR 2019-07-15 10:02:30.25: System.Runtime.InteropServices.COMException (0x8004010F): Error in IMAPITable.FindRow: MAPI_E_NOT_FOUND
   � Redemption.IRDOMail.get_Subject()
   � net.bluemind.csharp.connector.sync.events.CalendarsListener.OutboxListener.ItemsItemAdd(RDOMail item) in C:\jenkins2\workspace\addons\outlook-artifacts\closed\outlook\bm-connector-outlook\sync\events\CalendarsListener.cs:ligne 138

Cause: the profile's PST file is corrupt

Solution: repair the file (https://support.office.com/en-us/article/repair-outlook-data-files-pst-and-ost-25663bc3-11ec-4412-86c4-60458afc5253)

"There are no more files" error

Issue/Symptom: "System Error. Code: 18"

Cause: This is caused by a Windows update – 10 October 2018 Update (1809) – rolled out by Microsoft in late December, despite what the date says.

Solution: There is a workaround in the connector from version 3.5.10-2. You must therefore update BlueMind to this version (or above) for this error to go away.

A popup alerts of an underlying connection issue

Issue/Symptom: A window titled "BlueMind connector" opens, and reads "The underlying connection was closed: The connection was closed unexpectedly"

Cause: The machine's Window-based framework is too old. 

Solution: The machine has to be updated – in particular the .net framework has to be updated to a version now lower than 4.5.