If you are having issues with Outlook and your connection to Hosted Exchange we have a downloadable tool you can run to perform various tests and automated fixes for many of the most common problems.



Common Symptoms:


Common issues you may encounter are:


  • "Cannot start Microsoft Outlook. Cannot open the Outlook Window. The set of folders cannot be opened. The attempt to log onto Microsoft Exchange has failed.


  • "Outook cannot log on. Verify you are connect to the network and are using the proper server and mailbox name. The connection to Microsoft Exchange is unavailable. Outlook must be online or connect to complete this action.


  • Outlook constantly prompting for your username and password.



Common Causes


The above issues are usually caused by items such as:

  • Incorrect Credentials.
    Such as the wrong email address or password being used for the account in question.
  • Corrupted Credentials
    Saved credentials can become corrupted or outdated and cause issues similar to the above.
  • Incorrect DNS Settings on your domain.
    If items on your domain's DNS are set incorrectly, specifically the autodiscover record that Outlook/Exchange depends on, this can cause any/all of the above symptoms and more.
    Additionally, alternative and incorrect methods of autodiscover may be in place on your domain which can be picked up in error, causing the configuration to fail.
     
  • Legacy Settings/Configurations
    MS Office unfortunately caches many of the Outlook settings in your user profile. These are not always automatically cleaned up at times such as when upgrading from Office 2013 to Office 2016/2019/365.
    These legacy settings can cause issues and prevent Outlook from sourcing the correct settings from the Exchange server.

Easy Resolution: HDExchange Outlook Troubleshooter Tool


Here at HDUK we have an easy way to rule out the vast majority of these issues via a simple and easy-to-use tool.
Attached to this article is the "HDExchange Outlook Troubleshooter - HDUK Ltd"

Simply Click here to download this and run it in the environment you are encountering the issues.



You'll start with the following message appear:


It will the perform some data gathering tasks and take some backups of your existing configuration, prior to making any changes...




Once it has completed those tasks, it will now perform some critical tests which it must pass before it can proceed further.




It will present you with the information it has been able to extract from your current profile:



If the information is correct, you can press Yes and it will start the testing.

If not, you'll be given the option to provide new information by selecting "No".
View the Issues section below and see Item 1 for more details on this.

It will then start the critical tests, first it will perform Task 2 and 3 together, ensuring that your email domains have the correct MX Records and Autodiscover records set. 
Without these set correctly, Outlook will not work.


Provided the DNS Testing is passed, it will then need to test the credentials for each mailbox:


Answer if you do/do not know the password for the mailbox in question:


Selecting Yes will then prompt you for the password:


It will then attempt to log into your email account and send a test message to our testing mailbox:




Should either of the Critical Tests Fail, the Troubleshooter will be unable to proceed, but will advise you on how to address this:

View the Issues section below and see Item 2 for more details...



Provided these tests are passed, you will then get the following screen:



This will then allow you to proceed to the Standard Troubleshooting Steps.



It will then perform and apply tests for the 6 most common causes of these issues, and resolve the majority of issues you may encounter with Outlook:



Once this completes, you'll be present with a summary, and pop up box. After pressing OK the summary will close after 1 minute.




Should any of the tests/fixes fail, the script will report this and advise you to contact HDUK Support.
View the Issues section below and see Item 3 for more details on this.


HDExchange Outlook Troubleshooter Tool: Advanced Mode



In the event the above steps do not resolve your Outlook issues, you can then enable the Advanced Mode to perform a much more in-depth 'fix-all' solution.
This is a bit more disruptive, and not often required which is why we do not perform these additional steps as standard.


To enable Advanced Mode, run the tool again. After selecting "OK" to start, it will detect if it has been run on your profile within in the last week.
If it has, you will be presented with this choice:




Select "Yes" to enable the advanced mode.

It will proceed through the original steps again, however, after completing the sixth step, it will enter the advanced mode.

Here it will perform and additional 4 steps, followed by a re-run of two of the original settings as some of additional steps will require that these are reapplied afterwards.







You'll then get a similar summary, with some additional instructions included:


As you will now need to set up a new profile, it will automatically open this guide:
https://support.hduk.co.uk/support/solutions/articles/26000135956

If you had any PST Files attached to your original profile, it will also open this guide for you:

https://support.hduk.co.uk/support/solutions/articles/26000033581


Should any of these tests fail it will advise accordingly.
View the Issues section below and see Item 3 for more details on this.


This should resolve the vast majority of issues.
Should you still encounter any issues, please contact our support team.

HDExchange Outlook Troubleshooter Tool: Issues


This will cover a few of the less likely issues that you may encounter when running the tool, as mentioned above:


ITEM 1: Incorrect Profile Information

If at this stage...

...the information extracted is incorrect, please select "No"


This will instruct the tool to use advanced troubleshooting mode, as well as require your input to build your profile.
In this case, you'll be asked to provide your primary email address, followed by any secondary email addresses:



 




ITEM 2: Critical Test Failure


If either of the DNS Tests, or the Credentials test fails, the tool will error and give you the following window:



When you press OK, it will open up the HDUK Support Page as well as opening the folder where the log file for the troubleshooter is stored.



In this instance, raise a support ticket with our team and provide a copy of that log file. This will allow our team to quickly aid/advise you in resolve the critical issues.



Item 3: Standard/Advanced Test Failure


Should any of the items in the Standard Mode test fail, example:


You'll then get the following summary at the end:




Similar to the above, pressing the OK button will open the support page, and the log file location for you, so that you can raise a ticket with our support team.