Microsoft Outlook 98

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Microsoft Outlook 98

Outlook 98 is the second version of Microsoft Outlook, introduced in March 1998 as a free download, later maintained as a free upgrade for registered Outlook 97 users and finally withdrawn from web download just before the release of Outlook 2000 in June 1999.

Availability

Outlook 98 is no longer available for free public download from Microsoft's web site. Users who downloaded Outlook 98 during the free download period and need to add components to their installation of Outlook 98 can still do so.

Outlook 98 is not longer supported by Microsoft.

You can still get the Outlook 98 CD in some Outlook 98 books, while supplies last.

Outlook 98 is also included on the Microsoft Exchange Server 5.5 Service Pack 1 and Service Pack 2 CDs, in the \Client folder. These CDs are also included in a TechNet subscription.

Versions

Check the version number with Help | About. The original version of Outlook 98 is 8.5.5104.6. The version number is determined by the version number on the Outllib.dll file. This table lists the versions and the patch that updates Outlook to that version. Major public updates are shown in bold:

	Outllib.dll version
Outlook Extensions Fix	Update to handle Inspector events better in Outlook client extensions developed with Extended MAPI.	8.5.5109
Attachment Error Fix	Resolves attachment problem that produced an error message, "The path or file name for C:\Temp\<File name.xxx> is invalid."	8.5.5424
Security Patch	Though this patch deals specifically with Internet mail messages, Microsoft says this version is for everyone -- even if you connect to Microsoft Exchange Server. It has at least one problem -- the From field will be left blank in your Sent Items folder for Corporate/Workgroup users with the Internet Mail service. Later patches apparently correct that.	8.5.5603
Start Time of Recurring Appointments Start TIme fix	Fixes a programming problem where Outlook incorrectly reports the start time of recurring appointments in a shared folder.	8.5.5628
Custom Forms in .msg Items Patch	Makes Outlook correctly display custom forms used by items saved as .msg files	unknown
Comma Address Separator Patch	Allows the user to turn off the option for "Use comma as address separator"	8.5.5703
Double Dial-up Connections Remote Mail Fix	Fixes a problem where the user gets two dial-up connections when trying to use Remote Mail with an Exchange Server. Also updates the Exchange Server MAPI components.	8.5.5806
Custom Recurring Meeting Request Patch	Fixes a problem with recurring meeting requests that use a custom form.	8.5.5905
Recurring Reminders Fix	Eliminates a problem in which recurring appointments keep triggering reminders. This can occur after the use of Move Mailbox, but also in other situations.	8.5.6017
Archive Patch	Prevents data loss if the power or computer fails while you're archiving. Also restores the folder Synchronization properties tab if you have disabled calendar caching as described in XCLN: Calendar Problems with Outlook 98.	8.5.6204
Public Folder Shortcut Fix	Fixes problem for Exchange Server users with Outlook crashing when the user opens a new window and clicks a public folder Outlook Bar shortcut. Available only from Microsoft Product Support Services; has not been fully regression tested.	8.5.6309
Reply to All Fix	Fixes a problem with using the Reply to All command in an Exchange Server environment.	8.5.6510
Email Attachment Security Update	This patch changes the way attached .exe files are handled when you try to open them from inside a mail message. The idea is to make it harder for something like the Worm.ExploreZip Virus to get through.	8.5.6604
Delegate Meeting Request Fix	Fixes relatively minor problem for Exchange Server users with delegates not being able to distinguish between required, optional and resource attendees on meeting requests. Available only from Microsoft Product Support Services; has not been fully regression tested.	8.5.6810
Remote Mail Fix	Fixes problem where Remote Mail downloaded headers for deleted items.	8.5.6823
Offline Users Update	This update to address problems with remote Exchange Server connections is available only from Microsoft Product Support Services and has not been fully regression tested.	8.5.7111
Delegate Message Outbox Fix	Fixes a minor problem for Exchange Server users in which a message sent by a delegate may remain in the Outbox even after being sent.	8.5.7501
Custom Form Copy/Paste Fix	Allows custom forms to support copy, cut and paste commands.	8.5.7522
OL98 Outlook Does Not Shut Down When You Copy a Custom Form in a Defined View	The KB article is too vague for us to figure out what this actually fixes.	8.5.7528
WordMail Template Path Fix	Fixes minor problem that may cause corruption of path name for the WordMail template.	8.5.7642
Outlook E-mail Security Update	Extensive update to lock down many parts of Outlook that make it possible for a virus to use Outlook to propagate. Install with great caution, since it will change the behavior of some Outlook features and most add-ins.	8.5.7806
Duplicate Appointments Fix	Fixes a problem with duplicate appointments that can occur in versions 8.5.6119 and later.	8.5.8028
Recurring Meeting Requests Fix	Makes recurring meeting requests appear with the recipient's time zone, not the sender's. Requires the Outlook E-mail Security Patch.	8.5.8712

Changes to Outllib.dll are cumulative. In other words, if you have the Archive Patch installed, you also have the Outllib.dll fixes from the Security Patch.

Does this mean that you don't need to install the Security Patch if your Outlook version number shows up as 8.5.6204.0? No, that's not what it means at all. It only means that you have the Archive patch installed. It tells you nothing about whether you have also installed the Security Patch. The secret is that, while the Archive Patch and Security Patch both update Outllib.dll, they also update other files -- different files for each patch.

If you don't remember whether you installed the Security Patch before you installed the Archive Patch, you may want to download the Security Patch and install it anyway. If you install the Security Patch after the Archive Patch, just make sure that you respond No when the setup program asks whether you want to replace the systems' current version of Outllib.dll with an older version.

Patches

Installing these patches does not affect the version number:

16-Bit Sample Applications Forms Fix	Resolves a problem in which Outlook hangs after using any of the 16-bit forms sample applications.
ccMail Service Update	Need to make Outlook 98 Y2K-compliant. Otherwise, cc:Mail messages sent after the year 2000 in folders and bulletin boards imported from cc:Mail may show the incorrect date.
Collaboration Data Objects (CDO) Security Update	Restores a secured version of CDO to Outlook 98. Requires the Outlook E-mail Security Update.
Date Fix	Replaces Transmgr.dll and Rm.dll to resolve problems with importing and exporting dates formatted with two-digit years.
Dial-up Synchronization Patch	Replaces Exchange Server MAPI service component files to allow users on Windows 95/98 to be prompted for domain credentials when synchronizing offline folders via dial-up to a Remote Access Service (RAS) connection. Also see OL98 Outlook DUN Does Not Re-prompt for an Incorrect Password for a related issue handled in an earlier patch.
Expired Password Fix	Updates the address book provider portion of the Exchange Server service (Emsabp32.dll) to allow an Outlook user to change the password from Outlook 98 if the password expires while the user is logged on to the network.
Export/Import Patch	You need this patch to make Outlook 98 Y2K-compliant. Otherwise, it doesn't handle date ranges with two-digit years correctly.
Field Mapping Patch	Field mapping for imported data was missing in the original Outlook 98 release. This patch adds it, but only for built-in fields. If you need to import/export custom fields, see To import or export data from custom Microsoft Outlook fields and forms.
Folder Size Warning Fix	Provides warnings when the size of a Personal Folders .pst or offline folders .ost file is approaching the 2gb limit. Microsoft now says that this fix does not work as intended.
Garbled Word Attachment Fix	Replaces Contab32.dll to fix a problem with Word attachments being garbled when sent to a contact from Public Folders.
Greek Outlook on Windows 2000 Fix	Replaces Mapi32.dll to fix a problem with the way the Internet Profile Wizard works if you have a Greek version of Outlook 98 installed on Windows 2000.
HTML Mail Vulnerability Updates	Critical updates for Microsoft Internet Explorer to prevent harmful worms from entering your system via HTML-format messages.
OL98 Outlook Sends HTML Messages to the Internet When You Use an Exchange 2000 Mailbox	Hotfix for Exchange 2000 users who are sending text or rich-text, but recipients are getting HTML. Replaces Outlmime.dll.
Offline Folders Programming Patch	Makes it possible to set a folder as part of the Favorites for offline use.
Offline Synchronization Patch	Fixes a problem in which messages in the Outbox don't appear to send when the user is working offline. Requires the Outlook E-mail Security Update.
Security Certificate Patch	Updates Exsec32.dll to allow Outlook 98 to access security certificates more than one level deep.
Update for "Malformed Header" and "Cache Bypass" vulnerabilities	Update your system to protect Outlook against a vulnerability that can allow malicious code to enter your system, even if you do not open or preview the message. The update also eliminates a vulnerability that could allow someone else to read certain files on your system. See MS00-043 - Patch Available for “Malformed E-mail Header” Vulnerability and MS00-046 - Patch Available for “Cache Bypass” Vulnerability. All versions of Outlook are vulnerable, unless you use Outlook only to connect to an Exchange Server mailbox. You have several patch options, depending on your system: Install Internet Explorer 5.5, except on Windows 2000. On Windows 2000, install Internet Explorer 5.01 SP1, available via Windows Update. Windows 2000 SP1 also apparently resolves this issue. If you are already using Outlook Express 5.01, install the separate Security Update. To check your OE version, start OE, and choose Help \| About Microsoft Outlook Express. If the version is 5.00.2919.6600 or, for Windows 2000, 5.00.2919.6700, you have Outlook Express 5.01. (Outlook Express 5.5 includes this update.) If you are using Outlook Express 4.01 SP2, you can download and install the separate Security Update.
Year 2000 Import Fix	Updates the Transmgr.dll and Rm.dll files to make Outlook correctly handle dates entered as two-digit years.

Configuration

For users:

Choosing an Outlook 98 or Outlook 2000 Mode

Outlook 98 Components

For administrators:

Outlook 98 Deployment Kit

Microsoft Outlook 98 in run-from-server environments (MSKB)

New Features

Some features introduced in Outlook 98 are only a click away. Try these:

Customize toolbars	On the main menu: View \| Toolbars \| Customize
Close all open items	On the main menu: File \| Close All Items
Check folder size	On the Properties dialog for any folder: Click the Folder Size button.
Switch languages	If you have more than one set of proofing tools, choose Tools \| Options, then click on the Spelling tab

Also see:

Net Folders in Outlook 98

Outlook Today in Outlook 98

Outlook 98: New Features for Developers

OL98 (IMO): How to Set Up and Use an E-mail Group (MSKB)

Problems

Installing Internet Explorer 5.0 "breaks" Outlook 98 in Corporate/Workgroup mode. The cure is to reinstall the mail mode. The MSKB article OL98: (CW) Invalid Page Fault After Installing Internet Explorer has details.

Also see:

OL98 How to Troubleshoot Active Setup Problems in Windows 2000

OL98 How to Troubleshoot Active Setup Problems in Windows 98, 98 SE or ME

OL98 How to Troubleshoot Active Setup Problems in Windows NT 4.0