There are a ton of various fixes for Windows Updates but this patch from Microsoft resloves this particular issue with minimal headache.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/943144/en-us#

Follow the instructions for Method 2.

• Save the x86 version (very few folks are running XP 64) to the root of your C: drive (very important to save to an easily accessible location).
• Click on Start | Run and enter C:\WindowsUpdateAgent30-x86.exe /wuforce
• Follow the prompts to install the update
• Run Windows Updates

The resolution isn’t for the faint of heart but it really isn’t complicated. You have to download MDBVU32.EXE from Microsoft which allows you to delete items from the Outlook data store (PST file) that you cannot see in the Outlook client.
How-to-Outlook has a great tutorial on the process

Here the scenario:

New user/profile setup on computer where Office 2007 was installed using a different profile.  New Local user has full admin rights to local machine.

After configuring Outlook 2007 for a new user on a machine, Outlook won’t close using File Exit or click on the X. Also, if you opened a message to read it, you could not close that window. I had to use task manager and end the process.

On subsequent attempt to use  Outlook 2007, the mail configuration settings are retained. The prompt to enter your Name and Initials pops up but quickly disappears before you can enter the information.  Still have to use task manager to end process.

The first time I encountered the problem, I did a bit of Google research and found that the trick to fixing this was to open Word or Excel 2007 (with Outlook closed) and set the user info it asks for.  Somehow, this fixes the problem of Outlook 2007 from closing…  When I came across it the second time today, I had forgot the problems from a couple weeks ago (different companies) but alas it was the same issue.

At least one of the machines was running Office 2007 Service Pack 1

Outlook Contacts are used to store email addresses, multiple phone numbers and mailing address, and just about any other piece of info that you could associate with a person or company. Once you have an email address listed for a contact, you can easily use your “Address Book” to pick users and send messages without retyping their address. There is no link between email addresses that exist as Contacts or email addresses that are stored in your AutoComplete list. If you update an email address for a person in your Contacts, there is a very high probability that the old address exists in the AutoComplete list, making it far too easy to send a message to an old address even after you’ve updated it in your contacts.

So what’s the problem with AutoComplete (also called Nickname file)? There are three specific problems that I’ve encountered with this feature.

1. The AutoComplete information is kept in a file, separate from the rest of your Outlook information. It’s difficult to transfer the AutoComplete list to a new computer
2. If you’re not careful, you can easily send a message to the wrong person
3. Removing entries from the list is not intuitive.

The first issue is the biggest problem - the AutoComplete file is not kept in the same place as your Outlook information. If you work in a company and have a dedicated email server, any information you have stored in Outlook is most likely backed-up on a regular basis. Except for the AutoComplete file. This file isn’t stored on your company’s email server but in your user profile on your local computer. In Windows XP, this file is stored in C:\Documents and Settings\username\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook\profilename.NK2. (Replace username with your username and profile name with the Outlook profile display name, this is often just “Outlook”). And if you use Outlook with a local PST file, hopefully you’re backing up your PST file. (If you’re not take a look at Mozy online backup). But the .NK2 file is stored in a completely different location than the PST file.

Since this file is not stored with the rest of your Outlook data, not only do you have to be diligent in backing the file up, you also have to manually move it if you get a new computer, regardless if you are using an email server or use a PST file. The basic procedure for moving the AutoComplete is copy the file from C:\Documents and Settings\username\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook\profilename.NK2 and put it into the same location on the new computer. If the Outlook profile name is different on the new computer, rename the NK2 file to match.

The second issue is that while very convenient, the AutoComplete feature makes it VERY easy to misaddress emails. If you don’t pay attention, it’s very easy to send the salary reports to Steve the assistant rather than Steven the CFO. Just last night one of my clients sent me an email intended for someone else because she didn’t check the address that the AutoComplete filled in.
Building on the second problem, there are very limited options if you want to edit the AutoComplete file. There’s no built in way to edit an entry and deleting entries isn’t clear either. Here’s the steps for deleting a AutoComplete address

1. Open a new email message
2. In the To field, type the first letter of the address you want to delete which will bring up all the AutoComplete entries under that letter
3. Using the Arrow Keys - very important to use the Arrow Keys on the Keyboard and not the mouse - arrow down to the entry that you want to delete
4. When you have the desired entry selected, press the Delete Key

If you want a tool to manage/edit the AutoComplete list, I recommend checking out NK2View.

If you can’t tell from my tone, I don’t agree with this approach for preventing spam. If you are in a position to decide to use a RBL to block spam, please thoroughly research the various solutions and use one that has a mechanism for legitimate users to easily get themselves removed from the list.  There are some lists that charge a fee to be removed from their list (highly suspect!).

Here are some online tools that will check to see if your server is listed on an RBL

http://www.dnsstuff.com
http://www.robtex.com/rbl

Here’s a link to get removed from AT&T’s RBL
http://worldnet.att.net/general-info/bls_info/block_inquiry.html
And you need it, here’s a phone number for AT&T abuse department (to use if their online system doesn’t get you removed)

1-800-648-1626 option 1

goodemail.server.com #5.3.0 smtp;553 5.3.0 nlpi050,DNSBL:521< 65.6x.1xx.7x>_is_blocked.__See_http://www.att.net/bls_rbl/_for_information.>

goodemail.server.com #5.5.0 smtp;591 recipient@idontknowtheirblockingemailtome.com your host [64.1xx.2xx.2xx] is blacklisted by feb.spamlab.com. No mail will be accepted>

goodemail.server.com #5.5.0 smtp;550 lotsofemail@recipient.net…User account is overquota

In many cases, unless you’re the email administrator, you may not be able to resolve the problem but you’ll never know unless you read the error message. While these error messages are not “user-friendly” as computer error messages go, they are far from cryptic. The words “blocked” and “overquota” should give you a clue on what the problem is. If an email server is blocking your email, you’ll need to get the administrator (either your admin or the recipients) involved. However if you see an “overquota” or “mail box is over allowed size” message, you can often solve the problem by phoning the recipient and having them delete some of the email stored on their server!

Many times, there will be links listed in the error message that have more information about why the email didn’t go through. In the first NDR listed above, the sender’s email server was listed on a “real-time blacklist” (RBL - a spam prevention mechanism - a topic for another post) and you can use the link to get your server removed from the list.

What you need to know before calling for in-home repair

1. What is it going to cost? Does the provider charge a flat-fee or is it hourly? Is there a charge for travel? In the CBC investigation, the “customer” is continually shocked when presented with the bill. The charges were between $60-$120 for labor which is well within the norm for this type of service. Ask about the charges BEFORE you schedule the service!
2. If your technician works for a company that sells hardware or software, they will most likely attempt to “up sell” a hardware or software upgrade. This is how they make money.
3. At the same time, it may very well be cheaper to replace a computer than to pay an hourly fee + parts to repair your 6 year old PC. I have made this recommendation several times with an clear conscience. I’d rather a customer spend $500-600 dollars replacing an old machine than pay me for 2-3 hours (at $125/hr) to get another six months of use out of a machine. In the long run it will be cheaper to replace than repair.
4. Think about why in-home repair costs what it does. While most PC techs enjoy what they do, this is not charity and the businesses have to make money or they would not exist. With travel time between sites and other overhead, from my experience it is difficult to have more than 3-4 visits in a single day. Plus, when scheduling appointments, you have to give a cushion in case a job runs longer than anticipated. How much would car mechanic charge for servicing your car in your garage?

Most of the folks that are in the computer repair business are not out to gouge you but you need to have realistic expectations and ask questions before getting started!

I directly support nearly 200 desktop computers over a variety of industries and provide second-level support to organizations with another 500-600 computers.  Of all these computers, there are about 10 computers (7 are at one client) that have Vista installed on them.  All of these computers were purchased new with Vista preinstalled.  Since Vista was widely released in Febuary 2007, I have personally deployed somewhere in the neighbor 40 computers that were ordered with Windows XP despite the availability of Vista at the same price.

From my experience, here’s what is holding back the adoption of Vista:

1. Despite the marketing campaign touting the WOW! there are no “killer” applications or features. What does Vista do that XP doesn’t do better or faster? There are a few “neat” features, the graphics are prettier but that is no motivation for a business to move to a new OS.
2. Compatibility issues.  Cisco, Intuit (Quickbooks), Palm, and Dell (printers) are just a few of the companies I’ve encountered over the past six months whose products have Vista compatibility issues.  I’ve had problems with Vista integrating with other Microsoft products (specifically Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007).  Due to the drastic changes in the security model employed in Vista, many applications and peripherals that worked in XP have to be modified to work in Vista (if they’ll work at all) since many of the behind the scenes stuff changed to increase “security.”  While Microsoft is to blame for the decades of lax security in previous versions of Windows that allowed developers to ignore security issues to be swept aside, these companies literally had years to prepare their products to work with Vista.
3. Performance.  On hardware that exceeds the recommended specs for running Vista, XP is faster.  I don’t have any fancy graphs or charts to prove this but it isn’t hard to see it.  Simple tasks such as coping files doesn’t work well.

If you must get a PC now make sure the manufacture certifies it as “Vista Capable” - this will ensure that the new computer meets a baseline set of requirements necessary for Vista to run.

Update: Just stumbled on this Microsoft is offering an “Express Upgrade” option if you buy a “Vista Capable” PC between October 27, 2006 and March 17, 2005 BUT it will not be free!

• Maintain seperate accounts for all users of the machine and restrict all account except for one administrator. This allows you to control what software gets installed on the PC and helps keep spyware and viruses off it.
• Make sure your antivirus/antispyware programs are running and up to date. If you don’t have antivirus or antispyware programs download the Google Pack here which includes a six-month free subscription to Norton Antivirus and a free personal edition of AdAware.
• Keep computers out of your kids rooms and in a common area and keep an eye on what they are doing.