[brucedl]

Hello,

On a fresh installation of Office 2000 Pro, I am attempting to import my internet accounts ( .iaf files) from my previus installation's backup files. When I try to import the accounts, I receive this error:

"The import did not complete because an error occured."

I am able to import/export these files safely from a laptop, but not on my desktop. The version of Outlook is the same on my laptop as my desktop. Can't find this error message on the Microsoft Knowledge base at all :-(

Anyone seen this before?

[EAFiedler]

Hi brucedl

You are trying to Import an .iaf file to Outlook 97/98/2000?

.iaf files are used by Outlook Express, not by Microsoft Outlook 97/98/2000. It sure would be nice if one could import those files back and forth between the two programs though.

Are you sure you imported the files to Outlook 97/98/2000 on your laptop?

Let me know.

[RandyG]

I had the exact erro on Monday. I exported from a desktop using Outlook 2000, and tried to import the account onto a laptop using Outlook 2000.

I tried it a few times, and finally just manually recreated the account. I would be interested in hearing what could have caused this.


EAFiedler, I usually just trust your word when it comes to Outlook and OE, but if I try to export on my machine, which is different from the one's I mentioned above but still uses Outlook 2000, I have only one option in what file to make it. I click the Account, and then click Export. The Export Internet Account Window pops up, and I am expected to select a name for the file. The only option I am given in Save As Type is Internet Account Files (*.iaf)

[Edited by RandyG on 04-25-2001 at 04:21 AM]

[EAFiedler]

Well RandyG, I could most certainly be full of **** here.

This must be a setting I have never used before.

Can you give me the exact steps you used to import the account?

[EAFiedler]

Well, Roll me up and call me curly!

Isn't that just as slick as snot?

Will wonders never cease?

Sorry about that, I get that way when I learn something new.

Who would have thought that Outlook was supposed to do that? Maybe it should be paying my bills for me now that I have discovered it can do other things.

OK, so back to brucedl's problem. I'll dig deeper this time and try not to EVER be flip with an answer like that again.
My apologies. Shame on me anyway...

[RandyG]

well, after following the steps to export as outlined in previous post, I copied .iaf to floppy and inserted into laptop. Opened Outlook 2000, went to Accounts and clicked Import. Opened Import Internet Account window and searches for any .iaf files. I pointed it to the floppy, and found the file, clicked it and then clicked Open. It seemed to be importing, but then the error message showed up.


I notice that you have posted again, but I'll finish this one off anyway.


since I was getting no joy the above way, I used Outlook help, and tried it through the File, Import section. That gave me the same problem.

[EAFiedler]

RandyG

So are you running Outlook 2000 in Internet Mail Only mode?

[RandyG]

Yes, all 3 systems I am referring to are stand alones, and do not need the added features from Corporate Mode. We don't even have a network set up, yet.

[brucedl]

You guys sure haqve been having fun without me :-)

This has worked for me before...I've been on a mission to fix some problems lately, and have had to do multiple re-installs of Win 98 and Office 2000. This is the second of those times that I've had this error. Most times it works. This one is especially strange since it was going into a completely clean, reformatted hard drive, so there were no old registry problems to hose me. On the other hand, perhaps it is some later update to Outlook Express that allows this to work. I'll find out as I update all the IE files and such.

[EAFiedler]

Hi brucedl

Well I have searched through my database, and where I find this question has been asked, nothing has come of it (they probably gave up and entered the accounts manually) and people like me must have thought They were completely crazy.

So, from what I gathered, it may have something to do with Internet Explorer 5.01 being installed, is it?

Comparing the two setups,
does each Outlook 2000 installation match with same service releases?
is the same version of Internet Explorer installed on both machines?

I also noticed a trend where most people had reformatted or were setting up new pcs, which would take them back or start them out at an earlier IE setup, assuming they upgraded IE later. Earlier being at the least IE version 4.

[RandyG]

You might be onto something from the IE 5.01 angle. Both machines I was trying, exporting from desktop and importing to Laptop, had IE 5.01. I have since upgraded the laptop to 5.5, and will be on it later tonight. I'll let you know if it imports the settings this time.

The service release might also have had something to do with it. I had updated the desktop with Office update, all the critical updates and such including the ones for MS Outlook 2000. I hadn't gotten to doing the laptop until afterwards.


As I said, I'll llet y'alll know what comes of it later.

[brucedl]

I DEFINITELY am on to something. I just upgraded to 5.5 myself, and guess what...import works.

How do we call this issue solved? :-)

[EAFiedler]

OK, let me see if I can tie this all together:

The original accounts were exported from setups containing IE 5.01?
Importing the original accounts into the new setups also containing 5.01 results in errors, but will import successfully into a setup with IE 5.5?

So one must upgrade to IE 5.5 to import?

If this is the case, I am going to send a Bug Report to Microsoft. Unicode support was added in Outlook Express version 5.01 and higher, I wonder...

Please correct my recap of events if I stated it incorrectly.

[brucedl]

Close...my original accounts came from an IE 5.5 install, and I attempted to install into a 5.01 fresh install. And when you look at it that way, it makes some semblance of sense why there is a problem.

[EAFiedler]

Ah ha!

Exporting a higher version to a lower version.

What about you RandyG?

Also, Outlook 2000 needs Outlook Express to be installed, since it shares some of Outlook Express's files.

I wonder if it is the same scenario with Outlook 98, since it does not need Outlook Express installed.