[tdrapp]

Sorting incoming messages using rules in Outlook 2003 in Vista works fine during the initial incoming flow of messages when Outlook is launched. However, all subsequent incoming messages are ONLY dumped into the inbox or the junk folder. Is there a way to get incoming messages sorted by rules AFTER the first exchange?

[computerman29642]

You do have the rule set with the following: "Apply this rule after the message arrives"?

[tdrapp]

Yes, all rules include (actually begin with) "Apply this rule after the message arrives."

[EAFiedler]

Hi tdrapp

How many Rules do you have setup and enabled?

[tdrapp]

I have 25 rules. Only one with and alert and audio alarm associated with it. However, each rule may have several "from" addresses associated with it.

[EAFiedler]

If you click the Run Rules Now option, do all the rules fire as they should?

[tdrapp]

Sorry, I initially misunderstood the question. Yes, when I select a rule/rules and the basket to run it/them in, they properly sort the messages.

[EAFiedler]

Sorry for the delay.

Export the Rules.
Tools > Rules and Alerts > E-Mail Rules tab > Options button > Export Rules button
Your rules will be saved as an .rwz file.

Close Outlook.


Start > Run
Key in:
outlook /cleanrules
Click: OK

Outlook will start and all the rules will have been removed.
__________________________________________________________________________

Import the Rules back into Outlook,
Tools > Rules and Alerts > E-Mail Rules tab > Options button > Import Rules button
Browse to the location of the saved .rwz file and select it to start the Import.
__________________________________________________________________________

Close and restart Outlook, test to verify if the rules are working correctly.


If the rules still fail to execute, create a new profile in Outlook and Import the saved rules into the new profile.
How to create a new e-mail profile in Outlook 2007 and in Outlook 2003


Let us know what happens.

[tdrapp]

Sorry, neither the "export/import" nor the "new profile" had any impact on the problem of rules not working when Outlook is already open. Still no sorting of incoming messages.

In the interest of full disclosure, I also have another machine (running XP-Pro) that has the same problem, with the added issue of "sporadic" periods (one day out of 100) of actually working correctly...

[EAFiedler]

You created a new profile with a new .pst file and Imported the rules into the new profile and the rules do not work in the new profile?

What size is the .rwz file?

[tdrapp]

It's difficult to fully exercise the rules, because it requires new messages to come in AFTER the initial launch. So I only get messages I create in other email accounts to send to a "ruled" address to exercise the rule sorting process.

To your latest first question: New profile, new .pst, imported rules -- same result as the old,old, and old -- no sorting after the initial launch process.

To your second latest question: 52,782 bytes

[EAFiedler]

Try unchecking some of your rules to see if other rules will fire as they are supposed to.

When was the last rule added? Did the problem start shortly after that?

[tdrapp]

Like I said before, it's tough to exercise the rules application to incoming mail, since there isn't a constant stream of mail from "selected" email sources. (I believe ALL of my rules are sorts based on the email sender and dropping them into an appropriate incoming folder.) That makes it very difficult to get timely results to your first suggestion. Historically, adding, modifying, or deleting a rule has not affected the issue one way or another.

Regarding when the problem first reared it's ugly head... That was probably a couple of years ago, on the machine I had before this one. I was not smart enough then to notice exactly when it began, nor did I associate any over action on my part that could have stimulated the problem.

I can say that neither this current machine or the other machine I mentioned previously has never successfully run rules automatically after the initial launch. Both were installed with Outlook 2003 from a legitimate Office 2003 program disk.

[EAFiedler]

Since it is difficult to exercise the rules, we won't call the previous attempts failures.

We need to make it easy to exercise a rule to see if Rules will work at all.
Start Outlook with the /cleanrules switch to clear out the rules.

Then create one rule,
Create a new folder in Outlook, for example: Practice
For the condition of the rule, select: Where my name is in the To box
For the action, select: Move it to the specified folder, select the Practice folder.
Skip the exceptions to the rule and click Finish

Click Run Rules Now to verify the rule works. All messages should be moved out of the Inbox and into the Practice folder.

Create and send a message addressed to yourself and start testing, all incoming mail from that point on should be moved to the Practice folder.

Let us know if that rule works or not.

[tdrapp]

There was a flicker of hope, but then it died... Per the instructions, the first four emails I sent to myself (two from Outlook, two from online) worked just fine. They properly sorted into the "Practice" folder.

I left Outlook open for about an hour, but when I returned, one "spam-type" email addressed to me had been dumped into the Inbox. I created and sent another "test" email, then initiated a forced send and receive, only to have it also end up in the Inbox. I ran the "rule" against the contents of the inbox, and they properly jumped into the "Practice" folder...