Outlook security pop up box

[mapleleaf]

At work, we have SBS exchange server 2003 with outlook 2003 runing on workstaions with xp pro sp2 & ms office 2003 .

We also have a database front office system that has the facility to use outlook to send emails to a client list and also uses outlook to send bulk sms text messages via email.

the problem is that microsoft have a security feature that alerts you to the fact that a 3rd part software program is trying to send email & asks for confirmation that this is ok . so if we send 50 sms messages we have to hit the ok button 50 times and wait 5 secs each time .


I heard there was a patch from MS but this only seems to work with pre outlook 2003 . anyone know if there is a patch thatworks? I cant find anything on the knowledge base and software providers cant help cos its a ms issue

 

[WLeg]

Not sure about this one at all...

But have you tried putting the SBS 2003 server in a trusted Securty Zone for Outlook / IE ?

Or configure your App to use Outlook Express (and keep outlook as your mail client) via POP3 / SMTP to your exchange server ?

Does the app have to run as a user to send emails ? - can it not have it's own login and email account on your mail server (with a reply address set as a group email address, so all "sales" (or whoever) people get it ?

 

[mapleleaf]

I've not thought about the trusted zone - worth a try. Unfortunately the app insists on using oulook - its hard coded that way as it also integrates with outlook by pushing & pulling calander entries into / out of the app.

 

[WLeg]

Why use Outlook 2003 then - what does it have that you need that you cannot get for outlook 2000/XP etc ?

 

[Flyer]

Steve, I coded an app that used Outlook for sending email; Outlook is wonderful for this as it exposes most of its native functions for use in custom applications, meaning that the programmer can implement email functions in very few lines:

  Dim olApp      As Outlook.Application
  Dim objNewMail As Outlook.MailItem

  Set olApp = New Outlook.Application
  Set objNewMail = olApp.CreateItem(olMailItem)

  With objNewMail
    .Recipients.Add strRecip
    .Attachments.Add strAttachments
    .Subject = strSubject
    .Body = strMessage
    .Send
  End With

.... the downside is that you have to deal with Outlook's security, as you are finding. I never did find a way around this and had to simply tell my clients to press enter, as you are finding.

However, I have now come across this . Might be worth a look.

My clients didn't complain about this, so I didn't research it in too much detail at the time, but a quick scan seems to show that the problem is still there.

Cheers
Andrew

 

[mapleleaf]

thanks andrew - we already have tried the utility and whilst it works I am keen to find a proper solution. anyone got Bill gates' email address??

 

[Flyer]

Ah, but there's the rub ... previous and unpatched versions of Outlook had a flaw in them as a rogue program could access Outlook and send emails, without user intervention. And there were trojans that did just that (remember ILOVEYOU?)

So, Microsoft fix the hole and present a whole host of other problems. Perhaps that dialog box should have a 'Remember Me' setting for the particular third-party program that is accessing Outlook ... but then, a new trojan could check to see if third-party programs have Outlook access and mass-mail through them .

Not an easy situation for a developer, but it has been know about for some time. If my apps were sending out that many emails daily, and obviously causing problems like it is with you, I'd have come up with a better solution by now. It would, obviously, mean moving away from Outlook, but there are plug-in components out there that embed emailing capabilities into the application itself, so that Outlook isn't needed. Depending on the language used to write the app, they could even be free.

Bit remiss of your software providers to wash their hands of the issue, I'd have thought. Not on a maintenance contract are you?

BTW: [email protected]

 

[mapleleaf]

cheers andrew, yes we pay an annual support fee of a few grand ! they are really getting on my wick - they write a great feature that uses outlook them when it doesnt work blame MS . troube is I have changed database systems 3 times in the last 15 years & because of immense data transfer & remapping issues not to mention the retraining costs, I cant afford the time or the grief to change again .. bette rthe devil you know I guess but frustrating, non the less... the firm is called Microdec plc & the product is called Profile 2000 - they are based next door but one to Alan Sugars Amstard offices in Brentwood .

I'll drop billy boy a line & see what happens

 

[tezzaeast]

Hi Steve,

We haven't spoken before, but I'm having problems with Microdec Profile and Outlook 2003 and came across your thread from last year regarding security pop-ups. I've literally paid a deposit to Microdec and they have installed the software on-line today, but try as they and I might, we could not stop the poxy security pop ups. Just wondered if you ever found a solution and if Microdec were any help.

Thanks in advance

Richard

 

[mapleleaf]

Hi

A small world eh!

It has taken me over 12 months to get this sorted and the solution was eventually provided by a software support firm recommended by Colin Whipp. Microdec themselves are totally useless with anything to do with microsoft. they are paranoid at possibly giving wrong advice! I have told them my views but they wont budge. Colin is the most helpful guy they employ. we needed to get the fix to work before we can upgrade to R13 & from there to RPM next year.

I cant remeber their name I will check on Monday & pm their details . theycharged me £85 for the fix . basically they emailed me 2 files . one alters the registry and one alters the public folder security settings. you have to set this up per user per machine so if you have roaming profile like we do then you need to allow for every possible user of every pc & apply the fix for each. one word of advise, you have to log on as administrator to the pc, then make every potential user a member of the admins group. then log on as each user applying the fix each time. when you are done, dont forget to remove the users from the admins group.

we were using a utilty called yes click which did teh job, but the proper fix works a treat.

What line of recruitment are you in?

 

[mapleleaf]

Hi

A small world eh!

It has taken me over 12 months to get this sorted and the solution was eventually provided by a software support firm recommended by Colin Whipp. Microdec themselves are totally useless with anything to do with microsoft. they are paranoid at possibly giving wrong advice! I have told them my views but they wont budge. Colin is the most helpful guy they employ. we needed to get the fix to work before we can upgrade to R13 & from there to RPM next year.

I cant remeber their name I will check on Monday & pm their details . theycharged me £85 for the fix . basically they emailed me 2 files . one alters the registry and one alters the public folder security settings. you have to set this up per user per machine so if you have roaming profile like we do then you need to allow for every possible user of every pc & apply the fix for each. one word of advise, you have to log on as administrator to the pc, then make every potential user a member of the admins group. then log on as each user applying the fix each time. when you are done, dont forget to remove the users from the admins group.

we were using a utilty called yes click which did the job, but the proper fix works a treat.

What line of recruitment are you in?