Outlook 365 bug deletes messages
An unfixed Outlook 365 bug can delete messages before you get a chance to see them. Microsoft has been ‘investigating’ for about two weeks with no fix.
The only saving grace is that it’s a relatively uncommon use of Outlook and not a default setup. Even so, any bug which loses messages should be fixed without delay. But Microsoft has done nothing except delay.
Who is affected?
It’s a fairly narrow group that are affected
Outlook 365 for Windows
- Version 2006 Build 13001.20266 and higher
Using POP to get email
- With the ‘Download Headers only’ option ON.
Most people use either Exchange/Activesync or IMAP to get email.
Even with the POP connection method, ‘Download Headers only’ isn’t a default. It’s an option rarely used these days because Internet access is a lot faster. ‘Download Headers only’ was useful back in the bad old days of dial-up modems.
What happens?
Outlook will crash and Microsoft admits that ‘3 or more’ emails will be deleted from the POP account. Those are messages you won’t see.
If you dig into the Windows Event Viewer (Application) this error is recorded.
Faulting application name: OUTLOOK.EXE, version: 16.0.13102.20002, time stamp: 0x5efe7a9e
Faulting module name: ntdll.dll, version: 10.0.19041.207, time stamp: 0xcad89ab4
Exception code: 0xc0000409
Fault offset: 0x000000000008b48f
Faulting process id: 0x5748
Faulting application start time: 0x01d65a1988bf274f
Faulting application path: C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\root\Office16\OUTLOOK.EXE
Faulting module path: C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\ntdll.dll
What to do?
According to Microsoft, the workaround is to rollback Office to any earlier version.
In the RUN / Command Prompt box run this command.
C:\Program Files\Common Files\microsoft shared\ClickToRun\officec2rclient.exe /update user updatetoversion=16.0.12827.20470
Microsoft doesn’t seem to be taking this data deletion problem seriously. They say “If you urgently need to work around this issue,”
“IF”???? This is a data deletion bug which also stops Outlook from working. It’s obviously an urgent problem when emails are being removed.
It’s been more than two weeks since Microsoft admitted this bug but the web page hasn’t been updated since 15 July, let alone a fix released.
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