Known Issues

This page contains answers to common questions about our Outlook add-in solutions handled by our support staff. It is broken into three main sections:

In addition, we make available a number of add-in tools to help you.

Installation Issues
Problem: “Error 1316. A network error occurred while attempting to read from the file: (path)” occurs.
Solution: Fix the error by temporarily disabling internet security and download again. Be sure to restore your security settings when you have finished.
Comments: This has also been reported to occur if you rename the installation MSI file after installation, and then attempt to execute it a second time.
Problem: During installation, “Error 1305: Error reading from file: (path). Verify that the file exists and that you can access it” occurred.
Solution: Download the file again, but Save it to a different drive, preferably the C drive if one is available, or at least a local drive.
Comments: This error sometimes occurs when Run is chosen instead of Save when downloading.
Problem: “Error 1401: Could not create key: [registry key name]”
Problem: “Error 1402: Could not open key (keyname). Verify that you have sufficient access to that key, or contact your support personnel.”
Problem: “Error 1406: Could not write value …” or “Error 1406: Could not write InstanceIndex to key …” occurs.
Solution: In all three cases here the add-in is attempting to write to the specified key (or hive) and permission for that registry key is restricted. The issue can be resolved by setting the permission to this key to allow full control. To fix this:

1. On the Windows Task bar, click Start, Run.

2. Type “regedit” (without the quotes) and click OK.

3. Browse to the specified registry key.

4. Right click the key and select “Permissions.”

5. In the Group or User names field, select the user installing the program. Be sure the user has administrative rights.

6. Under the Permissions field, make sure “Full Control” and “Read” are both set to “Allow.”

7. Click OK and attempt the operation again.

In some cases it may be necessary to change the permissions of the System account (which is different than the permissions on the Administrator account). If you try the above steps and it still doesn’t work, then try this:

1. Run regedit

2. Right click on HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT

3. Click Permissions

4. Click on the Add button then add Administrators and click OK.

5. In the resulting “Permissions for HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT” window, check the “Allow” box for full control and read.

6. Click the Add button again and add SYSTEM and again check the Allow box for full control and read.

7. Click Ok, exit regedit.

8. Rerun setup and you’ll be all set.

If for some reason these instructions also fail you, please contact us immediately at [email protected].
Comments: This problem results from two sources: Either the person installing did not have the same permissions as the person using the add-in or the registry entry for that particular registry entry has become corrupt.
Problem: “Error 1606: Could Not Access Network Location” occurs.
Solution: The first thing is to copy the installation msi file to your local drive then try installing the product from there. If this doesn’t work, or you already saved it to your local drive and ran the msi from there, then there are some registry changes which may need to be made. Before editing the registry, make a backup, especially if you’re not sure what you’re doing (see this Microsoft article on the registry.). Then look at this article that explains how to check User Folders.
Comments: n/a
Problem: “Error 1904: Module [filename] failed to register” occurs.
Solution: Be sure that you are using Microsoft Office Outlook 2000 or higher, not Outlook Express.
Comments: You can tell which version you have by going to (in Outlook) Help…About Microsoft Outlook. It’s usually a number like 9.0.0.something (for Outlook 2000), 10.0.something.something (for Outlook 2002), or 11.0.something.something (for Outlook 2003). If it says 6.something, you have Outlook Express; you can contact us for a refund.
Problem: An error reports “Internal Error 2727.INSTALLDIR” when I install.
Solution: Ask for a refund.
Comments: You need to be running Microsoft Outlook 2000 or higher. Note: You might also want to check the version of msiexec, and the operating system.
Problem: During setup an error occurs that reads “The system cannot open the device or file specified” – Internal error 2755.110
Solution: Run the disk cleanup utility; this error is usually the result of a full drive or a lack of space in the TEMP folder.
Comments: Run the Disk Cleanup Utility by going to Start…All Programs…Accessories…System Tools…Disk Cleanup
Problem: During setup an error occurs that starts “Internal Error 2755.3” or an error message about a mapped drive\pathname not found appears.
Solution: Use a UNC in place of the mapped drive.
Comments: This error only seems to occur when installing on Terminal Server.
Problem: “A file is missing or corrupt …” emanates during setup (or rather, from the Sperry Software installation msi file.)
Solution: Uninstall the Sperry Software add-in by going to Control Panel…Add/Remove Programs and selecting Remove. Then get a copy of the installation file to be on a local drive, then install the msi file from there by double clicking on it.
Comments: This error seems to result from installing msi files from a network location rather than from a local drive, or from selecting Run instead of Save when first downloading.
Problem: The MSI file fails during uninstall. How can I uninstall now?
Solution: Follow the instructions in this description of the Windows Installer Cleanup Utility from Microsoft.
Comments: The uninstall utility from Microsoft continues in the face of errors that normally impede the removal process.
Problem: Installation fails with a fatal error “Installation ended prematurely because of an error”.
Solution: Download and install “Windows Script 5.6 for Windows XP and Windows 2000” to resolve the problem. To learn more about it and find the script see Windows Script Update
Comments: This problem may be caused by other sources, please contact us if it continues.
Problem: After uninstalling, the toolbar buttons remain in Outlook, even though an uninstall went ok and the add-in no longer appears in Control Panel…Add/Remove Progams list.
Solution: You can clean up the toolbar by downloading and installing our UninstallToolbar.exe
Comments: If the toolbar appears after running this tool, it hasn’t been properly uninstalled.
Problem: There are registry entries that aren’t being deleted after uninstalling.
Solution: You can clean up the registry entries by downloading and installing our RegistryCleaner.exe
Comments: All your Sperry Software settings will be erased if you run this program. In addition, you will need your user id and registration key if you plan to install it again. Note that it is normal for the add-ins uninstall process to not delete the settings, so that if you choose to upgrade you won’t have to remember all your settings.
Problem: The entry for the add-ins remains in the control panel add/remove programs list. Also, it complains that it cannot find logfile “st6unst.log”.
Solution: You can clean up the list and remove the add-ins by going to Start…Run. Type “Regedit” and click ok. Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall. From there, you can remove any unwanted items, not just our add-ins, which are in the form of registry keys.
Comments: This problem was caused by uninstalling on WinXP using add-ins from before October 2003, and no longer occurs with the MSI file installations.

Problems After Installing
Problem: Cannot see the “Sperry Software Add-Ins” toolbar button.
Solution: The add-in may have become disabled. Outlook protects itself by disabling add-ins whenever something goes wrong (which is a pretty smart thing for Outlook to do so that you can at least continue to receive your email). You can tell if this has happened to you by going to Help…About Microsoft Outlook. Near the bottom of that window is a button called “Disabled Items”. Click it. If it shows one of our add-ins, then highlight it, then click Enable, then restart Outlook. Note: This tip is only useful if you have Outlook 2002 or higher.

Also, it’s possible that Outlook is running “behind the scenes” (that is, it shows up in the Task Manager list of processes) and you will have to logout or reboot the machine in order to properly restart Outlook. Note: Some customers have reported seeing the toolbar only after rebooting their machine.

Finally, if all else fails, you can try our Add-Ins Reset Tool. This tool will reset the “Sperry Software Engine” as if you just installed it (but your configuration settings will not be destroyed).
Comments: This problem is sometimes related to the installer having different permissions than the user. The install process works best if the user has Local Admin Rights. Also, make sure that there are full install (read/write) permissions setup for that profile. If the problem continues to occur, please enter a bug report.
Problem: Outlook crashes on close, and gives a message that says “Microsoft Outlook has encountered a problem and needs to close. We are sorry for the inconvenience. To see what data this error report contains, click here.” When Outlook is restarted, it says “Outlook experienced a serious error last time the add-in ‘Sperry Software Engine’ was loaded. Would you like to disable this add-in?” [Yes/No]
Solution: Choose Yes for now. Please contact us immediately if you receive this warning; be sure to specify your version of Outlook (which you can obtain by going to Help…About Microsoft Outlook).

Note: If you are given the chance to “Send Error Report” to Microsoft, please do so every time – as it helps us to gather data about what is going wrong. We are currently working closely together with Microsoft on this issue.
Comments: This is a confirmed problem that Sperry Software is looking into. Note that after you restart Outlook after this message shows up, it may start slowly because it will want to check your PST file integrity.

Also note that if you want to try the add-in again, or want to re-install it, it will be necessary to re-enable the add-in by going to (in Outlook) Help…About Microsoft Office Outlook…Disabled Items. Find the add-in in the list and click Enable. You will have to restart Outlook after performing this step in order to see the add-in.
Problem: Error 512 shows on the Sperry Software Add-Ins Configuration window. There are no other configuration options shown.
Solution: If using Windows 98, please contact us for a fix and mention the error number and the operating system (in this case, Windows 98). If you’re using Windows XP, a reboot of the machine is required.
Comments: The AppData and HomePath environment variables are read. Windows 98 does not support these environment variables. Note that this error could also be caused by a missing installation file – sometimes reinstalling does the trick.
Problem: There’s no way to register the add-in I bought.
Solution: You must turn the add-in on. Go to Outlook, and click on the Sperry Software Add-Ins button. Now check the box just to the left of the add-in in the left hand pane.
Comments: The Duplicate Eliminator add-ins need to have their registration keys entered one at a time, that is, once for each time you start Outlook. However, this doesn’t apply to the Eliminator Bundle.
Problem: I receive a “Type Mismatch” error when I start.
Problem: I receive a runtime error when I start: “Runtime error 430: Class does not support expected interface”.
Solution: Both of these errros require you to upgrade and reinstall all your Sperry Software add-ins. It is necessary to uninstall older versions of the software first by going to Control Panel…Add/Remove Programs, finding the add-in in the list, and then clicking “Remove”. Then download and install the new versions (you can get them from the same place you orginally downloaded them from). Be sure to exit Outlook when you reinstall.
Comments: It is sometimes necessary for us to change the underlying code common to all our add-ins. When the older add-ins see the newer version of the engine, the error results.
Problem: Error message pops up: “A program is trying to access e-mail addresses you have stored in Outlook. Do you want to allow this? If this is unexpected, it may be a virus and you should choose ‘No’.”
Solution: Some of the add-ins produce this message, which is caused by the Outlook Security Update provided by Microsoft for Outlook 2000, or if you have Outlook 2002 or Outlook 2003, it’s built in. Some of the add-ins that cause this message are the duplicate eliminator series. They do this because they are intended to be run infrequently; i.e., once you run them, there’s usually no reason to run them again or if you do, only occasionally. It is planned to program the duplicate eliminator series to not cause the security prompts. In the meantime, if you are running one of these add-ins, then it is permissible to click “yes” to allow the program to continue.
Comments: This problem applies to Journal All Contacts, and all Duplicate Eliminators. We have confirmed this to be a bug (or rather, an inconvenience for our users) and are working to resolve it as quickly as possible. If this problem happens to you for any other add-in from Sperry Software, please download and run our Trust Outlook AddIns tool, or contact us to get this resolved.
Problem: “Error in registry for extension “Exchange Extensions;?”. The syntax or format of the registry entry is incorrect. Check the registry settings and compare the registry for this extension to other extensions in the registry.”
Solution: Read and follow the instructions at http://support.microsoft.com/?id=823633.
Comments: This error is sporadic, and seems to be cleaned up by the instructions in the KB article.
Problem: General security problems that manifest themselves in different ways, but only when using Outlook 2000 (9.0.0.3821 or 9.0.0.2711).
Solution: Upgrade your Outlook to the latest service pack by going to Microsoft Office and clicking on the “Check for updates”, or better, upgrade your version of Outlook to the most recent one. This problem applies to the operation of any add-in, but only when Outlook 2000 (9.0.0.2711 or 9.0.0.3821) is being used.
Comments: This problem only occurs with Outlook 2000 (9.0.0.3821 or 9.0.0.2711 only, other versions of Outlook 2000 do not exhibit the problems).
Problem: This problem can manifest itself in a variety of ways, including but not limited to an error message that says “You are not authorized to use this object. Set AuthKey property first.”
Solution: Try disabling the other add-ins to see if the Sperry Software add-in works properly. The programmers at Sperry Software work with the vendors of other add-ins to be sure that all add-ins get along properly. You can disable other third party add-ins by going to (in Outlook) Tools…Options…Other…Advanced Options…COM Add-Ins. Find any other add-ins and uncheck them. It is usually not necessary to remove them. If you do, you will need to install them again. After removing the other add-in(s), try to reproduce the problem. If the problem goes away, please file a bug report indicating that the add-in worked when you disabled the other add-in. Sperry Software will help you to get the problem resolved with the other vendors if necessary.
Comments: This problem is frequently related to the add-ins sharing DLL files.
Problem: The add-in has suddenly stopped working, even though it was working before.
Solution: The add-in may have become disabled. Outlook protects itself by disabling add-ins whenever something goes wrong (which is a pretty smart thing for Outlook to do so that you can at least continue to receive your email). You can tell if this has happened to you by going to Help…About Microsoft Outlook. Near the bottom of that window is a button called “Disabled Items”. Click it. If it shows one of our add-ins, then highlight it, then click Enable, then restart Outlook. Note: This tip is only useful if you have Outlook 2002 or higher.

Also, it’s possible that Outlook is running “behind the scenes” (that is, it shows up in the Task Manager list of processes) and you will have to logout or reboot the machine in order to properly restart Outlook. Some people report seeing the toolbar after rebooting their machine.

Finally, if all else fails, you can try our Add-Ins Reset Tool. This tool will reset the “Sperry Software Engine” as if you just installed it (but your configuration settings will not be destroyed).
Comments: Many things can change even though your machine looks the same as it did yesterday. There are service packs which can be updated (sometimes at night) for both Windows and Office, and administrators may be installing (or uninstalling) items while you’re away from your desk. Sometimes, it’s necessary to reinstall the add-in.
Problem: An error message that says “Operation failed” appears after you click “Send/Receive”.
Solution: Please fill out a bug report. Most times, creating a new profile solves this problem (at least according to this Microsoft support article). To create a new profile, go to (in Windows) Start…Control Panel. Navigate to the Mail icon and double click it. Click the “Show Profiles” button. Click on “Add…” to create a new profile. In the New Profile dialog box, give your new profile a name, then select “Add a new email account” in the email options, then click Next. Fill out your server email account information, then click Finish. Be sure that if “Always use this profile” is selected, that it is set to the profile you just created.
Comments: It may be necessary to copy your old email and contacts to your new profile. Please contact usif you need help doing this.
Problem: An error message “Path/file access error” is displayed, or Outlook runs slowly.
Solution: Disable logging in the add-in, if enabled.
Comments: The log files provide debugging information for the engineers here. However, some users do not have permsission to write to the C:\ drive, and this error is displayed when that access is attempted.

In addition, some users “My Documents” folder is actually on a network path even though it appears local. It’s possible that the recording of all the actions the add-in is taking is what’s causing Outlook to slow down.

To disable logging, go to (in Outlook) Tools…Sperry Software…Options. Clear the checkbox that says “Enable writing to the log file.”
Problem: The email that was supposed to go out just sits there in the Drafts folder or the Outbox folder, until “Send/Receive” is clicked.
Solution: Be sure that email is set to occur automatically on your system. Go to Tools…Options…Mail Deilvery (Note: it might say “Mail Setup” if you’re connected to Microsoft Exchange Server). One of the options on that tab is to “Check for new messages every N minutes”. Be sure that this checkbox is checked and that the number of minutes is something reasonable, 10 minutes or so. You may want to make this longer if you are dialing up and a little shorter if you are on broadband.
Comments: This problem applies to any add-in that sends email, including Schedule Recurring Email, Appointments By Email, Email Reminders, Secure Email Forward and Watch Outlook Folders. It could also affect add-ins that rely on the arrival of email in order to work, e.g., Attachment Save, File Fetch, and Auto Print.
Problem: “When I installed the add-in it changed the fonts on my shortcut Outlook bar to Stencil. How can I undo this and get the original font back? Uninstalling does not do it.”
Solution: Try installing it again, then uncheck the option that says “Enable XP compatibility mode” in the “Options” button of the Sperry Software Add-Ins toolbar.
Comments: Sometimes the fonts in the Navigation Pane also get enlarged to the point where the end of each folder name are unreadable. This solution fixes that problem as well.
Problem: On some machines, checking the “Allow multiple folders” box does not result in a view of all folders, or produces the message “Path not found”.
Solution: Do not check the “Allow multiple folders” checkbox, instead choosing to operate on folders one at a time.
Comments: This problem applies to all add-ins that have the “Allow multiple folders” checkbox. We have confirmed this to be a bug, and are working to resolve it as quickly as possible.
Problem: No hotkeys are responding.
Solution: If you’re using a function key, try using a “Ctrl+W” or similar combination that does NOT use an actual function key.
Comments: If that doesn’t help, be sure that the add-in is not disabled by going to Help…About Microsoft Outlook…Disabled Items. If it’s listed, enable it and restart Outlook. This problem may affect any add-in that assigns hotkeys, most notably Quick Text Hotkeys and Insert Date Time.

Issues Specific To Each Add-In
Problem: With Add Email Address, contacts are not being added to Outlook.
Solution: Run the Inbox Repair tool (ScanPST.exe).
Comments: You can find instructions on how to run the Inbox Repair tool in Outlook help.
Problem: Using Auto Print (or Print On Demand), nothing prints.
Solution: If you’re using Auto Print, try turning off filters and printing everything that arrives in the Inbox. Also if there’s a different printer, try switching to that as the default printer. You’ll need to restart Outlook in order to have Outlook reflect the new default printer.
Comments: You could also make sure that you can print from Outlook natively (i.e., File…Print).
Problem: Using Auto Print (or Print On Demand), attachments do not print out.
Solution: Be sure that the attachment type is not blocked. See the Microsoft knowledge base articleCannot open attachments in Microsoft Outlook for more information.
Comments: This tip is especially helpful if you notice that emails print fine.
Problem: Using Auto Print (or Print On Demand), background images don’t print.
Solution: If you’re using Internet Explorer, go to Tools…Internet Options…Advanced…Printing. Check the box that says “Print background colors and images”.
Comments: For any other browsers, find a similar option or contact us for help.
Problem: Using Auto Print (or Print On Demand), an error occurs saying “Error occurred. Description: Runtime Error 438”.
Solution: In Internet Explorer, go to Tools…Internet Options…Advanced. Uncheck the option for “Reuse windows for launching shortcuts”.
Comments: This is a problem with an Internet Explorer setting, conflicting with some of the Outlook functions.
Problem: Nothing happens when the “Add” button in Schedule Recurring Email is clicked.
Solution: Download and run our Registry Cleaner.
Comments: This error sometime occurs if upgrading from a previous version and Outlook 2003 (or better) is used. Note: running the registry cleaner will require you to re-enter your user keys.
Problem: Schedule Recurring Email continuously prompts for permission to send by saying “A program is trying to access e-mail address you have stored in Outlook. Do you want to allow this?” The option to allow access for 1-minute, 2-minutes, 5-minutes or 10-minutes is displayed.
Solution: This is a known problem. Please download and run our Trust Outlook AddIns tool.
Comments: This problem has only been known to happen with Schedule Recurring Email and Outlook 2002, version 10.6515.6714. You can upgrade to Outlook 2003 to solve this problem or request a refund if the above solution does not help you.
Problem: Using Schedule Recurring Email (and Outlook 2003 or better), an error occurs that says: “Cannot read one instance of this recurring appointment. Close any open appointments and try again.”
Solution: If connected to Exchange, turn on cache mode.
Comments: A friendly system administrator found this solution and shared it with us. His Cached Mode was off – he turned it on – and Schedule Recurring Email started working. It looks like an error specific to the Exchange version, not the Outlook version.
Problem: Using Watch Folders, the URL link in the email that Watch Outlook Folders sends shows up, but it’s not clickable.
Solution: The Watch Folders add-in needs to send in plain text format to have a clickable link.
Comments: Check your email format by going to (in Outlook) Tools…Options…Mail Format. Change it to “plain text” if necessary.
Problem: With all the Duplicate Eliminator add-ins, there is no way to choose which duplicated item gets deleted.
Solution: There is no current workaround for this problem (see below).
Comments: The theory is that since they are duplicates, it should not matter which one gets deleted. However, some customers have requested that the most recent item always be the one to be deleted. We are working to implement this solution into all the duplicate eliminator add-ins.
Problem: Vcard Converter doesn’t import on Outlook 2000.
Solution: Associate your default Vcard file type to Outlook.exe.
Comments: For more information, see this Microsoft how to.