Knowledge Base

OL97: New Mail Notification Disables Next/Previous Item

Article ID: 173599

Article Last Modified on 1/20/2007

Microsoft Outlook 97 Standard Edition

This article was previously published under Q173599

SYMPTOMS

In Microsoft Outlook 97, you have the option to display a notification message when mail arrives. If you choose to read a new message by clicking Yes, the next and previous item buttons do not work, and the view previous and next menu items are not available.

CAUSE

This is by design. The message notification feature is not intended to give access to other messages.

RESOLUTION

To open previous or next messages, click No in the notification dialog box, switch to Outlook, and then open the message from the Inbox. The next and previous item buttons and menu items will work at this point.

MORE INFORMATION

This same behavior is exhibited when the notification message is generated by the Inbox Assistant, the Rules Wizard, or on the E-mail tab under Options on the Tools menu (the "Display a notification message" option illustrated below).

Steps to Reproduce the Problem

On the Tools menu, click Options.
On the E-mail tab click to select the "Display a notification message" check box and click OK.
Compose a new message to yourself and send it.
When the message arrives in your Inbox, the new mail notification will be displayed.
Click Yes to read the message.

Results: The message will open. If you click the Next or Previous buttons (up and down arrows) on the toolbar they are inactive. If you point to either Previous or Next on the View menu, the menu options are not available.

NOTE: If in step 4 above, you do not receive a new message notification, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

163667 OL97: No Notification Given for Arriving E-Mail Messages

Keywords: KB173599