Undeliverable messages in Outlook 2010

As far as I know, there is no setting in Outlook for this.  It may be an artifact of your IMAP server, but there's not enough information to tell.

In addition to Brain’s suggestion, refer the link below to know how to remove and read the account in Outlook:

http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/outlook-help/add-or-remove-an-e-mail-account-HA010354414.aspx

Thanks so much for your replies!  The problem happens consistently with several Outlook 2010 users that I've checked, so I don't think removing and then adding the account will fix the problem. 

As mentioned, after reviewing the account settings, I just don't see anything that would correct this, so I guess we'll have to chaulk it up to a flaw/bug in the program.  Do either of you know if Outlook programmers/developers read these forums?  Should I try another avenue to report this?

Brian, is there any more information I can give you that would help?

The difference here is that when you send it from the server using a web browser, it's natural that the server will be in a position to tell you immediately that the message is undeliverable.  You are talking to the server directly, after all.  When you use Outlook (or any mail client, for that matter), the mail client has no way to tell that the message will be undeliverable.  That's completely up to the server to decide.  From Outlook's point of view, the message HAS been sent: it was sent to its server.  If that server bounces the message later (and the server is allowed days to do that by Internet mail standards), you should receive the non-delivery notice, but it could be there's something between Outlook and your server preventing that non-delivery report from being delivered.  There is not enough information in what you've described to be able to say why you don't see the NDR.

In the final analysis, I do not believe this is a problem in Outlook itself; it is a problem with something external to Outlook preventing the delivery of the NDR.  Try starting Outlook in safe mode to see if that makes a difference (search for "Outlook safe mode" for any number of posts on how to enable it).  That may tell you, at least, if it's an add-in you have configured in Outlook that is causing the failure to receive the non-delivery report.

You can also log into your mailbox via a web browser, as you've described you've done, and send a message via Outlook that you know will bounce.  Then close Outlook right away.  Use the web browser to see if the NDR arrives in your Inbox on the server.  If it does, then there's more of a chance something in Outlook is preventing the download of the NDR.  If it doesn't arrive, then clearly it's not Outlook's doing, since it can't receive messages that never appear in the mailbox.

Hey Brian. I was just looking over this problem myself. Upon testing things out myself I've noticed a few things. First of all, the NDR doesn't come in a form of an e-mail. It comes as an error code or warning. In the webmail client this happens right in the browser. In other applications such as Mozilla Thunderbird, it appears in the form of a "ALERT" pop-up.

Now, after trying some things in Outlook, basically what I can see happening is this. If an e-mail is sent to a proper e-mail, one that exists that is, everything happens as it should. However if you send an e-mail to a non-existing account, which would give you the NDR warning, the inbox immediately increments by one.

Now, nothing actually shows up in the inbox, because the NDR isn't an e-mail, but it seems to me as if Outlook is receiving something back from the server when a message cannot be delivered. It just doesn't know how to show it. Once you click away from the inbox and go back to it however, the number decrements back to it's original number.

Any idea's what's going on here?

My business client is having exact same issue.  Using Exchange Server (2003) to host email in-house.  All email clients are Outlook 2007 (exchange accounts) and all have same issue.  Sent email shows in Sent Items yet addressee in not receiving message.  Melt down occurred yesterday.  Server logs show no errors.  This server hasn't been touched in over a month and was working fine.  We are Fios with Verizon and they have us DHCP.  Contacted them and they couldn't even ping their own router.  Go figure!  I can remote into server, and access router locally  Any ideas?  I'm on the hot seat here and need HELP.

I would contend that this is a problem with the servers.  It's not an Outlook problem.  The proof of that is that the message is delivered by Outlook to the server.  That's all that Outlook is required to do.  It can't do anything else.  E-mail is a store-and-forward system that works only if each client and server in the path from sender to recipient can do its' job.  Any failure along the way prevents delivery.

In order to trace what's happeing to the message, you'll need the cooperation of the admins of every single server btween you and your recipient.  In general, there should ge ony two servers: yours and the recipient's  Your mail server should have or should be able to generate a log of the delivery of the message from it to the next down-stream router.  One it has left your router, there's little you can do.

Your recipient not being able to ping the router isn't a clear sign that his hserver has a problem, but it's sure suspicious.  Pings ae handled by ICMP packets and many firewalls will not pass ICMP packets, so pings don't work, but TCP packet still pass between the server and the client.  Your recipient should contact whomever manages his server and see if they can trace the reception of your message.  If the message never appears in the recipient's mailbox, it's pretty had for them to get the message.

I would contend that this is a problem with the servers.  It's not an Outlook problem.  The proof of that is that the message is delivered by Outlook to the server.  That's all that Outlook is required to do.  It can't do anything else.  E-mail is a store-and-forward system that works only if each client and server in the path from sender to recipient can do its' job.  Any failure along the way prevents delivery.

In order to reace what's happeing to the message, you'll need the cooperation of the admins of every single server btween you and your recipient.  In general, there should ge ony two servers: yours and the recipient's  Your mail server should have or should be able to generate a log of the delivery of the message from it to the next down-stream router.  One it has left your router, there's little you can do.

Your recipient not being able to ping the router isn't a clear sign that his hserver has a problem, but it's sure suspicious.  Pings ae handled by ICMP packets and many firewalls will not pass ICMP packets, so pings don't work, but TCP packet still pass between the server and the client.  Your recipient should contact whomever manages his server and see if they can trace the reception of your message.  If the message never appears in the recipient's mailbox, it's pretty had for them to get the message.

What doesn't make sense is this was working just fine when I was using the two month trial Office 10 on my new Dell Laptop.  Microsoft support installed my paid version due to the fact I foolishly tried to install my Office 7 to save money.  Support had to remove it from my Dell and install     Office 11.  It is imperative I get this working because my Company sends all their communication through Outlook.  Shoulod I attempt a new download?

I have been having this same problem.  I have noticed quite a few things about this.

1.  I can get bounce back messages from outlook 2010 sending to a fake email address.
2. I can not get bounce back messages if sending to an email address with an improper email client setting. 

Try changing it so that your outgoing mail server requires authentication when it doesn't.  This puts it ALL on your email client to create an error or bounce back message.  It is nice enough to let you know that it won't work if you are testing it while creating, but if you change a setting after it's created or on the email client side itself, it just simply puts the message in the sent folder and does nothing else.

This is known as a 500 error:
These error messages are sent when the server is aware that it has had a problem or error.