XWEB: OWA Client Allows You to Delete Special Outlook Folders

ID: Q215604

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Exchange Active Server Components, version 5.0
Microsoft Outlook Web Access, version 5.5
Microsoft Outlook Web Access, version 5.5 Service Pack 1

SYMPTOMS

When you use the Microsoft Outlook Web Access (OWA) client, you can delete some of the default folders created by the Outlook client, specifically:

Contacts
Drafts
Notes
Tasks
Journal

CAUSE

The Microsoft Outlook Web Access client is not aware of the format or notes used in the Contact, Drafts, Notes, Tasks, and Journal folders. Therefore, the OWA client believes the folders contain normal e-mail messages and treats these folders as a normal folder with e-mail messages, which can be deleted using the OWA client.

RESOLUTION

To resolve this problem, obtain the latest service pack for Exchange Server version 5.5. For additional information, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Q191014 XGEN: How to Obtain the latest Exchange Server 5.5 Service Pack

The English version of this fix should have the following file attributes or later:

Component: Outlook Web Access

File name	Date	Size
Pageutil.inc	1/5/99	12,134 bytes

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Outlook Web Access version 5.5. This problem was first corrected in Exchange Server 5.5 Service Pack 3.

MORE INFORMATION

When you use OWA, you can delete the default Outlook folders by following these steps:

Click the Up one folder button to display a list of folders in the OWA client.

Select the folder you want to delete, like the Tasks folder.

On the toolbar, click the Delete the current folder button.

You receive the dialog box prompt, "Are you sure you want to delete the current folder and its subfolders?"

Click OK to delete the folder.

NOTE: If you select a folder that the OWA client recognizes as a special folder, such as the Inbox folder, you will not be able to delete it. You will receive an error message saying "Unable to delete this special folder," if you try to delete the Inbox folder or any of the following folders: Calendar, Deleted Items, Inbox, Outbox and Sent Items.

With Exchange Server 5.0 and 5.5, you can delete the Contacts folder as well as other special folders. This was however changed in Exchange Server 5.5 SP1, and Contacts can no longer be deleted.

Additional query words:

Keywords : exc55 EXC55SP3Fix
Version : WINDOWS:5.0,5.5
Platform : WINDOWS
Issue type : kbbug