Outlook won’t send email, it just sits in your Outbox

Ok, so first if you also can’t receive email, this isn’t your problem.  This is about a send only problem.  I could receive email just fine.

If your problem matches the helpful description here: http://www.slipstick.com/problems/outbox.htm

Also a similar article on Microsoft’s official Office support site here: http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/outlook/HA011879881033.aspx  

Then you have the same problem I did.  I wanted to specifically mention that it was LANDesk Antivirus causing the issue as that hasn’t (so far) been listed as one of the Outlook add-ins that causes this issue.

The registry key I had to modify was here:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office\Outlook\Addins\ LDOutlookAddin.Addin

This was installed with LANDesk Antivirus and is identified with the FriendlyName of "LANDesk Outlook add-in" and Description of "Scans email for viruses" (all items a user could search on.)  I'm running version 5.0.1.88 which I believe is the latest.

Once I set LoadBehavior to 0 it solved my issue.

Big thanks to Diane Poremsky for writing the post linked to above which helped me debug my issue. 

Why I would spend $150 on a USB Keyboard

Ok, in my previous post I bemoaned the fact that my 19” flat panel monitor broke and took my $150 Matias Tactile Pro 1.0 keyboard with it. I thought I’d follow up on an experience that made me have a huge amount of respect for the Matias company.

Why a $150 Keyboard?

I realize most people purchase keyboards that cost $30 to $40 US dollars these days. Often they don’t purchase keyboards at all but use the ones included free with their computers. So knowing one can buy a completely usable keyboard for $30 then why would I spend $150 on a keyboard? There are actually several answers but I’m only going to discuss one in this post. (For more information on the history of this keyboard read this article on TidBITS.)

Now That’s Customer Service

I type A LOT. It's basically my livelihood. If I couldn’t type, I’m not sure how I could support my family. Because of the fact that I probably spend 10 hours a day typing and it’s so important to my family’s well being I’m willing to invest in a decent keyboard. The keyboard I’m talking about is the Matias Tactile Pro 1.0. It’s a wonderful keyboard that feels great and supports your hands long into the night. When I found my flat panel monitor had broken the keyboard stands off of the back basically making the keyboard useless I was crushed. I went to the Matias site to even see if they were making a Tactile Pro keyboard (I knew they had long discontinued the 1.0 version.) I also knew that due to a tight budget lately, I might have to replace it with a $30 keyboard. I found Matias was no longer making a Tactile Pro keyboard. They will release a 3.0 version next year but the 1.0 and 2.0 versions are no longer available. I know they make a really nice USB 2.0 keyboard but it isn’t anything like the Tactile Pro.

Disappointed, I filled out the web form to be notified when the Tactile Pro 3.0 keyboard becomes available. There is a message section and I just put in pathetically that the feet had broken off of my Tactile Pro 1.0 keyboard so I needed to purchase a new one.

Ok, now you know how web forms work. The email address goes into a database and no one ever reads the message section.

Except at Matias!

Less then 24 hours later I was contacted through email by a customer service representative.

She wrote to me that if I give her my address she would mail me replacement feet. That’s right. I sent her my address. And a few days later, Matias paid $6.50 CAD to send me an envelope with two replacement feet.

Canadian Postage

My new Feet

Truly amazing. Matias, you have a customer for life!

19" Samsung Flatpanel broke away from its stand

This morning I walked into my office to check email and saw this.

That’s my Samsung flatpanel sitting on my keyboard.  

You can see the stand is no longer attached to the back of it.  Last night it was fine and hadn’t been touched or moved since then.  So sometime during the night the metal bracket holding it to the stand simply gave up.

Now that’s depressing enough as it is, but if you look a bit closer you’ll notice that the weight of the monitor broke the feet off of the bottom of my Matias Tactile Pro keyboard (which cost me $150 USD.)  

Why someone would spend $150 on a keyboard will be my next blog entry, but to give you an idea you can read this   (You have to at least read the section entitled Protecting the Alps.)  

Now I think I should point out this monitor has had a very easy life. It just sits on my desk.  It doesn’t move around or travel. It just sits there. It literally broke due to its own weight.  I think it is still under warranty so I’ll have to try and find the original paperwork (which reminds me, I need to clean up and organize my office.)