Troubleshooting

Disappearing Task Requests

Why do my task requests disappear from my inbox after I accept them?

Outlook processes task requests automatically after you have chosen to accept or decline the task request. This behavior is fixed in Outlook and cannot be changed. Task updates are processed the same way. Both of these messages end up in the Deleted Items folder.

My Reminders Don't Appear

I have multiple task folders. When I create a task in a folder other than my primary task folder, I receive a message that the reminder will not trigger because the item is not in my Calendar or Tasks folder. The item is in a Tasks folder, so why doesn't the reminder trigger?

Reminders and follow-up flags in Outlook fire only in your default folders. Your default folders include Calendar, Contacts, Inbox, Journal, and Tasks. Although you have created a new folder that contains valid task items, it isn't your default Tasks folder. A third-party utility that enables you to work around this limitation is available from www.slovaktech.com.

Can't Accept Task Requests

When I receive a task request, it comes across as an email message.

You're probably using an Exchange 2000 Server as an SMTP/POP3 server. In that case, task requests are transmitted correctly only if you select Exchange Rich Text Formatting in the Exchange Advanced tab of the user object in Active Directory Users and Computers. For more information about this problem, see the Knowledge Base article at http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;284364.

Deleting Recurring Tasks

I have a daily task to fax a report to the CEO. Our office is closed next Monday for Labor Day. How can I delete next Monday's task a week in advance?

You cannot delete an occurrence of a recurring task that takes place after another existing instance of the task. If you need to delete next Monday's occurrence of a daily task and you have not completed this Thursday's occurrence, deleting a single occurrence of the task deletes this Thursday's task, not next Monday's. Your best approach is to complete the task on Friday and then delete Monday's task.

Disappearing Tasks in the TaskPad

My TaskPad view isn't showing all the tasks I think it should. How can I fix that?

The TaskPad doesn't actually have its own independent views. It relies on the views from the main Tasks folder. So, if you set a filter on a view in your Tasks folder, the corresponding view in the TaskPad will inherit the same filter settings.