Fix CDO, Active X, or Unspecified error in Email

"CDO" stands for Collaboration Data Objects. A CDO error (or "unspecified" error) occurs when Microsoft Office Outlook is set as the default mail handler in Windows without installing the CDO feature that it needs to collaborate with other programs. To be able to send email through Microsoft Outlook from programs (such as CTI Navigator) that are not part of Microsoft Office, you should install Outlook's Collaboration Data Objects (CDO) feature from Microsoft. Attempting to send email through Office Outlook without CDO installed can cause a CDO error, Active X error (429), or Unspecified error.  

Click on the version of Office Outlook installed on your computer for appropriate instructions to install its CDO feature:

• Office Outlook 2007
• Office Outlook 2003 or 2002 (in Office XP) 
• Office Outlook 2000
• Office Outlook 1997 and 1998 

Outlook 2007

Office 2007 and Exchange 2007 no longer include the Collaboration Data Objects (CDO) feature. The package of missing Collaboration Data Objects can be downloaded from Microsoft at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=73608. Therefore, to use Outlook 2007 as your default e-mail for all programs in Windows (not just for email created inside Microsoft Office) you must  download this CDO file and follow Microsoft's installation instructions.

Vista Note: If you have User Account Control (UAC) enabled in Vista, even though the CDO feature has been added, Office Outlook may need to be closed before MLS reports can be transferred from CTI Navigator through Windows into Office Outlook. Also, the Outlook e-mail process (Outlook.exe) continues to run sometimes even though the Outlook program is closed. To end the e-mail process:  

1. Close Office Outlook if it is open
2. Open Windows Task Manager (see note below)
3. Select the Processes tab
4. Right-click on Outlook.exe > select "End Process"
5. Also right-click on WinMail.exe and select "End Process", if it is listed under Processes. 

Note: To open the Windows Task Manger with your mouse, you can right-click on the Windows task bar (at the bottom of the screen) and select Task Manager. 

If you continue to encounter e-mail errors after manually ending the email process (as described above), or if you prefer to leave your Office Outlook open, you may disable User Account Control (see "Using Windows Vista" in the related articles below) and re-start Windows Vista. 

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Office Outlook 2003 or 2002 (in Office XP) 

To install the CDO feature: 

1. Click on Windows Start
2. Select Control Panel
3. Click Add/Remove Programs (in Windows Vista click "Programs and Features")
4. Select the appropriate "Microsoft Office". (Note: Your screens may differ from those displayed below.)
   
5. Click the Change button (at the top of the list in Windows Vista) 
6. Select "Add or Remove Features" and click the Next button at the bottom of the screen
   
7. In Outlook 2003 (and later) check "Choose Advanced Customization of applications"
   (earlier versions do not have an Advanced Customization option) and click the Next button
8. Click the plus sign (+) beside "Microsoft Office Outlook" or "Microsoft Outlook for Windows"
9. Click the down arrow beside the red X in front of Collaboration Data Objects
10. Select Run from my computer (or Run All from my computer) 
    
11. Click the Update button (if prompted, insert the Microsoft Office CD in your CD drive)
12. Click OK.

Note 1: Even if you do not have the Microsoft Office disk, you can try the above. Some installations automatically include a backup copy of the Microsoft Office files on the computer. 

Note 2: If you are using Windows Vista and have already installed the CDO feature in Office Outlook, see the Vista note under Outlook 2007. 

Note 3: If installing the CDO feature does not fix email problems through Office Outlook, open Outlook > click Help > select Detect and Repair. (If this is not available in your Windows Vista, click Start > Control Panel > select “Programs & Features” > select Office > click Repair.) If the Repair function does not fix the problem, either uninstall and re-install Outlook, or setup Windows to use Outlook Express or Windows Mail) as its default Mail Handler (see the related article below, "Setup Email in Windows"). If you re-install Outlook, be sure to add the CDO feature after re-installing. Setting Windows to use Outlook Express or Windows Mail as its default mail handler will not prevent you from emailing directly through Office Outlook, but it would entail maintaining a separate address book in each email program.

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Outlook 2000 Unspecified Error

Warning: If you use Microsoft Office Outlook 2000 for client/server messaging and store information remotely on an Internet server, you should copy the contents of your IMAP folders to a new personal folder on your computer BEFORE you convert Outlook 2000 from “Internet Mail Only” to Corporate or Workgroup. Information in IMAP accounts will not be transferred into a Corporate/Workgroup installation of Outlook. See the related article below, "Switch Outlook 200 'Internet Mail Only' to Corporate or Workgroup", for Microsoft's instructions on copying IMAP contents.

To change Office Outlook 2000 from "Internet Mail Only" to Corporate or Workgroup:

1. Open Microsoft Office Outlook

2. On the Tools menu, click Options.

3. On the Mail Delivery tab, click Reconfigure Mail Support.

4. In the E-Mail Service Options dialog box, click to select the Corporate or Workgroup support check box, and then click Next.

5. Read the warning message, and then click Yes. Outlook will close.

6. Start Outlook. The Windows Installer will start and install the required files. (It may need your Office 2000 disk for these files.)

7. Close Outlook and install the Collaboration Data Objects feature to Outlook (described above).

You may need to re-start Windows for all these changes in Outlook to register properly.

Follow the instructions in note 3 above to repair Outlook if adding the CDO does not fix the email error.

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Outlook 1997 and 1998

Unfortunately, Office Outlook 1997 and 1998 do not include the collaboration feature and are no longer supported by Microsoft. This means that they will not process email not generated inside the Office. (For email alternatives, see "Setup Email in Windows" in related articles below.)

Related articles and Internet links:

• Configure Security in Office Outlook
• Download Collaboration Data Objects for Outlook 2007 from Microsoft
• Microsoft's instructions to Switch Outlook 2000 "Internet Mail Only" to Corporate or Workgroup
• Setup Email in Windows
• Using Windows VISTA

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