Symptoms: Every time you open Outlook Express or Outlook you are asked to re-enter your password even though the Save Password box is checked (or grayed out).

Problem: Generally this is caused by a problem in the Registry with the Protected Storage System Provider key.

Resolution: Follow the steps below to fix this problem or visit Microsoft’s Knowledge Base article 29684 for an even more detailed information.

WARNING: If you use Registry Editor incorrectly, you can cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. There is no guarantee that problems that you cause by using Registry Editor incorrectly can be resolved. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.

1. Back Up The Registry Just to be safe you should back up this registry key before making modifications.
   1. Click Start, Run, and type regedit in the box, and then click OK.
   2. In the left panel, click the pluses next to:
      • HKEY_CURRENT_USER
      • Software
      • Microsoft
   3. Right click on Protected Storage System Provider and select Export.
   4. In the File name box, type a unique name for the key.
   5. In the Save In box, click a location for the file to be saved (the Desktop is recommended).
   6. Click Save
2. Change the Permissions
   1. Still in the Registry, Right click on Protected Storage System Provider and select Permissions.
   2. Click the user name for the user that is currently logged on and ensure that Read and Full Control permissions are both set to “Allow”.
   3. Click on the Advanced button, and select the Permissions tab.
   4. Highlight the currently logged on user, and make sure that Full Control is listed in the Permissions column, and that This Key and Subkeys is listed in the Apply To column.
   5. Place a check mark in the box for “Replace Permission Entries on all Child Objects with Entries Shown Here that Apply to Child Objects”.
   6. Click Apply.
   7. A box will appear asking if you are sure you want to do this; click Yes.
   8. Click OK and then Click OK again to return to the Registry Editor.
3. Delete the Key
   1. Click the plus sign next to Protected Storage System Provider key.
   2. Right click the user sub-key folder that will look similar to:
      S-1-5-21-3723271197-400000000-0000000000-0000.
   3. Click Delete and then click Yes in the Confirm Key Delete dialog box that appears.
   4. Each identity may have a sub-key under the Protected Storage System Provider key. Delete all of the user sub-key folders under the Protected Storage System Provider key using the same method.
   5. Close the Registry and Reboot the Computer.
4. Reenter Password in Outlook Express or Outlook
   1. Open Outlook Express or Outlook.
   2. When you are prompted to Enter password, go ahead and retype it and make sure the Save Password box is checked.

Depending on whether you are using Outlook or Outlook Express the exact method will vary. In all cases, accessing the Tools menu and selecting the choice related to Accounts will point you in the right direction. Select the user account and the option to change or modify its properties. There will be a box to be checked to save the password once it has been re-entered. It will be necessary to perform the password re-entry for each separate e-mail account. Reboot after each account change. This should complete the steps for fixing the problem of the password not being saved in Outlook Express or Outlook.

Articles at Microsoft, PC Hell, and The Elder Geek provided background information for this blog entry.

Problem: After some unrelated changes are made to IIS 6.0, Exchange’s Outlook Web Access (OWA) acts differently. The normal login page is replaced by a login dialog box. After logging in, OWA displays all the mailboxes in a browseable directory format instead of the normal OWA content. You can select your mailbox and all folders display in the same manner. Charles Yang from Microsoft presented a solution that (mostly) worked for me in this situation.

Charles Yang wrote:

Generally speaking, this issue should be caused by the IIS default configuration for the website has been changed. Please refer to my suggestion below to see if the issue can be resolved:

1. Navigate to: <server name> | Web Sites | Default Web Site | Exchange.

2. Right-click Exchange and select “Properties”. Click the “Virtual Directory” tab.

3. At the bottom, under “Application Settings”, click the Configuration button.

4. In the Application Configuration window, under “Wildcard application maps”, click “Insert”.

5. In the Add/Edit Application Extension Mapping window, click “Browse”.

6. Browse to “Program Files\ExchSrvr\bin\davex.dll” and click the Open button.

7. In the “Executable:” text box, place quotation marks around the file path.

8. Click OK three times to exit.

(Original Source of Information: Microsoft Windows SBS Newsgroup)

As I said, this worked mostly for me. In my case, “Application Settings” under the “Virtual Directory” tab was pretty much disabled. The only option I had was to “Create” a new application. Once I did that extra step (step 2.5 if you are following the instructions above), I was able to complete the rest of the instructions. The procedure worked without a hitch after that.

This server has had quite a history of losing track of its OWA configuration in IIS, but it has never presented this issue before. The most common issue it has presented is addressed in Microsoft article Q280823. That is the issue where you pretty much only see the message “Loading…” and possibly some “broken images” where the images failed to load.

It is really weird how touchy this server is about its OWA settings. The only changes I am aware of being made to IIS lately was the installation of a new SSL certificate to the Default Web Site. Nothing was altered in OWA. Hopefully this fix will fix it permanently. Hopefully someone else will find this information useful, too!