Cannot Reply to News Messages (192517)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Outlook Express 4.01 for Windows NT 4.0
  • Microsoft Outlook Express 4.0 for Windows NT 4.0
  • Microsoft Outlook Express 4.0 for Windows NT 3.51
  • Microsoft Outlook Express 4.01 for Windows 95
  • Microsoft Outlook Express 4.0 for Windows 95
  • Microsoft Internet Mail and News 1.0 for Windows 95
  • Microsoft Internet Mail and News 1.0 for Windows NT 4.0
This article was previously published under Q192517

SYMPTOMS

You may be unable to reply to a news message using Outlook Express or Internet Mail and News.

CAUSE

This behavior can occur if the news message uses ROT13 encoding in the From or Reply To field. Although Outlook Express and Internet Mail and News can decode ROT13-encoded text in the body of a news message, they cannot decode ROT13-encoded text in the message header.

RESOLUTION

To work around this behavior, follow these steps:

  1. In the news message, click Properties on the File menu.
  2. On the Details tab, copy the encoded portion of the header in the From or Reply To field. Click Message Source if you want to view the entire message.
  3. Compose a new news message, and then paste the ROT13-encoded text you copied in step 2 into the body of the message.
  4. Post the message to a test newsgroup. These newsgroups normally have "test" in their names. Please do not post the test message to a regular discussion area. For best results, choose a test newsgroup that is associated with your Internet service provider (ISP).
  5. After a brief time, refresh the messages in the newsgroup and then open your message.
  6. On the Edit menu, click Unscramble (ROT13). The encrypted header information should change to plain text. Use this information when replying to the original news message.

MORE INFORMATION

Some newsgroup participants may use ROT13 encoding in portions of their message headers to prevent receiving unwanted commercial solicitations, commonly known as SPAM.

For more information about ROT13 encoding, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

153931 Description of Unscramble (ROT13) Option in Internet News

Modification Type:MinorLast Reviewed:7/15/2004
Keywords:kbprb KB192517
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