Outlook fails to use default e-mail account

drwics,

Thank you for using the Dell Community Forum.

Try the steps below.

Make Outlook Your Default Email Program

To configure Outlook as your default email program in Windows Vista:

• Click Start.
• Type "default programs" in the Start Search box.
• Click Default Programs under Programs in the search results.
• Now click Set your default programs.
• Highlight Microsoft Office Outlook or Microsoft Outlook on the left.
• Click Set this program as default.
• Click OK.

With replies and forwards, Outlook will always use the account the email was originally sent to. You have to change it manually by using the Accounts list on the menu. You can add an Accts button if it's not already there. This can be considered impolite for replies, since the sender expects you to use the same acct he sent the email to. It doesn't matter with forwards.

Thank you, Mary G. Unfortunately in my case Outlook does NOT always use the account the e-mail was originally sent to when replying or forwarding. That's my problem. After uninstalling Outlook 2003 and reinstalling it, I sent e-mail from my wife's account (using Outlook Express) to the account set up as default (in Outlook). When I clicked REPLY Outlook announced that the reply would be sent from a different account. Because, as you point out, "this can be considered impolite", I must always check before sending a reply or a forward, and manually change the account if necessary.

Any other ideas?

Thank you, Jesse L. Perhaps you misunderstood my problem. My computer has no problem recognizing Outlook as my default program for sending e-mails. It's Outlook itself that ignores the default e-mail account when replying to or forwarding messages. Nevertheless, I did go through the steps you suggested but, as expected, they did not fix the problem. If you have any other ideas, please let me know. Thank you again.