Outlook 365 Blank Messages

[JoelM]

I have a customer who arrived this morning to a rebooted Windows 10 computer after a windows update. When they open outlook and click on a message they might see the first line in the reading pane such as
Hi Tim,
The rest of the page is blank. This is consistent on all the email even older ones. I created a new Outlook profile with the same results. They use Exchange online so I have her logged into Outlook.com currently to use her email. I won't be able to get access again until tonight after she is gone.
Any thoughts up front about this? I have never seen this issue before. I did open Outlook and had it check for updates which it did find and install but no change.

 

[tek9]

I have a customer who arrived this morning to a rebooted Windows 10 computer after a windows update. When they open outlook and click on a message they might see the first line in the reading pane such as
Hi Tim,
The rest of the page is blank. This is consistent on all the email even older ones. I created a new Outlook profile with the same results. They use Exchange online so I have her logged into Outlook.com currently to use her email. I won't be able to get access again until tonight after she is gone.
Any thoughts up front about this? I have never seen this issue before. I did open Outlook and had it check for updates which it did find and install but no change.

Was just starting a new thread for this. Definitely a bug with the latest update. Just had three different customers on O365 call me with the same issue in the past half hour.

 

[JoelM]

Thanks. It seemed like the case. I guess I'm glad I'm not the only one. If I find a resolution I'll post it here.

 

[tek9]

Thanks. It seemed like the case. I guess I'm glad I'm not the only one. If I find a resolution I'll post it here.

MS is aware of the issue. Incident EX255650. It's all over the place.
Hopefully by the time they decide on which new default font they'll use they'll have figured out how to keep their essential services going.

 

[nlinecomputers]

Current fix is to roll back the update.

https://www.reddit.com/r/sysadmin/comments/na64bj

 

[thecomputerguy]

Here we go again ....

 

[Sky-Knight]

"C:\Program Files\Common Files\microsoft shared\ClickToRun\OfficeC2RClient.exe" /update user updatetoversion=16.0.13901.20462

The fix for today's shenanigans.

It isn't working for one of my users, but others it worked for just fine. Now... to get reinstalling M365 on these things after hours so they're in the semi-annual channel where they belong!

 

[urcomputech]

Running "C:\Program Files\Common Files\microsoft shared\ClickToRun\OfficeC2RClient.exe" /update user updatetoversion=16.0.13901.20462

Seems to have fixed it for us so far.

 

[thecomputerguy]

The Pro's when M$ botches stuff like this is all of my non-msp clients get hit with a $55 bill to copy and paste the rollback in the run prompt.

The Con's are all of my non-msp clients repeat exactly what they already told me in their voicemail and don't let me cut them off to tell them I have a fix until they've completed their speech.

I guess listening to the same speech 13 different times is worth $55 a piece.

My MSP clients are usually super chill and I just tell them they're working on it and give them the portal login and they're good to go.

 

[nlinecomputers]

I can confirm that the workaround works. Just got a call about this and was able to roll it back via a remote session.

 

[Porthos]

Microsoft Outlook bug prevents viewing or creating email worldwide

A Microsoft Outlook update released today for the desktop client introduced bugs that prevent users from creating or viewing mail.

www.bleepingcomputer.com

 

[britechguy]

Just like I tell my blind clients that they always, always, always need to have 2 screen readers they can use, one being their "go to" favorite and the other their "in a pinch" workaround one, the same principle applies to email clients.

If you're going to use an email client rather than webmail (and refuse to use webmail as your backup plan) then having a second backup email client for when stuff like this happens is the solution, and a way better one than going through the gyrations to roll back when a fix will very often be released in under 48 hours, and you get to reapply updates to Outlook again, anyway.

 

[thecomputerguy]

Just like I tell my blind clients that they always, always, always need to have 2 screen readers they can use, one being their "go to" favorite and the other their "in a pinch" workaround one, the same principle applies to email clients.

If you're going to use an email client rather than webmail (and refuse to use webmail as your backup plan) then having a second backup email client for when stuff like this happens is the solution, and a way better one than going through the gyrations to roll back when a fix will very often be released in under 48 hours, and you get to reapply updates to Outlook again, anyway.

The chances of anyone actually remembering that they can get their email at portal.office.com is pretty much 0%. Basically it goes like this with any sort of Outlook issue:

ZOMG MY OUTLOOK IS THE BREAK! I AM THEE MOST IMPORANTNANT!

- Call The Computer Guy
*I'm in an appointment*
- Call The Computer Guy Again
- Leave a Voicemail
- Text The Computer Guy
- Text The Computer Guy
- Email the Computer Guy explaining the issue which has already been explained in the voicemail, then explain that they also texted me in the email.
- Text again 10 minutes later, "Hey are you able to look at my computer soon?"
- Attempt to locate me professionally or personally by social media including Facebook, IG, or Myspace.
- Retrieve carrier pidgin
- Attach note to Carrier Pidgin explaining that they have called and texted and emailed in the letter attached to the Carrier Pidgin
- Send Carrier Pidgen
- As soon as Carrier Pidgen is airborne and has cleared the area begin sending smoke signals in the form of morse code, explaining there is a Carrier Pidgin on the way with details.

I call back responding in total of about 45 minutes.

Customer explains that the issue resolved itself after rebooting.

If I could give a negative percentage to it I would, I'd even put money on their chances being below zero if that were possible.

 

[Sky-Knight]

I generated more calls to my cell yesterday pushing the fix script to all of my managed endpoints than the actual error.

This morning, a few systems hard locked because without a reboot after the emergency downgrade, Office tends to get stuck on upgrade again which was forced by MS to fix all this last night.

 

[InHomeComputerHelp.com]

"C:\Program Files\Common Files\microsoft shared\ClickToRun\OfficeC2RClient.exe" /update user updatetoversion=16.0.13901.20462

The fix for today's shenanigans.

It isn't working for one of my users, but others it worked for just fine. Now... to get reinstalling M365 on these things after hours so they're in the semi-annual channel where they belong!

Never had to do that can I just copy and paste it into the run command box?

 

[fincoder]

If you're going to use an email client rather than webmail (and refuse to use webmail as your backup plan) then having a second backup email client for when stuff like this happens is the solution

Webmail is the backup way to access email, no need to install a second email client.

Using an email client such as Outlook doesn't prevent webmail from working! If the email client is using IMAP or Exchange, webmail will also have saved email folders.

If you use email every day, all day, with multiple accounts then webmail is too clunky and inefficient. But it's always available if you're away from your main computer or if Outlook had a bad update.

 

[InHomeComputerHelp.com]

If you use email every day, all day, with multiple accounts then webmail is too clunky and inefficient. But it's always available if you're away from your main computer or if Outlook had a bad update.

I try to get clients to let me port their emails into Gmail. It can even be setup to reply as the email to which the sender sent. I've seen too many computers crash with contact information in them not to recommend web based email.

Rick

 

[Sky-Knight]

Never had to do that can I just copy and paste it into the run command box?

Yes, but it's no longer necessary. The fix is part of the May update rollup for Windows 10. So all you need to do now is ensure the machine is up to date.

 

[britechguy]

If you use email every day, all day, with multiple accounts then webmail is too clunky and inefficient.

About which we will have to agree to disagree. Virtually all webmail clients now handle multiple accounts, and from outside their own ecosystems, with grace.

Also, you're attributing an attitude to me that I don't hold, that is, that webmail is not the preferable backup position (I'd say it's the preferable primary position, but . . .).

But I know far too many people who adamantly refuse to even touch webmail, and if they do, having a backup email client for when those "in a pinch" situations should be considered a necessary thing.

 

[britechguy]

I've seen too many computers crash with contact information in them not to recommend web based email.

One among many reasons. I'm still shocked at how many people still use POP protocol, with default settings to purge messages from the server on download, and that don't take routine backups. A disaster just waiting to happen that will almost certainly happen at least once.