Outlook Crashes with CRM Client Enabled – In Terminal Server Session

Our team was recently presented with a puzzling issue for one user. Outlook would consistently crash when opened with the CRM client enabled. This was in a term server environment, and only 1 user was reporting the problem.

We tried the usual steps to un-configure and reconfigure the CRM Client and then do the same which included removing the Appdata components related to the CRM client for the user’s profile, with the same results.  We finally created an MS support case which did not turn up a specific problem but led me to resolve the problem. One of the diagnostic tests done under the Microsoft support case was to try to duplicate the user’s CRM client for Outlook settings on a stand-alone computer.

The overall steps performed were:

• Configured a test computer with the user’s Exchange mailbox and CRM client for Outlook, using the user’s CRM login.

• Set the test computer as the sync source for CRM to Outlook. There was an alert asking to do so the first time opening Outlook after the install. This is key, as it resets the link between CRM and Outlook in the user’s Exchange account.

• Manually started sync to CRM on the test computer and ran to completion. Synced several times, then exited and reopened Outlook and the sync continued to work. Outlook did NOT crash at startup as it had done previously in the term server environment.

• Un-configured CRM for Outlook on the terminal server profile, as well as on the test computer. Again, this was key, to force the next install to ask to be the default sync client.

• Configured CRM for Outlook on the terminal server profile and approved option to make this profile the device to sync with CRM.

• Started manual sync from CRM to Outlook in terminal server profile then waited several minutes. Outlook remained open and functional (no crash); CRM connection remained active and manual sync worked in several tests without error.

In summary, the CRM client for Outlook in a terminal server environment can become stuck “in between” the configuration of “the sync client for Outlook” and “not the sync client for Outlook”.  Configuring the CRM client in Outlook on another device and setting it to be the sync device, removing the setting assigning this feature to the user’s Exchange account through one device (terminal server), reassigning to a second device (test PC) and then assigning it back to the terminal server profile, stopped the Outlook in terminal server from crashing when the CRM client was enabled.

Beringer Associates is always here to provide expert knowledge on topics like these. Please contact us with any questions you may have.