I have performed all the suggestions on the Microsoft website.
I have paid for a Microsoft Technician to troubleshoot Outlook 2003 regarding Outlook not retaining my password
I have contacted Dell and the Dell Technician uninstalled "Office" and reinstalled "Office"
I have contacted our ISP and they have verified all email settings are correct.
We have created new accounts, new pst. file, Microsoft Tech made changes to registry.



Still, Outlook 2003 will not remember (or retain) my password.

Outlook Express works great and does not ask me for a password.
Thunderbird Works great, no problems

Outlook 2003 has been loaded on my PC for over 1 year with no problems --- then, Nov. 15th I began having "pop- up" asking me for my password.

There has to be someone "out there" that has a solution. The Microsoft Tech told my I would have to wait until Microsoft comes out with a "Hot Patch".

Please give your thoughts.

Thanks,
TRSmith

I am encountering the same problem you described with Outlook 2003 not retaining passwords. I too have done all the attempted fixes you have, and results are the same - NONE. Did you ever find a cure to for the problem?

TRSmith & WayneM,

What type of E-mail account are you using with Outlook? If you are using an account with a "secure" connection, it will not allow you to save a password for "security" purposes.

Let me know if it's not a secure connection.

I am not certain I understand what you mean by a "secure email account." I have looked through all the E-Mail options and I find nothing that indicates I am making my e-mail a secure account. I do NOT have SPA checked in the Internet Email Settings (POP3). My outgoing server (SMTP) requires authentication and uses the same settings as my incoming mail server. I am connecting through my LAN. The POP3 incoming server requires an encrypted connection (SSL) set at 995. The outgoing server (SMTP) also requires an encrypted connection (SSL) set at 465. My ISP is AT&T (sbcglobal.net). When I click "Test Settings" in the Internet EMail Settings (POP3) everything checks out okay. When I leave that window after clicking "Finish" and attempt to do a "Send/Receive All" I get popup windows on each of my email accounts requesting the passwords. If I enter all the passwords each time the multiple windows popup, I will send/receive my emails. Quite frustrating. I check "Save Password" on those popup windows, but that makes no difference.
Yes, it does seem to me that it is a security setting problem, but I have not found any to change. I have also checked to make sure the problem is not coming from Norton Internet Security -- it is not a NIS problem.
Do you know of another setting to check? I am able to set up Outlook 2003 on another computer on our network and it works fine -- even with my email accounts.

I'm assuming you both tried the solution:
Back up your registry and remove the user account information from the "Protected Storage System Provider" subkey. Then, reenter your password options. From Save password setting not retained in Outlook or Outlook Express - this seems to work for some.

Another trick that seems to work is going to "control panel" -> "user accounts" and then click on "manage your network passwords" on the left pane. enter your mail server's name, username and password.

The other thing that could be causing the problem is your Antiviral software scanning email. You can test this by either disabling your AVS or changing the settings so that it does not scan email, then restart.

Unfortunately this seems to be a huge issue with Outlook POP configurations.

Hope this helps point you in a direction that can be helpful.

I did do the reset of the "Protected Storage System Provider" as described in Q290684. Tried it several times. No help. Also did take my Norton Antivius out of the equation. No help. Your suggestion about managing network accounts -- I will look at my computer at the office tomorrow to see if the option is available. It does not appear on my home computer which is also running Windows XP Pro. I have not found any cure as yet.

This helped me solve some of my problem:


re: Outlook 2003 keeps asking for Network password even after Protected Storage System Fix
Wednesday, May 23, 2007 at 2:51 pm
Posted by JeePee (3 messages posted)
I also had this issue in Outlook 2003, but also in indows Live Messenger and Internet
Explorer 7.

I spend hours and hours searching the internet and could not find the solution. The
only possible solution you find on almost all forums (but does not help in most cases
is to repair the protected storage system provided registry key: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/290684.

So, here is a solution that is not even in the Microsoft knowledge base. It helped
me and hopefully many others. It was found because I new exactly when it started
to happen: after uninstalling a software program. The uninstall procedure removed
to many registry keys...


HERE WE GO...

Important: this solution contains information about how to modify the registry. Make
sure to back up the registry before you modify it. Make sure that you know how to
restore the registry if a problem occurs. View the following article in the Microsoft
Knowledge Base for information about how to back up, restore, and modify the registry:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/256986/

Follow the next steps to solve this issue:

1. Close all running programs
2. Click on [Start] » Run
3. Type "Regedit" and click [OK]
4. Open the following folder:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Curre ntVersion\Explorer\User Shell Folders
5. Now choose Edit » New » Expandable String Value
6. Enter "AppData" as a name
7. Double click the new entry
8. Enter "%USERPROFILE%\Application Data" in the value data field.
9. Close the registry editor

It is possible that additional registry keys are missing. Below is a list of all
keys that should exist in the "User Shell Folders". There are different ways to add
these keys again:
* Use the instructions provided on http://windowsxp.mvps.org/usershellfolders.htm
* Add them manually by following the steps above
* Export the keys from a computer/user on which the issue does not occur, and then
importing them again.

To export and import:
1. Logon to Windows with a user account for which the issue does not occur (this
may also be a different workstation).
2. Click on [Start] » Run
3. Type "Regedit" and click [OK]
4. Open the following folder:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Curre ntVersion\Explorer\User Shell Folders
5. Right click the "User Shell Folders" key on the left and choose "Export". Specify
a name and location of for the export file and click [Save].
6. Close the registry editor
7. Logon to Windows with the user account that experiences this issue
8. Double click on the exported registry key you created in step 5.
9. Click [Yes] when asked if you are sure to add the information, then click [OK]
for the "successfully imported" message.

Registry keys that should exist in the "User Shell Folders" key.
The list below has the format "Key Name - Value Data". The type for all keys is "Expandable
String Value" (REG_EXPAND_SZ).

* AppData - %USERPROFILE%\Application Data
* Cache - %USERPROFILE%\Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files
* Cookies - %USERPROFILE%\Cookies
* Desktop - %USERPROFILE%\Desktop
* Favorites - %USERPROFILE%\Favorites
* History - %USERPROFILE%\Local Settings\History
* Local AppData - %USERPROFILE%\Local Settings\Application Data
* Local Settings - %USERPROFILE%\Local Settings
* My Pictures - %USERPROFILE%\My Documents\My Pictures
* NetHood - %USERPROFILE%\NetHood
* Personal - %USERPROFILE%\My Documents\
* PrintHood - %USERPROFILE%\PrintHood
* Programs - %USERPROFILE%\Start Menu\Programs
* SendTo - %USERPROFILE%\SendTo
* Start Menu - %USERPROFILE%\Start Menu
* Startup - %USERPROFILE%\Start Menu\Programs\Startup
* Templates - %USERPROFILE%\Templates

MORE INFORMATION
The "User Shell Folder" is a subkey of the
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Curre ntVersion\Explorer registry. Entries
in this subkey can also appear in the "Shell Folders" subkey and in both HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
and HKEY_CURRENT_USER. The entries that appear in user User Shell Folders take precedence
over those in Shell Folders. The entries that appear in HKEY_CURRENT_USER take precedence
over those in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE.

Tpolen, Thank you SO much for that solution. I have been dealing with this issue for 2 years on my current computer. I have tried every fix that microsoft has on their site, to no avail. I have looked for solutions on countless user forums. I have removed and reinstalled Office. All to no avail.

Finally, this solved the problem. This is also the second computer this has occurred on. On the first, the only solution I eventually arrived at was a complete wipe of the hard drive and a reinstall of windows and all software. Thank you so very much!

Just this one step solved my problem.

Follow the next steps to solve this issue:

1. Close all running programs
2. Click on [Start] » Run
3. Type "Regedit" and click [OK]
4. Open the following folder:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Curre ntVersion\Explorer\User Shell Folders
5. Now choose Edit » New » Expandable String Value
6. Enter "AppData" as a name
7. Double click the new entry
8. Enter "%USERPROFILE%\Application Data" in the value data field.
9. Close the registry editor

Thank you for saving the little hair i have left.
Charlie