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RESOLUTION

To resolve this behavior, remove the user account information from the Protected Storage System Provider subkey and re-enter your password options. To do this, use the following steps for your operating system: WARNING: If you use Registry Editor incorrectly, you may cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that you can solve problems that result from using Registry Editor incorrectly. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.

Microsoft Windows 98

IMPORTANT: Do not remove the main Protected Storage System Provider key. This key is not automatically regenerated. If you are not having password retention problems and you do not remember your password, deleting the user subkey may result in not being able to retrieve your messages.

Use the following steps if your password is not being retained:

1. Quit all running programs.
2. Click Start, click Run, and in the Open box, type regedit, and then click OK.
3. Locate to the following registry subkey:

   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Protected Storage System Provider

4. Click the plus sign (+) next to Protected Storage System Provider, right-click the user subkey, and then click Delete. If user profiles are enabled on the computer, individual user subkey folders will be found at the following registry key:

   HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Protected Storage System Provider\

   If all users are experiencing the same difficulty, delete the subkey folders for all users. The subkey is regenerated the next time that the user logs on.
   
   
5. On the Registry menu, click Exit, and then restart the computer.
6. Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
7. Double-click the Mail or Mail and Fax icon.
8. Click Internet E-mail in the services list, and then click Properties.
9. On the Server tab, enter the password, and then click to select Remember Password. Click Apply, and then click OK.
10. Start Outlook, and on the Tools menu, click Send and Receive to test if your password is retained.

NOTE: If user profiles are enabled on the computer and you deleted the Protected Storage System Provider subkey for other users, re-enter the password, and then select the Remember Password for those profiles. Each user may need to log on to re-apply their password settings.

Microsoft Windows NT 4.0

If you are a Windows NT 4.0 user, you must have administrator permissions to edit the system registry.

IMPORTANT: Do not remove the main Protected Storage System Provider subkey. This subkey is not automatically regenerated. If you are not having password retention problems, and you do not remember your password, deleting the user subkey may result in not being able to retrieve your messages.

Use the following steps if your password is not being retained:

1. Quit all running programs.
2. Click Start, click Run, and in the Open box, type regedt32, and then click OK.
3. On the Window menu, click HKEY_CURRENT_USER on Local Machine, and then locate the following registry subkey:

   HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Protected Storage System Provider

4. Click Protected Storage System Provider.
5. On the Security menu, click Permissions.
6. In Registry Key Permissions, click to select Replace Permission on Existing Subkeys.
7. In the Name box, verify that the user that is currently logged on has Full Control access, and then click OK.
8. Click Yes when you receive the following prompt:

   Do you want to replace the permission on all existing subkeys within Protected Storage System Provider?

9. Click to select the user subkey folder, and then press DELETE. If other Windows NT users have the same password retention problem, delete the subkey folder for those users also.
   
   
10. On the Registry menu, click Exit, and then restart the computer.
11. Click Start, click Settings, and then click Control Panel.
12. Double-click the Mail or Mail and Fax icon.
13. Click to select Internet E-mail in the services list, and then click Properties.
14. On the Server tab, enter the password, click to select Remember Password, click Apply, and then click OK.
15. Start Outlook and on the Tools menu, click Send and Receive, to test if your password is retained.

NOTE: If other Windows NT users are having password retention problems, re-enter the password and select Remember Password for those profiles. Each user may need to log on to re-apply their password settings.

Microsoft Windows 2000

If you are a Windows 2000 user, you must have administrator permissions to edit the system registry.

IMPORTANT: Do not remove the main Protected Storage System Provider subkey. This subkey is not automatically regenerated. If you are not having password retention problems, and you do not remember your password, deleting the user subkey may result in not being able to retrieve your messages.

Use the following steps if your password is not being retained:

1. Quit all programs.
2. Click Start, click Run, and in the Open box, type regedt32 and then click OK.
3. On the Window menu, click HKEY_CURRENT_USER on Local Machine, and then locate the following registry subkey:

   HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Protected Storage System Provider

4. Click Protected Storage System Provider.
5. On the Security menu, click Permissions.
6. In the Permissions for Protected Storage System Provider window, under the Security tab, click the Advanced button.
7. In the Access Control Settings for Protected Storage System Provider window, under the Permissions tab, click to select the Reset Permissions for all child objects and enable propagation of inheritable permissions check box, and then click OK.
8. Click Yes when you receive the following prompt:

   This will remove explicitly defined permission on all child objects and enable propagation of inheritable permissions to those child objects. Only inheritable permissions propagated from Protected Storage System Provider will take effect. Do you wish to continue?

9. Click OK to close all windows to get back to Registry Editor.
10. Double-click to expand the Protected Storage System Provider folder, click to select the user subkey folder (which usually starts with an "S" and has some long set of numbers separated by hyphens), and then press DELETE.
    
    If multiple users use this machine then you will find multiple subkeys, if those users have the same password retention problem, delete the subkey folder for those users also. This will not delete any account information and will only reset some permission related to password retention issue.
11. On the Registry menu, click Exit, and then restart the computer.
12. After the computer restarts, click Start, click Settings, and then click Control Panel.
13. Double-click the Mail or "Mail" icon.
14. Click to select Show Profiles, and then click Properties for the selected Internet Account.
15. On the Server tab, type the password, click to select Remember Password, click Apply, and then click OK.
16. Start Outlook. On the Tools menu, click Send and Receive, to test if your password is retained.

NOTE: If other Windows NT users are having password retention problems, re-enter the password and select Remember Password for those profiles. Each user may need to log on to re-apply their password settings.