32-bit mail program on 64-bit Win7

[dare978devil]

Hello,

I can't figure out this behaviour for the life of me. I was presented with a problem from a customer which I was easily able to duplicate. They have 64-bit Win7 running 32-bit Lotus Notes. When they go into Windows Explorer and pick a file, they right-click, choose "Send To - Mail Recipient" and an error message comes up as described in this Microsoft technote (entitled Figure 1) :

Building MAPI Applications on 32-Bit and 64-Bit Platforms
(My error message and that of the customer says the same thing, but instead of asking for Outlook, it asks to install an email program)

Since Lotus Notes is a 32-bit client, everything seemed as it should. There was a 64-bit MAPI call being made by the OS which the 32-bit client was unable to respond to, so I had duplicated the reported problem. The Microsoft technote confirmed that this should not work (with the odd exception of using fixmapi.exe).

I had the problem escalated to see if there was anything we could do for this customer, and Level 3 support are unable to duplicate the problem. They are running Win7x64 on a VMWare image. I have verified that L3 are running a 64-bit version in Control Panel - System (OS comes up as Windows 7 Enterprise, and System Type comes up as 64-bit Operating System) and IBM does not make a 64-bit version of Notes. So I am stumped, how could it possibly work for L3? In case anyone wants to try it, you don't specifically need a Notes client, any 32-bit mail client will do.

1). Verify you have a 64-bit Win7 install via Start - Control Panel - System. There is an entry entitled "System Type". It needs to say "64-bit Operating System".

2). Next, install a Notes client or any 32-bit mail client.

3). Then, go to Start - Default Programs - Set your Default Programs. Find Lotus Notes Mail in the list, and select "Set this program as default". That will make the 3 elements Notes uses to make Notes your default mail system.

4). Then go to Explorer, pick any file at all, and right-click. Choose "Send To - Mail Recipient". It won't work.

Then to complete the test, install 64-bit Thunderbird and make it the default mail client, and boom, it works. So the question is, how in the world did L3 make this work with a 32-bit Notes client? No one can figure it out, so we can't tell the customer how to make it work.

DD.

 

[roncerr]

Even with all 32-bit (mail and Win7 OS) the default selections can get lost. I go to Default Programs and choose the bottom one, within that choose "custom", and then instead of leaving it at "my current..." specifically select the email and browser you want to use. It'll stick for a while until it doesn't.

 

[dare978devil]

OK, tks, but I was wondering if anyone could explain how the labs could possibly be saying they can make this work with 32-bit mail on 64-bit OS. As far as I can see, and as far as I read that Microsoft technote, it just won't work. A 64-bit MAPI DLL call is made, and 32-bit MAPI cannot respond.

It's not that the default progs have been lost, it's that it can't find a default prog to respond to a 64-bit MAPI call because there isn't one.

DD.

 

[Capt.Jack Sparrow]

Hello DD,

I tested with Outlook 2010 32-Bit and Windows 7 64-Bit and works fine. I use 32-Bit Outlook is because a add-in i used for work requires Outlook to be 32-Bit so technically it should work. What version of Lotus Notes ?

IBM - Support for Notes 8.5.1 Fix Pack 1 and above on Windows 7, Snow Leopard (Mac OS X 10.6), and RHEL 5.4


- Captain

 

[dare978devil]

Ah, you are starting to make me think that I have duplicated the customer's problem, but that there is a solution.

It is Lotus Notes 8.5.2. It is supported on Win7 64-bit, but the only feature the customer is complaining about is this right-click, Send To - Mail Recipient from Windows Explorer. So you are saying 32-bit Outlook actually starts and drops the attachment into a new mail when you do that?

Thanks,
DD.

 

[Capt.Jack Sparrow]

Ah, you are starting to make me think that I have duplicated the customer's problem, but that there is a solution.

It is Lotus Notes 8.5.2. It is supported on Win7 64-bit, but the only feature the customer is complaining about is this right-click, Send To - Mail Recipient from Windows Explorer. So you are saying 32-bit Outlook actually starts and drops the attachment into a new mail when you do that?

Thanks,
DD.

Yes ! With Outlook 32-Bit works fine. Maybe it just simple as setting the Default Program types in Control Panel

These are the values Lotus notes need to set to open (In screenshot instead of Outlook pick Lotus Notes)



Hope this helps,
Captain

 

[dare978devil]

I've tried resetting the default mail program, and I have verified the registry entries against what a "good" platform should show. I am now convinced that this should work, and that I (and the customer) have the problem.

Any other ideas what could possibly be preventing this from working?

 

[ranis1]

Hi. what did you do to resolve this issue?
As I am experiencing the exact problem, we use lotus notes v8.5.3 and are in the process of a Windows 7 upgrade and have noticed the 'send via email' option fails, I have set lotus notes as the default email programme as mentioned in previous emails, reformated h/d and started from scratch but still getting the same issue.

Appreeciate any help, thanks.

 

[ranis1]

Found the solution from Lotus Notes forum, here's the answer incase anyone else has this issue:

The launch program can not find the dll "MSVCR71.DLL" in the Windows system directory.

Solution:
On 64 bit Windows 7: Copy DLL MSVCR71.DLL from Notes Executable directory and paste it into this directory: C:\Windows\SysWOW64
On 32 bit Windows 7: Copy DLL MSVCR71.DLL from Notes Executable directory and paste it into this directory C:\ Windows\system32