Question:
When I use the Outlook 98 Inbox Assistant to “reply to mail sent to me using a specific template,” it starts an e-mail ping-pong/volleying situation when the Internet recipient is also using an autoresponder. Automatic replies on the Exchange Server are enabled, which I want them to be.

The Exchange Server is NT SP 4, Exchange Server SP 2. Is there any way to set up Outlook 98 and/or the Exchange Server to check if it has already sent the autoreply to the Internet recipient, and not to resend over-and-over again, causing the mail-looping problem?

Answer:
The solution to your problem is to use the Rules Wizard instead of the Inbox Assistant. The Rules Wizard, by design, will only send a “reply using a specific template” to a user once during a session.

To install it, go to Tools | Options | Other | Advanced and click the “Add-in Manager.” If you see Rules Wizard listed there, check the box in front of it to turn it on. If not, click Install and look for Rwiz1.ecf. Select it and click Open, then “OK” your way back out.

The first time you run the Rules Wizard (from the Tools menu) it’ll prompt you to convert your Inbox Assistant rules.