Fix Issues Related To PDL In Microsoft Outlook

Microsoft Office Suite is a powerful set of productivity tools that includes applications like MS Word, MS Excel, PowerPoint, MS Outlook etc. that help enhance your work efficiency and productivity.  Individually, these applications stand out as separate programs in terms of use and features, but they are mutually integrated to make it more flexible to use.
Let us take the case of Microsoft Outlook email client application. MS Outlook uses MS Word as a document editor instead of having a separate document editing program for email communication. However, in certain cases, errors occur while using Outlook messages generated from MS Word, specifically when using Personal Distribution Lists (PDL) to address email communication.

Personal Distribution Lists (PDLs)

When you are required to send emails to a large group of people, and require each email to be formatted individually for specific recipients, Outlook makes use of PDLs, which are included in the Office application, for this purpose. When you use a PDL, each person in the group receives a direct email from you, formatted with their name in the text of the message.
Below mentioned are some common Outlook PDL issues and the associated Outlook help guidelines.

• Error due to missing or moved PDLs

Error can occur when a PDL is moved or deleted and Outlook messages still refer to it. Usually this error is generated by Word, which is the text editor for the email. You can easily solve this problem by pointing Outlook to the new location of the PDL. First you need to delete the PDL listed in the “To:” box in the message and then click on the “Send To” button and browse to the new location of your PDL. Click to select it and press OK. Outlook will now use the correct PDL and will send the message successfully.

• Fix error using Hotfix 

It was identified that a bug was responsible for the display of the error message "an unexpected error has occurred" in Outlook 2003 and 2007, when sending an email to multiple PDLs. To fix this issue, Microsoft has developed a software patch called Hotfix for each version of Microsoft Office affected. You can download this Hotfix, and install it on your computer to fix the issue caused by this particular bug.

• Disable Compatibility Mode

Outlook may return "an unexpected error has occurred" when running in a compatibility mode on Windows XP. To resolve this problem, browse to the location of the Outlook.exe file. It will be located in C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office [Version Number] where [Version Number] is the numeral identifier for your version of Microsoft Office. Right click on the Outlook.exe file, and click on the tab labeled Compatibility. Deselect the checkbox next to Run in compatibility mode. Click OK and then open Outlook normally. This should fix the issue.
If you still have any doubts or need further assistance, go through the Outlook Help menu or visit Microsoft Support Center and get your doubts cleared.