Outlook 'Requesting data from the server' causes laptop to freeze

Question

Outlook 'Requesting data from the server' causes laptop to freeze

Anonymous

Hi,
Hoping someone can help.

I have a user who is using Classic Outlook on a Dell 5440 laptop running Windows 10. Also has the rest of O365 installed.

He has a regular problem with outlook where the status bar at the bottom (where it normally says 'All folders are up to date. Connected to: Microsoft Exchange) will say Requesting data from the server and an egg timer icon appears. This can last a number of minutes and whilst it does this, the laptop is completely frozen. Any Teams calls which are in progress will be ended and the user is unable to use the laptop until it unfreezes.

This happens multiple times per day when the user is working from home, but less often when he works in our office.

We have tried:

O365 offline repair

Full Office 365 reinstall

Turning off offline file cache

Replaced the laptop

We also advised changing his ISP.

None of which has made any difference. The main challenge we have is that when it occurs in our office, it usually only lasts a matter of 2 - 3 minutes and so by the time he's brought it to us, it's corrected itself - in essence we cannot replicate the fault ourselves.

Has anyone seen an issue like this before? I find it really bizarre that the issue followed him to a new device.

Thanks

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2 answers

Answer 1

Hi,

I can share some info on here. Unfortunately I cannot share any full screenshots due to company policy.

Are you using a VPN when working from home? If so, does disabling it improve the situation?

User sometimes uses VPN when at home; the issue is less prominent when connected to VPN and lasts less time. Worse when user is working exclusively on home network without VPN.

Have you tested Outlook while connected to a different network (e.g., mobile hotspot or another ISP)?

Yes - issue still occurs both on corporate network and at home.

Can you run ping -t outlook.office365.com and tracert outlook.office365.com when the issue occurs, copy the output and share with us?

The first one failed to get a response. The second managed two hops succesfully, hops 3 - 20 did not get a response.

Is Cached Exchange Mode enabled in Outlook? (File > Account Settings > Data Files > Cached Mode)

Yes

Have you tried reducing the email sync period (e.g., only syncing the last 3 months of emails)?

It's set to 3 months as standard.

Does Outlook work normally in Safe Mode (outlook.exe /safe)?

I'll ask the user to test this.

Could you please collect the event logs from affected machine before collecting the log, please reproduce the scenario.

As previously stated we cannot reproduce the scenario at will. I did download some application logs which I will try to send but these were not obtained during the incident.

On windows search write Event Viewer, Select Windows Logs > Application > Save All Events as

**** I have these

Also, from Applications and service logs > Microsoft > Microsoft Service Alerts > Save All Events as

The Microsoft Service Alerts folder does not exist.

Could you confirm which product and version of Outlook you are currently using? To obtain your Outlook version and product details:

For Classic Outlook: Navigate to File > Office Account.

Microsoft Outlook for Microsoft 365 MSO (Version 2401 Build 16.0.18429.20132) 32-Bit

Version 2501 18429.20200) Monthly Enterprise Channel

Answer 2

Hello Alex_NTL,

Good day! Thank you for posting to Microsoft Community.

Before moving forward, could you allow me to gather information below to narrow down your specific scenario?

Are you using a VPN when working from home? If so, does disabling it improve the situation?
Have you tested Outlook while connected to a different network (e.g., mobile hotspot or another ISP)?
Can you run ping -t outlook.office365.com and tracert outlook.office365.com when the issue occurs, copy the output and share with us?
Is Cached Exchange Mode enabled in Outlook? (File > Account Settings > Data Files > Cached Mode)
Have you tried reducing the email sync period (e.g., only syncing the last 3 months of emails)?
Does Outlook work normally in Safe Mode (outlook.exe /safe)?
Could you please collect the event logs from affected machine before collecting the log, please reproduce the scenario. On windows search write Event Viewer, Select Windows Logs > Application > Save All Events as Also, from Applications and service logs > Microsoft > Microsoft Service Alerts > Save All Events as
Could you confirm which product and version of Outlook you are currently using? To obtain your Outlook version and product details:
- For Classic Outlook: Navigate to File > Office Account.
Take a screenshot of the entire page and share it with us. Reference: What version of Outlook do I have?

Providing this information will help us to gain a better understanding of the issue.

If you share the information requested above, it will help us for future consultation.

Please note that my initial response may not resolve your current situation immediately. However, with your help and more detailed information, we can work together to find a particular direction of your current situation.

Note: Due to forum policy and to protect sensitive information, please share with me above some requested screenshot information in "View Private messages".

Here are the steps to open "View private messages":

To view private messaging options> Sign in to Microsoft Community, use the email account where you posted this thread information to Microsoft Community, > click your profile picturein the top right, > select the My Profile option.

I will look forward to your next update on this in a private message. I will provide you further guidance accordingly.

Sincerely

Feroz Mahmud | Microsoft Community Moderator

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Outlook 'Requesting data from the server' causes laptop to freeze

2 answers