Win2k3 Terminal Server - recent patches caused hyperlinks in Outlook 2003 to not work

The following 2 MS articles have resolved similar issues for others. You may want to have a look at them. The second is a similar situation but different error reported.
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/299965
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/310049

Thanks RobWill
The links are useful, and appear to sort-of relate to our problem, but the first link is for Office 2000 while the second relates to a different error message.

My guess is that one of yesterday's patches to our Win2k3 Terminal Server made changes to our Universal naming convention (UNC) networking components to allow us to open hyperlinks that use UNC connections. For example, we use hyperlinks in Outlook 2003 emails linking to Microsoft Word documents on a shared (mapped) network drive using the format file:///H:/foldername/subfoldername/filename .

To verify whether UNC networking components are installed, I browsed directly to the same network location from the Windows Start menu, and received the same "file not found" error message.

The MS patches I applied yesterday are less than 6 months old, and relate to SBS2k3, Win2k3, WinnXPsp2, OfficeXP and Office 2003.

Is it possible one of these patches disabled our UNC networking components as a security measure?
Any further ideas?

How far behind were your updates. Win2K3 SP1  for instance added a lot of security features that may have enabled a security option, as opposed to 'breaking something'.

I think it probably is a security issue, rather than broken code.
The patches did not include SP1 for Win2K3, as that had already been applied some time ago.
However there were a lot of security updates, and any one of them could be the culprit.

Is there any firm conclusion to be drawn from my inability to browse directly to a desired file on a shred mapped-network location from the Windows Start menu?

I was going to suggest it might be a result of the Outlook security update that was applied to various versions, including 2003. It block links to certain applications. If your Macro was a VBS script or similar it may be blocked. This can be "fixed" by changing the registry key:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\11.0\Outlook\Security\Level1Remove
by adding the application type. if VBS  add to the value    .vbs   separate extensions with a semi-colon such as .mdb;.exe;.vbs
Before doing so check the outlook tool bar under help | About MS Outlook | Security mode: User controlled. If not "user controlled" it is controlled by Exchange and will have to be changed within Exchange itself.

However you are saying you cannot even open or browse to the file with Explorer ? Do you get an error message ?

The outlook security mode is set to "default".
I must have made an error typing a filename into the "run" dialogue box from the start menu, because I cannot reproduce the error this way now.  In other words, I can browse to files on a mapped network share using Explorer.

The macro is VBA in Outlook 2003 - here is the code:

Sub AddFileLink()
    Dim olkMailItem As Outlook.MailItem, _
        objFSO As Object, _
        strLink As String
    If Application.ActiveInspector.CurrentItem.Class = olMail Then
        'The parameters below are dialog-box title and initial directory.  You can change them at will.
        strFile = FileOpenDialog("Add File Link", "H:\")
        If strFile <> "" Then
            Set olkMailItem = Application.ActiveInspector.CurrentItem
            Set objFSO = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
            strLink = "<a href=file://" & Replace(strFile, " ", "%20") & ">" & objFSO.GetFileName(strFile) & "</a><br>"
            olkMailItem.HTMLBody = strLink & olkMailItem.HTMLBody
        End If
    End If
    Set objFSO = Nothing
    Set olkMailItem = Nothing
End Sub


So... by a process of elimination; this appears to be an Exchange/Outlook security issue.
Can you please help me to fix this within Exchange?
Please list all steps (including how to back up registry etc) as I am a total Exchange novice.
Thanks.

Reading a little further, apparently you cannot change this in Exchange, as outlined in:
http://searchexchange.techtarget.com/tip/0,289483,sid43_gci1052365,00.html
I would recomend giving the registry change above a shot. If you are not familiar with editing the registry it would be a good idea to have a look at the following Microsoft link. It will actually walk you through editing, backing up, and restoring the registry:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/322756

However, you really only need to back up the key you are editing.
-Open the registry editor by entering in the start/run box  regedit, then browse to the key in the left window:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\11.0\Outlook\Security\
-To back up the current configuration right click on the "Security" folder and choose export. Enter a name and save it somewhere.
-If you want to restore this setting just double click on your saved .reg file
-Now in the right hand window look for an item named Level1Remove. If it exists skip the next part.
-If it doesn't exist right click in the right window and choose new / string value, then enter Level1Remove as the name. Must be typed exactly the same.
-Now right click on Level1Remove and choose modify. In the value field add  .vbs (don't forget the period in front)  if there are already values there  use  ;.vbs  to add it to the end of the list of file types.  (vbs = Visual Basic Script)
-Might not hurt to also add  .wsh as well, at least as a test. (wsh = Windows Scripting Host)

Hi RobWill
I tried ths regedit on our terminal server, and rebooted it - no change.
Can you suggest anything else?

I've been going mad trying to consistently reproduce the problem - the original macro always inserts the link into the email, but the recipient can only sometimes open the linked document.
I had thought perhaps the different file extensions were the cause of this intermittent problem, but I have now realised that the problem only occurs when the file name is more than one word.  ie we have lots of filenames where words are separated by spaces - the recent MS patches must not like this.  Is this maybe something to do with Univeral Naming Convention?
Any ideas?

Sorry, I am out of ideas. The only thought I would have is to contact BlueDevilFan regarding the fact that you cannot use multiple word file/folder names. My scripting knowledge is almost non-existent, except a little DOS batch file writing. However, in DOS a UNC address with breaks in it, must be enclosed in quotations. Perhaps this is similar in some way with an update affecting your VBS script. BlueDevilFan may have a suggestion. He/she has an e-mail address on their profile below. Please only send a link to this questions asking if they would have a look, as opposed to asking the question within the e-mail, as requested in their profile.
https://www.experts-exchange.com/M_1311730.html

OK thanks - I have been talking with BlueDevil Fan already, and sent him the link to this thread, however it really does seem to be an issue in the way Microsoft's recent security patches have affected either Outlook 2003, or Win2K3, or maybe Exchange.

We are using Outlook 2003 through Terminal session (Win2K3 Server) as our email editor.
Interestingly, Outlook XP running on local workstations (not through terminal session, but still connected to the same LAN) has no problems with these links at all.
I also point out that the situation is the same regarding old links (from emails before last Thursday's patches) ie through terminal session/Outlook 2003 will not open old links which we know were perfectly fine before the patches.
Local Outlook XP can still open those old links, which suggests that the problem was not in the macro, but in the way Microsoft's recent security patches have affected either Outlook 2003, or Win2K3, or maybe Exchange.
For what it is worth I attach a link to my thread in the other forum:
https://www.experts-exchange.com/questions/22091610/Outlook-2003-fix-for-macro-to-browse-to-a-file-via-hyperlink.html
Any further help would be greatly appreciated.

Although that option was checked (I have now unchecked it, and restarted Outlook), it has not solved the problem.

Worth a shot. I'll keep my thinking cap on.
I am sure you are quite right that it is related to a security update. There have been numerous changes over the past year, and a few affect inserting, sending, and opening links in Outlook. That one didn't exists until Office SP2

RobWill
Thanks for everything.
BlueDevilFan solved the issue on the other post :-
https://www.experts-exchange.com/questions/22091610/Outlook-2003-fix-for-macro-to-browse-to-a-file-via-hyperlink.html

I appreciate the effort you went to for me, and I actually implemented 2 of your suggestions, so who knows - maybe you have had a hand in the fix.  BlueDevilFan took the points on the other forum, but refused them here, so I figure you should get them for effort and persistence!
Thanks.
Happy Holidays.

Thanks genders and BlueDevilFan, I appreciate that.
Actually, looking at the solution, perhaps I was on the right track with my comment above; "contact BlueDevilFan regarding .........in DOS a UNC address with breaks in it, must be enclosed in quotations".

Thanks again and I hope you too enjoy your holidays.
--Rob