[Office 2016] Search cannot complete the indexing of your Outlook data

Anonymous
2017-06-16T00:40:40+00:00

Have various Outlook 2016 search problem recently, but couldn't solve the latest one. User is on Windows 7

What happen:

Everytime the user starts the Outlook, it will give this warning.

Search cannot complete the indexing of your Outlook data. Indexing cannot continue for C:\Users\xxxxx\Documents\Outlook Files\xxxxxx.pst (error=0x81404005). If this error continues, contact Microsoft Support.

Search will works, but will not index any new incoming emails

If user close the Outlook and start again, it gives the same warning again, and previous unindex emails will be indexed. But subsequently new incoming emails will not be indexed again until the next Outlook restart.

We have tried:

  1. rebuild the index
  2. create a new mail profile
  3. move the pst to the totally new pst
  4. update Office to latest version 1705, Build 8201.2102
  5. run a repair Office

still having the same problem.

any suggestion?

Microsoft 365 Insider | Outlook | Windows

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Anonymous
2017-06-16T13:54:50+00:00

Update: With the help from Richard Batty here, we located the offending update that causes this problem. On Windows 7, the update is KB4022719, on Windows 10 it's KB4022715.

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  1. Anonymous
    2017-06-23T20:59:05+00:00

    The search issue is being tracked in this document (Issue #5), https://support.office.com/en-us/article/Outlook-known-issues-in-the-June-2017-security-updates-3f6dbffd-8505-492d-b19f-b3b89369ed9b?ui=en-US&rs=en-US&ad=US.  Windows will be releasing a Windows Update fix for it on 6/27.  

    There is a workaround in the document to stop Outlook using Windows Search and rather use the legacy built-in search.  Its slower and less feature rich but will work in the interim.  I posted the reg key workaround here if it saves time manually add it in, https://1drv.ms/f/s!AobSYdEz_BdhhrZ0HtSxgApkhHDvEg.  Use Disable key for now and after fix comes out use the Enable key to put it back to Windows Search.

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  2. Anonymous
    2017-06-16T14:52:35+00:00

    I've had this issue arise from an updated Windows 10 PC as well.

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  3. Anonymous
    2017-06-16T13:06:00+00:00

    I have this error on over 20 PCs by now... Disaster!!! Started only a couple of days ago. Microsoft look into it urgently!!! PLEEEASE!

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  4. Anonymous
    2017-06-16T01:35:14+00:00

    I have the same error, but I search email from my pst file, why I get the error shows that my ost file.

    Indexing cannot continue for C:\Users\xxxxx\Documents\Outlook Files\xxxxxx.ost (error=0x81404005).

    also, I search other key words without hyphen(such as old horse, but cannot old-horse), then it can work, what's wrong with it.

    thank you

    ma Gen Qun

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