CRM Outlook client won't go back online; IE CRM client closes abruptly

When using the outlook client for MS CRM 3.0, and trying to click the Go Online button, you may get an error message saying:

“Microsoft CRM cannot go online. The Microsoft CRM server was not found.”

Often when this is the case, you are also unable to access CRM directly through Internet Explorer. You can confirm this is the problem by opening a new Internet Explorer window, typing the name of your CRM server in the address bar (usually just “crm”), and clicking “Go.” IE will resize for a split-second and then just abruptly disappear.

First of all, make sure of the following:

1. That you are connected to the LAN and logged in to the Windows domain
2. That the url of your CRM server is in your “Trusted Sites” list in Internet Explorer, and that the security level for “Trusted Sites” is set to “Low”.

What’s happening is that IE has cached a username/password combo for the CRM server that is incorrect. It fails in the background, and gives up without ever letting you know what happened or giving you a chance to enter it correctly.

To fix it:

1. Go to Control Panel → User Accounts. Click the Advanced tab, and click “Manage Passwords”.
2. If we’re on the right track, you will see an entry for the CRM server among the list of stored passwords. Go ahead and delete it.