Automail Troubleshooting

automail-troubleshooting

Automail Troubleshooting

14th November 2025

This topic looks at general issues with AutoMail and how to resolve them.

It is advisable to check that it is not just one template with the issue. Test this by generating a number of different letters and if the issue is only with one template, recreate that template. If the issue is with all the templates then follow the steps below.

Make sure Word isn’t running in the background

1. Right-click on the task bar and click Task Manager (or press ctrl + alt + delete and click Task Manager).
2. Click the Processes tab.
3. If there is a process called winword.exe is listed right-click and select End process.

Disable word COM-addins

It is also advisable to disable any COM-addins currently running in Word as these have been known to cause issues when running mail merging software, for example, Virtual Cabinet.

1. Open word (outside of AutoMail).
2. Click File.
3. Click Options.
4. Click Add ins.
5. Manage COM Add-ins & click Go.
6. De-select the relevant add ins and click OK.

Remove background printing

1. Open Word outside of AutoMail.
2. Click File.
3. Click Options.
4. Click Advanced.
5. Scroll down to the Print options and de-select background printing.

Configuring Word features to ‘run all from my computer’

1. Click Start.
2. Click Control panel.
3. Click Add/remove programs (or programs and features or uninstall a program).
4. Locate the office installation.
5. Right-click and select Change.
6. Select Add or Remove features.
7. Click on the Microsoft Word drop-down and select ‘Run all from My Computer‘ and click Continue.

Reinstall the IRIS Workstation

1. On the desktop, right-click on the IRIS icon.
2. Select Open file location (if you do not have this option click properties and find target).
3. Minimise this window as it will be needed later.
4. Click Start.
5. Click Control panel.
6. Click Add/remove programs (or programs and features or uninstall a program).
7. Right-click ‘iris practice software workstation‘ and click Uninstall.
8. Click Next through all the options.
9. Open the previously minimised windows explorer window.
10. Double-click the file ‘setup.exe‘ and click Next through all the options.

Run a repair of Microsoft word

1. Click Start.
2. Control panel.
3. Click Add/remove programs (or programs and features or uninstall a program)
4. Locate the office installation.
5. Right-click and click Change.
6. Select Repair and click Continue.
7. Once the Repair has finished restart the computer.

If the steps above fail to resolve the issue, the problem could be with the installation of Word. Reinstall Microsoft office on the computer. This is only advisable after following all the above steps.

Run a full reinstall of Microsoft Office

1. Click Start.
2. Control panel.
3. Click Add/remove programs (or programs and features or uninstall a program).
4. Locate the office installation.
5. Right-click and select uninstall.
6. Once Office has been uninstalled, proceed through the Microsoft ‘Manually Uninstall Microsoft Office’ guidance relevant to your Office installation version and type.
   Manually uninstall Office – Microsoft Support