Sql Mail And Outlook 2000

I'm trying to set up Sql Mail using Outlook 2000 and the only way I can get a message sent is to have the Outlook client open at the time I start Sql Mail. Sql Mail will start regardless of the profile chosen even if it is blank, but if the Outlook client was not running at the time I started Sql Mail then while executing xp_sendmail I get "Server: Msg 17914, Level 18, State 1, Line 0 Unknown recipient: Parameter '@recipients', recipient 'jcorriveau@homeruns.com'"

Regardless of the Outlook client status or profile setup when performing a MAPI profile test, <SQL MAIL><Properties><Test>, I receive "SQL-DMO(ODBC SQLState: 42000) Error 22030: A MAPI error(error number 273) occurred.:Unable to get the default MAPI Message Store due to MAPI error 273:The information store could not be opened."

I've setup Sql Mail and Outlook 97/98 clients in the past and have not had to have the client open when starting Sql Mail. I've read most of the technet and knowledge base articles and the only ref I can find to this problem is a note in Q248431 "note that outlook 2000 or another configured MAPI client must be started before xp_startmail is executed." Was this the case in Outlook 97/98?

The Exchange server is in another domain. I think it's version 5.5. I'm using my domain account and profile to setup Sql Mail. I can send and receive mail fine using Outlook 2000. There is a Password dialog box that appears when starting the Outlook client prompting for User Name, Domain Name, and Password. I have not been able to create a profile that gets around this dialog box. Is this an Exchange server setting? If so, is it a server wide setting or can it be disabled per mail account?

Any help with this will be appreciated. Thanks, Jim