Found this on the net one day and thought it would make a great Tek-Tip.
Having trouble getting MS Outlook to start up? Is MS Outlook not completely shutting down when closed? There are a variety of causes but typically, it involves a corrupted file of some kind. The tip lists several fixes to get your MS Outlook program back on track.
Obviously, the problem of Outlook not starting is worse than not closing! If Outlook will not start, try to get it to open in "safe" mode by selecting Run from the Start Menu and typing: outlook /safe If Outlook loads, at least you can now send/receive e-Mail, view your Calendar, etc. If Outlook does NOT start in safe mode, skip ahead to the last solution listed and work backward to the first solution.
Try the solutions listed below if Outlook only loads in safe mode or has trouble completly closing:
Corrupted Outlook Start Up Files:
1. Completely close down MS Outlook. Make sure it is really closed by using ctrl-alt-del buttons from the keyboard to bring up a list or all running programs. Make sure that outlook does not appear in this list. If so, highlight it and choose the "End Task" button.
2. Using the Find command from the Start Menu, locate the following three files and rename (using right-click) the .dat file extension to .old file extension:
extend.dat rename to extend.old
outcmd.dat rename to outcmd.old
views.dat rename to views.old Don't worry about renaming these files. Outlook creates new versions of these files the next time it loads.
3. Launch and close Outlook to see if your problem has been fixed.
Corrupted Outlook Personal Folder File:
Sometimes your folders or files in your folders get corrupted and Outlook has trouble loading or closing. There is a "folder repair tool" to fix this problem, however, its location is not obvious.
1. Use the Find command from the Start Menu and search for: scanpst.exe
2. Run the program once it is found.
3. Launch and close Outlook to see if your problem has been fixed.
Corrupted Outlook Add-In Program:
1. Start MS Outlook.
2. Go to: Tools > Options > Other > Advanced > Add-In Manager
3. Uncheck ALL boxes.
4. Close Outlook and then restart Outlook.
5. Repeat the above procedure and check only one box this time. Close Outlook and restart.
6. Keep doing this until you figure out which check box add-in is causing the problem.
MS Office Detect & Repair Tool
If the above solutions did not help you, you may have some other corrupted files that MS Outlook is trying to load. You might be able to fix these files using the Office Detect & Repair Tool. You will be prompted for your Office CD ROM so have it in hand before you begin.
1. Go to: Start Menu > Control Panel > Add Remove Programs
2. Click on Microsoft Office.
3. Click the Add/Remove button.
4. Choose Repair from the choices.
Good luck!
ALSO, go into Control Panel/Mail, Properties on Personal Folders and Compact.
A computer lets you make more mistakes faster than any invention in human history - with the possible exceptions of handguns and tequila.-Mitch Ratcliffe
The most likely way for the world to be destroyed, most experts agree, is by accident. That's where we come in; we're computer professionals. We cause accidents.-Nathaniel Borenstein
Having trouble getting MS Outlook to start up? Is MS Outlook not completely shutting down when closed? There are a variety of causes but typically, it involves a corrupted file of some kind. The tip lists several fixes to get your MS Outlook program back on track.
Obviously, the problem of Outlook not starting is worse than not closing! If Outlook will not start, try to get it to open in "safe" mode by selecting Run from the Start Menu and typing: outlook /safe If Outlook loads, at least you can now send/receive e-Mail, view your Calendar, etc. If Outlook does NOT start in safe mode, skip ahead to the last solution listed and work backward to the first solution.
Try the solutions listed below if Outlook only loads in safe mode or has trouble completly closing:
Corrupted Outlook Start Up Files:
1. Completely close down MS Outlook. Make sure it is really closed by using ctrl-alt-del buttons from the keyboard to bring up a list or all running programs. Make sure that outlook does not appear in this list. If so, highlight it and choose the "End Task" button.
2. Using the Find command from the Start Menu, locate the following three files and rename (using right-click) the .dat file extension to .old file extension:
extend.dat rename to extend.old
outcmd.dat rename to outcmd.old
views.dat rename to views.old Don't worry about renaming these files. Outlook creates new versions of these files the next time it loads.
3. Launch and close Outlook to see if your problem has been fixed.
Corrupted Outlook Personal Folder File:
Sometimes your folders or files in your folders get corrupted and Outlook has trouble loading or closing. There is a "folder repair tool" to fix this problem, however, its location is not obvious.
1. Use the Find command from the Start Menu and search for: scanpst.exe
2. Run the program once it is found.
3. Launch and close Outlook to see if your problem has been fixed.
Corrupted Outlook Add-In Program:
1. Start MS Outlook.
2. Go to: Tools > Options > Other > Advanced > Add-In Manager
3. Uncheck ALL boxes.
4. Close Outlook and then restart Outlook.
5. Repeat the above procedure and check only one box this time. Close Outlook and restart.
6. Keep doing this until you figure out which check box add-in is causing the problem.
MS Office Detect & Repair Tool
If the above solutions did not help you, you may have some other corrupted files that MS Outlook is trying to load. You might be able to fix these files using the Office Detect & Repair Tool. You will be prompted for your Office CD ROM so have it in hand before you begin.
1. Go to: Start Menu > Control Panel > Add Remove Programs
2. Click on Microsoft Office.
3. Click the Add/Remove button.
4. Choose Repair from the choices.
Good luck!
ALSO, go into Control Panel/Mail, Properties on Personal Folders and Compact.
A computer lets you make more mistakes faster than any invention in human history - with the possible exceptions of handguns and tequila.-Mitch Ratcliffe
The most likely way for the world to be destroyed, most experts agree, is by accident. That's where we come in; we're computer professionals. We cause accidents.-Nathaniel Borenstein