Can only use Outlook Express but not Outlook with Earthlink

I have a Dell computer with MS Office factory-installed,
and have never been able to make MS Outlook 2002 work for
e-mail. My ISP is Earthlink, and both their software
(TotalAccess) and MS Outlook Express work.

When attempting to send or receive e-mail with Outlook, I
receive the error message "The operation failed. An
object could not be found." I have uninstalled and
reinstalled Office. I have downloaded XP and Office
patches and upgrades from the Net. I have set up a new
profile (per MS knowledge base article 312354), but still
no joy. When attempting to test account settings, I
receive the following error messages:

o Send test e-mail message: Specified server
found, but no response from server. Verify port and SSL
information are correct.
 Log onto incoming mail server
(POP3).Verify port
and SSL information are correct.
o Find incoming mail server.Verify port and SSL
information are correct.
o Find outgoing mail server.Verify port and SSL
information are correct.

I have checked (and double-checked along with my ISP rep)
that the port and SSL information are correct. The test
message goes out (despite Office's insistence that it
doesn't) and is received by both Outlook Express and
TotalAccess.

In addition, when I imported my address book from
TotalAccess, it transferred with no problem into
Contacts, but I cannot enable it as the address book.

Any suggestions?

Thank you.