Can't install data file

[Thomas Bartlett]

From Windows Control Panel's 'Add & Remove Programs' icon I removed the
entire Office Enterprise 2007 suite, then reinstalled Outlook, Word, Excel,
Power Point, and Tools. But the disconcerting Reminders window kept
reappearing. I used Outlook Express to access a news group and learned to
run the 'cleanreminders' switch, but the Reminder window kept reappearing.

After speaking to someone today, I learned that Reminders are meant to be
displayed for flagged messages. That function was not active in my previous
installation of Outlook 2003, so I mistakenly thought it was due to my
having corrupted the pst file by drag-and-dropping the messages in 2007.
After I ran the cleanreminders switch, I noticed that the Reminders window
did allow me to depress the 'dismiss' and other buttons.

The above is the background to the present problem:

At an advisor's suggestion, intending to resolve the vexing distraction of
the Reminder windows, I uninstalled Outlook, but I am now unable to
re-install it. Hoping to avoid the Reminder windows, which I thought were
due to a corrupted data file somewhere (which had caused the Reminders to
reappear when I re-installed all of Office the first time, as mentioned
above), I therefore renamed a number of folders and files at the end of the
following three paths (to force the re-installation process to build new
versions):
(1) 'documents and settings / user / application data / microsoft / office'
(2) 'documents and settings / user / application data / microsoft / outlook'
(3) 'documents and settings / user / local settings / application data /
microsoft /outlook'

I then attempted a re-installation of Outlook but the Configuration process
took so long and seemed to stall, so I cancelled it. After a while, I
renamed the changed files and folders back to the original names, and
undertook again to re-install Outlook. That process began by asking if I
wanted to abort a paused previous installation, to which I said 'yes', and
so the new re-installation was satisfactorily completed.

But now I am unable to open Outlook. The first error message says 'Cannot
open your default email folders. Outlook cannot start because a data file to
send and receive email cannot be found. To add a data file, such as a
personal folder file, double click the Mail icon in Windows Control Panel'.

I attempted to do taht by clicking first on the 'email accounts' tab, then
the 'change folder' button. Then a 'new email delivery location' window
appeared, with a 'new Outlook data file' button, which I clicked. Next I
selected the 'Office Outlook Personal Folders File (pst)' option, and
clicked 'OK'. When the window opened, called 'create or open Outlook data
file', I selected the default 'Outlook' file which appeared under the path
'documents and settings / user / local settings / application data /
microsoft /outlook' .

An error message then appeared, 'The information service is not installed on
your computer'. I don't know what further I can do at this point, to
complete the configuation of Outlook. I'll appreciate very much any
informed guidance which leads to a solution. Thanks in advance.

Thomas

 

[Thomas Bartlett]

Sorry, my earlier attempt to post this message was apparently deficient;
here's the whole story.

On my old home computer with cable modem link and a home LAN, I ran Office
2003 for several years, but was unable to install it from my old disks when
I bought a new computer. But I was able to install Office 2002 on the new
computer, and ran the old pst files, created on Outlook 2003, with limited
function until I was able to buy a new set of Office 2007. When this was
installed over the 2002 version, it took over the several old pst files
which had been displayed in the 2002 installation.

I was soon surprised to see a Reminder window appear, showing email
messages, because I when working in 2003 in the past I had only seen
Reminder windows used in regard to calendar events. So I thought my using
drag and drop on two occasions to transfer messages from one pst file's
folder to another had somehow corrupted the Reminder function.

Altogether there were over 3,000 such messages included in the Reminder
windows. At first I was unable to get any response by clicking the
'dismiss', 'dismiss all', or 'snooze' buttons, and the window would not
accept my attempt to change the time setting from 5 minutes to a longer
time. I could only close the window by clicking the red 'x' at the top
right. And it kept reappearing, often causing lengthy disk activity that
displayed the hour-glass causing me to be unable to use the application.

From Windows Control Panel's 'Add & Remove Programs' icon I removed the
entire Office Enterprise 2007 suite, then reinstalled Outlook, Word, Excel,
Power Point, and Tools. But the disconcerting Reminders window kept
reappearing. I used Outlook Express to access a news group and learned to
run the 'cleanreminders' switch, but the Reminder window kept reappearing.

After speaking to someone today, I learned that Reminders are meant to be
displayed for flagged messages. That function was not active in my previous
installation of Outlook 2003, so I mistakenly thought it was due to my
having corrupted the pst file by drag-and-dropping the messages in 2007.
After I ran the cleanreminders switch, I noticed that the Reminders window
did allow me to depress the 'dismiss' and other buttons.

The above is the background to the present problem:

At an advisor's suggestion, intending to resolve the vexing distraction of
the Reminder windows, I uninstalled Outlook, but I am now unable to
re-install it. Hoping to avoid the Reminder windows, which I thought were
due to a corrupted data file somewhere (which had caused the Reminders to
reappear when I re-installed all of Office the first time, as mentioned
above), I therefore renamed a number of folders and files at the end of the
following three paths (to force the re-installation process to build new
versions):
(1) 'documents and settings / user / application data / microsoft / office'
(2) 'documents and settings / user / application data / microsoft / outlook'
(3) 'documents and settings / user / local settings / application data /
microsoft /outlook'

I then attempted a re-installation of Outlook but the Configuration process
took so long and seemed to stall, so I cancelled it. After a while, I
renamed the changed files and folders back to the original names, and
undertook again to re-install Outlook. That process began by asking if I
wanted to abort a paused previous installation, to which I said 'yes', and
so the new re-installation was satisfactorily completed.

But now I am unable to open Outlook. The first error message says 'Cannot
open your default email folders. Outlook cannot start because a data file to
send and receive email cannot be found. To add a data file, such as a
personal folder file, double click the Mail icon in Windows Control Panel'.

I attempted to do taht by clicking first on the 'email accounts' tab, then
the 'change folder' button. Then a 'new email delivery location' window
appeared, with a 'new Outlook data file' button, which I clicked. Next I
selected the 'Office Outlook Personal Folders File (pst)' option, and
clicked 'OK'. When the window opened, called 'create or open Outlook data
file', I selected the default 'Outlook' file which appeared under the path
'documents and settings / user / local settings / application data /
microsoft /outlook' .

An error message then appeared, 'The information service is not installed on
your computer'. I don't know what further I can do at this point, to
complete the configuation of Outlook. I'll appreciate very much any
informed guidance which leads to a solution. Thanks in advance.

Thomas