outlook extremly broken; how to recover

  • Thread starter Thread starter Kermit P Tensmeyer
  • Start date Start date
K

Kermit P Tensmeyer

damn compaq machine came with Office installed on a time lock. The lock
went off. I (and everyone else on the machine) could recieve mail, but not
use any other capability.

I unistalled Office that was installed and installed Office XP and went
thru the patches, and fixes and "stuff"

the outlook.pst, archive.pst files were still there containing all the
messages, contacts that have accumlated over the last three months (since
installing the replacement machine) as well as the imported data from the
previous machine via pst import.

I can't make outlook work anywhere close to proper. and I'm more and more
frustrated with the process.

after everything else, I thought to try to delete the directory that
contains the outlook files (after backing the files up/copy the files)
and reset outlook to a fresh view. Now outlook won't even start


I've tried search/google for information, but with obvious results
I have no idea what the MS gobbldy-geek terms would be used for this
type of situation

where do I start looking. I've read the Exchange documentation
including the cert guides, but these don't tell me squat about fixing
the office product outlook.

Simply how do I reset a user to a fresh start condition?
What registry keys need to be set?

(and why didn't the unistall procedure clean up the old stuff, and the
new install and service packs set the right keys?)
 
Try selecting Detect and Repair from the Help drop down menu.
news:p[email protected]...
Click to expand...

well if I could start outlook and get to a point where that option would
be available, that would be a step in the right direction. but I can't..

outlook doesn't start because it can't find the files that it wants.
I'm assuming that some registry keys are telling outlook what pst files
to look for. How do I reset those keys and tell it to recreate the files
in the default format?
 
kermit tensmeyer said:
well if I could start outlook and get to a point where that option
would be available, that would be a step in the right direction. but
I can't..
Click to expand...

Then do it from Control Panel's Add or Remove Programs by running the Office
startup wizard.
outlook doesn't start because it can't find the files that it wants.
I'm assuming that some registry keys are telling outlook what pst
files to look for. How do I reset those keys and tell it to recreate
the files in the default format?
Click to expand...

You can manipulate Outlook's data files from Control Panel's Mail applet.
 
thank you for the help, it makes things so much easier
[and less frustrating...]
 
Then do it from Control Panel's Add or Remove Programs by running the Office
startup wizard.


You can manipulate Outlook's data files from Control Panel's Mail applet.
Click to expand...

As you suggested I deleted the Outlook profile, and created a new
profile (which I called "outlook" as well and created my first email
account. At which point I could start Outlook and read basic mail. I
added the other accounts by hand. but ran into problems trying to import
the old pst file (wrong version)

but it's a problem that I can work with...

thanks again for the help it's not broken anymore
 
Kermit P Tensmeyer said:
As you suggested I deleted the Outlook profile, and created a new
profile (which I called "outlook" as well and created my first email
account. At which point I could start Outlook and read basic mail. I
added the other accounts by hand. but ran into problems trying to
import the old pst file (wrong version)

but it's a problem that I can work with...
Click to expand...

I'm glad things are working again. However, never import a PST. While you
can't open an Outllook 2003 PST with any earlier version of Outlook, with
compatible PSTs, always use File>Open>Outlook Data File. Importing can lose
data.
 
Back
Top