Error message when starting Outlook 2002 for Students/Teachers

[since1979]

When I attempt to open Outlook '02 for S/T, I get the following message:
"Unable to open your default email folders. Could not open the item. Try
again."
The only option is to press OK, and in doing so it then shows:
"Would you like to open your default File System folder instead?
If -NO- is selected, the program simply does not start.
If -YES- is selected, the following error message appears:

{ Microsoft Visual C++ Runtime Library (Title Bar)}
Runtime Error!
Program: C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office 10\OUTLOOK.EXE

This Application has requested the Runtime to terminate it in an unusual
way.
Please contact the application's support team for more information.

The only option is to press OK, at which point the program offers to send an
error report but does not open any further

So far, I have attempted to reinstall Outlook with no success. any
information on how this could be fixed?

[K. Orland]

You don't state what type of mail account you have. If you're using a POP3
account and your mail is delivered directly to a PST, it's possible your PST
is corrupted. In this case you'll want to run a repair of the PST with
Outlook closed.

The repair file is called scanpst.exe, you can do a simple file/folder
search for it. Double-click it and follow the instructions, which will
include browsing to your PST file. In order to find it, you'll have to enable
your computer to view hidden files and folders as well as known file
extensions. Run the scan, if it finds errors then run it again until it
scans through with no errors. Then try to open Outlook again.

If this doesn't resolve the issue, please post more details. For example,
are there any office-related errors in the Application Event Viewer? If so,
post the source and event ID number. Also, did Outlook work before? If so,
when did this start happening? Did anything change; any software installs,
etc.?

--
Kathleen Orland - MVP Outlook
Outlook Tips: http://www.outlook-tips.net/
http://www.howto-outlook.com/

[since1979]

I believe it is a pop3 account through our cable company/internet provider.
Outlook Express seems to work fine but Outlook is not.

I followed your instructions for repairing the PST (thank you for that, by
the way) and the system found 2 errors, both were corrected, and I'm running
into the same error.
I attempted to read through the Application Event Viewer, but I am not
certain what i am looking for. Sadly, I was rather proud just to be able to
find the Application Event Viewer -- as you can tell I am clearly not cut out
for programming!
I am not certain if Outlook worked before -- we have a internet accessible
email address, so it has never been something we've needed to use. Outlook
would have been installed initially approximately 1 1/2 years ago, so there
have been several programs installed since then.

[K. Orland]

In the event viewer, look for any red icons (red circle/white X) indicating
an error. The source should say Microsoft Office 10 I believe for your
version. Double-click the error to open it and provide the source and event
ID.

[since1979]

They were there alright. a considerable number of them in fact. Below is the
information showing in the viewer.
source: Application Error
Event ID: 1000

I went back to check previous errors, and they almost all have the same
information. There is one that says source: Application Hang with Event ID:
1002

[K. Orland]

Are you running any 3rd party toolbars that integrate with Outlook/Office?

[K. Orland]

I would also recommend looking on your AV website to make sure you're using
the latest engine, as well make sure your AV software is not scanning your
incoming and outgoing mail. This won't compromise your security. Your real
time scanner will still actively scan and protect you.

You can also check your Outlook Add Ins to see if Netfolders is checked. If
so, uncheck it and restart Outlook. See if that helps at all.

[since1979]

We have the default toolbar that came with the Office suite...not sure if
that is considered 3rd party. I apparently am having enough difficulty
getting the 1st party items to work.
We have had Norton running, although in the process of determining what is
causing this I did turn off any function that even remotely could have been
affecting Outlook (as far as I knew).

So that leaves the Netfolders item you mentioned...how do I locate and
uncheck that?

[K. Orland]

Regarding Norton, you may actually have to uninstall it then reinstall it and
not configure email scanning at that time.

I don't use Outlook 2002 but generally speaking you'll find Add Ins and COM
Add Ins here:

Tools > Options > Other > Advanced Options > Add In Manager or COM Add ins
buttons.

[since1979]

I will try that -- thanks again for the suggestions. So far none has
eliminated that original error message. I cannot do anything with the Add Ins
because it won't let me start it.

I do appreciate the investigative effort and amount of time you have spent
trying to help me with this -- thank you very much!!

[K. Orland]

What size is your PST file? There is a limit in versions Outlook 2002 and
earlier that is quite a bit smaller than newer versions (2003 & 2007). The
limit is 2 GB but the PST file can usually get flakey or even corrupt as
small as 1.5 or 1.6 GB. Find your PST file to see what size it is.

[since1979]

Temporarily removing Norton succeeded, so now Outlook actually opens. Now it
mentions the unable to open default folders, then open default file sysem
instead. Once I choose YES, it shows the following message:

"Unable to start processing services. Could not open the item. Try again. If
I click OK, it appears like Window explorer woudl -- no mail items or optios.
It does not have a menu item for importing an email account such as Outlook
Express, creating a new one, and the 'Options' option under Tools is grayed
out. Suggestions?

[K. Orland]

I would suggest creating a new profile but first you'll want to verify your
PST size and scan it for errors. Do a search for scanpst.exe which is the
utility to do that. Double-click it, follow the instructions including
browsing to your existing PST file. If it finds any errors and repairs them,
scan again. Repeat this procedure until no further errors are found. Outlook
must be closed in order to do this. Once there are no more errors, create the
new profile & open Outlook. What you'll want to do then is use File > Open
and browse to your PST file to open it.

[since1979]

I am so sorry -- setting up a profile solved the problem. I've been so busy
getting everything setup - again - that I forgot to come back and thank you.
When it was all said and done, the problems I had (3 of them, I think) and a
few I had that I did not know about (2 or 3) were fixed. Thank you very much.

[Ruth M]

Having the same problem I searched for the scanpst.exe file and it bought up
files in my documents. How search for the pst to see if it is corrupted.
Thanks