An Outlook Express basic repair kit

I received an e-mail the other day from my friend Katie asking for help with an Outlook Express
problem. In her own field Katie is known as an intelligent and articulate, one might even say
verbose, woman. But when it comes to anything computer-related, she shows a very different face.
Her description of the problem consisted of just two lines: My Outlook Express is acting funny.
What should I do?

I resisted the temptation to reply with a witty remark about booking Outlook Express into the
Comedy Club. I also resisted the temptation to ask her for more details. That could easily have
evolved into an e-mail exchange the length of a Wagner opera. Instead I sent her what I present to
you here: a basic repair kit for Outlook Express. These steps repair the most likely causes of funny
behavior in Outlook Express with a minimum of time, sweat, and tears.

Restart the computer

This simple step can resolve any number of problems resulting from improperly closed files,
memory corruption, and damage to system files.

Close other programs

You will need both Outlook Express and Internet Explorer open. Save your work in any other
programs and close them. This allows your repair steps to do their job without other programs
making demands on your computer at the same time.

Delete the Temporary Internet Files

1.In Internet Explorer, click Internet Options on the Tools menu.

2.In the Temporary Internet files panel, click Delete files.

3.In the pop-up alert window, select the Remove all offline files check box, and then click OK.

If you do not select the check box, the temporary files used by Outlook Express will not be removed.
Remove all offline files to delete Outlook Express temporary files.

This step often comes as a surprise. Each time you display a message, either in a message window or
in the Preview pane, Outlook Express creates a temporary file to help it display the contents of the
message. Each of those temporary files is stored in the Temporary Internet Files folder that is used
by Internet Explorer. Sometimes one or more files in this folder are damaged, and that can cause
Outlook Express to exhibit strange symptoms when displaying messages. All the files in Temporary
Internet files truly are temporary, so there is no danger in deleting them. Doing so will not delete the
actual messages in Outlook Express.

Compact all folders

In Outlook Express, click Work Offline on the File menu so that no new messages will be arriving.

In the Folder List, click on Outlook Express so that no e-mail or news folder is open.

Close the Folder List by clicking the X in the upper right-hand corner of the list panel.
Alternatively you can click Layout on the View menu, and then clear the Folder List check box.

On the File menu, point to Folder, and then click Compact All Folders. Do not use your computer
until the process is complete, which might take several minutes.

If an error occurs, close Outlook Express, re-open it, and begin the process again from the top. If the
same error occurs again, close Outlook Express, restart your computer (or log off and then log on
again), open Outlook Express and then begin the whole process again.
Let the compaction process finish before you try to use your computer.

Many bizarre behaviors in Outlook Express are caused by small errors in the file Folders.dbx. This
file is the master index of the message store folder and damaged entries there can create all sorts of
fun, such as the wrong message or folder being displayed. When you compact all folders you are
also updating this master index. If you dont compact all folders from time to time, you are more
likely to see distinctly unfunny behavior. For more on preventing and recovering from serious file
corruption please see my earlier column on file corruption in Outlook Express.

Reregister Outlook Express

Damaged or missing entries in the Windows registry can prevent Outlook Express from being
recognized as the default e-mail client. That it turn can cause odd behavior when replying to a
newsgroup message or clicking an e-mail link on a Web page. A simple procedure causes Outlook
Express to rewrite its main registry keys and so corrects such issues.

1.Click Start, and then click Run.

2.In the Open box, type msimn /reg, and then click OK.
(Note that you will not see anything happen.)

3.In Internet Explorer click Options on the Tools menu.

4.Click the Programs tab and select Outlook Express as the default e-mail client and as the default
news client. You can change those later if you wish.

Reregister libraries

Dynamic Link Libraries (DLLs) are files that contain functions that may be shared by other
programs, such as recognizing hyperlinks, displaying rich content, and so forth. These specific DLLs
are used by Outlook Express, and can cause glitches in the visual display if they are damaged.
Reregistering a DLL using regsvr32 is similar to reinstalling those functions and thus makes sure
they are installed and working correctly.

1.Click Start, and then click Run.

2.In the Open box, type regsvr32 urlmon.dll, and then click OK.

3.Repeat step 1 for each of the following commands:

regsvr32 mshtml.dll
regsvr32 shdocvw.dll
regsvr32 browseui.dll
regsvr32 msjava.dll

Create a new identity

This will create a new message store folder as well as all new registry keys. This should not be
necessary unless our previous efforts have failed to correct the problems.
 Export your e-mail and news accounts in Outlook Express so that you can import them into a new
1.Identity.

1.Click Accounts on the Outlook Express Tools menu.

2.Click the Mail tab and select the default account.

3.Click the Export button and select a location for the exported file. Make sure the extension
remains iaf (for Internet account file).

4.Repeat steps 1.2 and 1.3 for all accounts.

5.Click the News tab and repeat steps 1.3 and 1.4 for all accounts.

6.After all mail and news accounts have been exported, click Close.

2.On the File menu, click Identities, and then click Add New Identity.
Type a name for the new Identity, and then click OK.
3.

A new Identity allows you to start Outlook Express with all default settings, a useful way to work
around registry or file damage.

4.Click Yes to switch to the new Identity.

5.Click Cancel to close the New Account wizard. If you are prompted to import settings or
messages, select Do not import at this time or Cancel.

6.Click Accounts on the Tools menu.

7.Click the Import button and select the first *.iaf file from step 1. Repeat until all accounts have
been imported.
Import the mail messages from your old Identity.
8.

On the File menu, click Import, and then click Messages.

Select Microsoft Outlook Express 6 from the list of programs, and then click Next.

Select the name of the Identity to import, and then click OK.
Reinstall or repair Outlook Express

By now you have repaired the most common causes of funny glitches in Outlook Express. If the
strange behavior is still happening, it is time to reinstall or repair the basic Outlook Express program
files themselves. Because both Internet Explorer and Outlook Express are integrated into Windows
itself, doing so is a little more complicated than for most programs. Microsoft has therefore prepared
a detailed guide to reinstall or repair both Internet Explorer and Outlook Express. Be sure to read the
article carefully and follow only the steps for your version of Windows and Service Packs.

Third-party repair tools

There are several third-party applications that are written specifically to repair Outlook Express. I
personally have not tested any of them, seeing that most problems can be corrected with the basic
repair procedures Ive outlined here. One possible advantage of third-party tools is that they almost
all include features to repair damaged message files. But for most cases of funny stuff, they really
are overkill. If you type repair Outlook Express into your favorite search engine you are sure to
find several to consider. For example, searching at Windows Marketplace yields some good
examples of what is available.