Outlook 2007: Troubleshooting Outlook 2007 Crashes

Table of Contents

Here is some useful info on outlook 2007 crashes i found when i was fixing a problem for a customer

To troubleshoot crashes in Outlook 2007, you can use several diagnostic steps and tools. The following steps are ordered to quickly identify the main causes of crashes in Outlook.  However, you can skip some steps if these steps are not relevant to your issue.

·       Can you reproduce the problem?

Try to reproduce the problem by repeating the actions that first caused the problem. For example, Outlook may crash every time that you open a specific meeting in your calendar. Or, Outlook may crash when you start it?

If you can identify the steps that cause Outlook to crash consistently, you may be able to work around this problem without following the remaining troubleshooting steps in this article. For example, if Outlook crashes only when you open up a specific e-mail message, you can try the following steps to resolve the problem:

1.    Ask the sender of the e-mail message to resend you the e-mail message.

2.    If the e-mail message is not important, delete the e-mail message.

3.    If you have another e-mail client, try to view the e-mail message by using another client.

For example, if you can access your mailbox by using Microsoft Office Outlook Web Access (OWA), try to read the e-mail message by using OWA. If you can read the message in OWA, you can try to forward the e-mail message to yourself and then check whether you can open the forwarded e-mail message in Outlook 2007.

Even if you cannot work around the problem, make sure that you fully note the steps to reproduce the crash in Outlook. Noting these steps will let you more effectively use the remaining troubleshooting steps in this article.

If you cannot consistently reproduce the problem, you can still use the remaining steps in this article.

·      Update Outlook 2007 with the latest cumulative updates

Cumulative updates contain every update that is available for Outlook 2007. The issue that you are experiencing in Outlook may be resolved by a code change that is available in the cumulative update. However, you may be unable to determine whether the issue that you are experiencing will be resolved by the cumulative update unless you install the update and test Outlook. Therefore, we recommend that you update Outlook to the latest build, and then see whether the problem that you are experiencing is resolved.

To obtain the latest cumulative update for Outlook 2007, refer to the following Microsoft Knowledge Base (KB) article:

953878  Cumulative updates are available from the Microsoft Office team to fix reported problems

Note KB article 953878 is updated to point to the latest cumulative updates of 2007 Microsoft Office system every time that a new cumulative update becomes available (every two months).

If Outlook still crashes after you install the latest cumulative update, follow the remaining troubleshooting steps.

Start Outlook 2007 by using an appropriate command line switch

Outlook 2007 has many command-line switches that help you quickly reset certain application settings. You may be able use an appropriate command-line switch from the following table.

For example, Outlook may crash if the message that is selected is corrupted. In this case, Outlook crashes when it tries to render the selected message in the Reading Pane. Therefore, you can try to start Outlook by using the /NoPreview switch. This switch disables the Reading Pane.

Refer to the following table for a list of other useful command-line switches and for their functions.

Note Only use a switch if it is clearly related to the cause of your problem. Before you use a switch, make sure that you evaluate any changes that occur because of the switch.

 

Switch Action Taken Comment
/cleanprofile Removes invalid profile keys and re-creates default registry keys where applicable.
/cleanviews Restores default views. All custom views that you created are lost.
/cleanreminders Clears and regenerates reminders. Useful if you suspect the crash is related to reminders.
/cleanrules Delete all client-based and all server-based rules. If you want to keep a backup of your rules, make sure that you export your rules. To do this, click Options in theRules and Alerts dialog box. This gives you the option to import your rules after this switch deletes them.
/cleansharing Removes all RSS, Internet Calendar, and SharePoint subscriptions from Account Settings, but leaves all the previously downloaded content on your computer. You will have to reestablish any RSS, Internet Calendar, or SharePoint subscriptions after you use this switch.
/resettodobar Clears and regenerates the To-Do Bar task list for the current profile. The To-Do Bar search folder is deleted and re-created.
/resetnavpane Clears and regenerates the Navigation Pane for the current profile.
/cleanroamedprefs All previous roamed preferences are deleted and then copied again from the local settings on the computer where this switch is used. This includes the roaming settings for reminders, the free/busy grid, working hours, calendar publishing, and RSS rules.
/safe More details about this switch are provided in the next section, “Start Outlook in safe mode.”

 

For more information about Outlook 2007 command-line switches and how to use them, visit the following Microsoft Office Online site:

Command-line switches for Microsoft Office Outlook 2007

Start Outlook 2007 in safe mode

When you start Outlook 2007 in Safe mode, many of the customizations you have made to Outlook are not loaded. Instead, these settings are replaced temporarily by the default settings. Additionally, COM add-ins and Exchange Client Extensions are not loaded.  This behavior reduces the number of dynamic-link libraries (DLL) that interact with Outlook and your data.

To start Outlook in safe mode, use the /Safe command-line switch. To determine whether you are running in safe mode, view the title bar of Outlook.

You may also see the following prompt when you restart Outlook after a crash:

Outlook failed to start correctly last time. Starting Outlook in safe mode
will help you correct or isolate a startup problem in order to successfully start
the program. Some functionality may be disabled in this mode. 

Do you want to start Outlook in safe mode?

If you click Yes to this prompt, Outlook starts in safe mode.

Refer to the following table for a partial list of the temporary changes that occur when you start Outlook in safe mode:

 

a. The Reading Pane is not displayed.
b. No Exchange Client Extensions or COM Add-ins are loaded.
c. Customized toolbars are not displayed.Customized toolbars are stored in the Outcmd.dat file which is located in the following folder:Windows XP:%userprofile%\Application Data\Microsoft\OutlookWindows Vista:%userprofile%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Outlook
d. Navigation Pane customizations are not loaded.
e. The AutoCorrect list is not loaded.
f. The NormalEmail.dotm template (on which new e-mail messages are based) is not
loaded.
g. Form Regions are not available.
h. Any RSS registry settings are not used.For example, if you have the “Sync RSS Feeds to the Common Feed List” option
enabled it is disabled in safe mode.
i. Any registry settings under the following non-policy keys are not loaded (all keys are under the HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\12.0\Outlook key):\Options\Wss
\Options\General
\Options\RSS
\Options\Pubcal
\Options\Calendar
j. To-Do Bar customizations are not loaded.
k. Daily Task list (in the Calendar module) customizations are not loaded.
l. All Instant Search (provided by WDS) functionality in Outlook and customization
is disabled.
m. Ribbon customizations are not loaded.
n. Quick Access Toolbar customizations are not loaded.
o. The registry settings under the following key are not loaded:HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\12.0\Common\MailSettingsThe settings that are stored under this key can be configured by using Tools – Options –
Mail Format tab – “HTML format” section (3 check boxes)
p. Macros may not loadThis is because the Macro Security setting is configured to the default
setting (“Warnings for signed macros; all unsigned macros are disabled”)
q. Smart Tags are not loaded
r. Default colors and fonts are not loaded.For example, any color/font customizations that you made to calendar options, task
options or Notes options are not used.
s. Multilingual User Interface (MUI) settings are not loaded.For example:I.        You install a US English version of Office.II.        You install the French language pack.III.        You start the Microsoft Office Language Settings tool.IV.        You configure the “Display Microsoft Office menus and dialog boxes” option for French.

When you start Outlook in safe mode, the menus and dialog boxes are in English, instead of French.

 

What to do if Outlook 2007 does not crash when you start it in safe mode? 

1.    If the problem does not occur after you start Outlook in safe mode, review the list of disabled items and try to identify those items that are related to the steps that you took that caused Outlook to crash. For example, if Outlook crashes when you click a menu or a toolbar button in the main Outlook window, the Outcmd.dat file may be the cause of the problem. Because this file does not load in safe mode, you can rename this file to Outcmd.old and then restart Outlook. When you do this, a new Outcmd.dat file is created that has a default configuration.

2.    If the problem does not occur after you start Outlook in safe mode, you can also check whether you have any third-party add-ins or extensions that are loaded in Outlook. To check for third-party COM add-ins or Exchange Client Extensions, and to disable them, follow these steps:

·      Disable COM add-ins

 

a.     On the Tools menu, click Trust Center.

b.    Click Add-ins.

c.     Select COM Add-ins from the Manage box and then click Go.

d.    Clear the check box for any add-ins that you want to disable.

e.     Click Ok, and then restart Outlook.

If you cannot start Outlook so that you can disable COM add-ins by using the Outlook interface, you can disable the COM add-ins by using Registry Editor. To do this, follow these steps:

Note If you can use the Outlook interface to disable COM add-ins, please skip these steps, and go to the “Disable Exchange Client Extensions” section.

a.    Start Registry Editor.

b.    Locate the following registry key:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\Outlook\Addins

c.     Rename every subkey under the \Addins key by appending –disabled to the subkey name. For example, if a subkey is called AccessAddin.DC, rename this subkey to AccessAddin.DC-disabled.

d.    Locate the following registry key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Office\Outlook\Addins

e.    Rename every subkey under the \Addins key by appending –disabled to the subkey name. For example, if a subkey is called OneNote.OutlookAddin.12, rename the subkey to OneNote.OutlookAddin.12-disabled.

f.     Start Outlook.

·      Disable Exchange Client Extensions

a.    On the Tools menu, click Trust Center.

b.    Click Add-ins.

c.     Select Exchange Client Extensions from the Manage box and then click Go.

d.    Clear the check box for any extensions that you want to disable.

e.    Click OK, and then restart Outlook.

·      Verify that all third-party DLLs are removed from the Outlook process

To make sure that there are no third-party DLLs running under the Outlook.exe process, run Process Explorer and then analyze the DLLs that are running under Outlook.exe. To do this, follow the steps that are described in the following KB article:

970920       Using Process Explorer to List DLLs Running Under the Outlook.exe Process

If you find that there are third-party DLLs that are still running under the Outlook.exe process after you have disabled all COM add-ins and all Exchange Client Extensions, you may have to uninstall the parent software for these DLLs by using  the Add/Remove Programs item in Control Panel. As long as there are third-party DLLs that are running under the Outlook.exe process, you cannot definitely eliminate these DLLs as the cause of the crash. Please see your third-party software documentation for more information on how to remove Outlook integration for these DLLs or on how to uninstall the software.

If Outlook still crashes even though there are no third-party DLLs running under the Outlook.exe process, these DLLs are not your problem. Therefore, we recommend that you re-enable all COM add-ins and Exchange Client Extensions that you disabled. Then, skip the next section that is called “Identifying the add-in or the extension that causes Outlook 2007 to crash,” and then continue to step 3 of the “What to do if Outlook 2007 does not crash when you start it in safe mode?” section

If Outlook stopped crashing after you disabled all COM add-ins and Exchange Client Extensions, continue to the next section, “Identifying the add-in or the extension that causes Outlook 2007 to crash.”

·      Identifying the add-in or the extension that causes Outlook 2007 to crash

If Outlook 2007 stopped crashing after you removed all third-party DLLs that were running under the Outlook.exe process, you can use the following process to isolate and identify the software that is causing the problem.

Re-enable the Exchange Client Extensions that you disabled

a.   In Trust Center, re-enable one Exchange Client Extension.

b.    Close and then restart Outlook.

c.     If Outlook does not crash after you start it, repeat step a and step b for another extension.

d.    Repeat step c until Outlook crashes again.

Note 
The extension that you most recently added is probably the extension that is causing Outlook to crash.

e.    Contact the vendor of the extension that is causing Outlook to crash, and then check whether there is an update to that extension.

Re-enable the COM Add-ins that you disabled by using Trust Center

Note If you did not use Trust Center to disable the COM add-ins, and you had to rename the different subkeys that are located under the \Addins registry key in the “Disable COM add-ins” section please skip the following steps. Instead, continue to the “Re-enable the COM Add-ins that you disabled by using Registry Editor” section.

a.    In Trust Center, re-enable one COM add-in.

b.    Close and then restart Outlook.

c.     If Outlook does not crash after you start it, repeat step a and step b for another extension.    Repeat step c until Outlook crashes again.

d.    Contact the vendor of the COM add-in that is causing Outlook to crash, and then check whether there is an update to that COM add-in.

Re-enable the COM Add-ins that you disabled by using Registry Editor

Note Follow these steps only if you had to rename the subkeys under the \Addins registry key in the steps that are listed in the “Disable COM add-ins” sections.

a.     Close Outlook if it is running.

b.    Start Registry Editor.

c.     Locate the following registry key:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\Outlook\Addins

d.    Locate the first subkey that you renamed by adding  “-disabled” to its name. Then, rename this subkey by removing “-disabled” from this subkey’s name.

e.     Start Outlook.

f.     If Outlook does not crash when you start it, repeat steps a-e until Outlook crashes again.

g.    If Outlook still does not crash after you rename all the subkeys under the registry path that is listed in step c, continue to step h.

h.    Close Outlook.

i.      Locate the following registry key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Office\Outlook\Addins

j.     Locate the first subkey that you renamed by adding  “-disabled” to its name. Then, rename this subkey by removing “-disabled” from this subkey’s name.

k.     Restart Outlook.

l.      If Outlook does not crash when you start it, repeat steps h through k until Outlook crashes again.

m.   Contact the vendor of the COM add-in that is causing Outlook to crash, and then check whether there is an update to that COM add-in.

3.    Many of the items that you disabled by using safe mode are features that store their settings in the registry. Therefore, you should also consider performing the following steps if Outlook did not crash when you used safe mode.

a.     Close Outlook if it is running.

b.    Start Registry Editor.

c.     Navigate to the following registry location:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\12.0\Outlook

d.    Rename the \Outlook part of this key to \Outlook-1.

e.     Restart Outlook.

When you restart Outlook, a new \Outlook registry key that has default settings will be created in this location.

If your installation of Outlook does not crash when you use this configuration, one or more settings under the original \Outlook key is the cause of the problem. Because there are many settings in this key, we recommend that you continue to use Outlook in this configuration.

If Outlook continues to crash when you use this configuration, you can continue to the “Scope the Problem” section of this article using the new default registry key, or you can revert to your original registry settings by using the following steps:

a.     Close Outlook if it is running.

b.    Start Registry Editor.

c.     Navigate to the following registry location:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\12.0\Outlook

d.    Rename the \Outlook part of this key to \Outlook-2.

e.     Navigate to the following registry location:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\12.0\Outlook-1

f.     Rename the \Outlook-1 part of this key to \Outlook.

g.     Start Outlook.

·       Scope the problem

The practice of “Scoping” means that you try to reduce the possible sources that are causing Outlook to crash. The following sets of steps are frequently used by Microsoft product support engineers to help customers scope many Outlook problems, including crashes.

1.   Try an Outlook profile that has no e-mail accounts

Outlook can be started by using a profile that contains no e-mail accounts. By using a profile that contains no e-mail accounts, you can test whether Outlook is crashing because of functions that are usually performed while sending and receiving e-mail messages or while synchronizing with Microsoft Exchange.

To create an Outlook profile that contains no e-mail accounts, follow these steps:

a.     Close Outlook if it is running.

b.    Open the Mail item in Control Panel, and then click Show Profiles.

c.     Click Add in the Mail dialog box.

d.    Type PIM for the name of the new profile, and then click OK.

e.     In the Add New E-mail Accounts dialog box, click Cancel.

f.     Click OK when you are prompted to create a profile that contains no e-mail accounts.

g.    Configure the “PIM” profile so that it is your default profile. To do this, check Always use this profile and then select “PIM”.

h.    Click OK to close the Mail item.

i.      Start Outlook.

j.     In the Outlook 2007 Startup dialog box, click Next.

k.     In the E-mail Accounts dialog box, select the No option, and then click Next.

l.      In the Create Data File dialog box, check Continue with no e-mail support and then click Finish.

After you complete the previous steps, Outlook is running without any e-mail accounts. Therefore, you cannot send or receive e-mail. However, you can add your existing .pst files to the PIM profile to see whether these .pst files are the cause of your problem.

If Outlook does not crash when you use the PIM profile, we recommend that you continue to the “Try a new Outlook profile” section.

If Outlook continues to crash when you use the PIM profile, continue to the “Try a new Windows profile” section.

2.   Try a new Outlook profile.

Use the Mail control panel to create a new Outlook profile that contains all your regular e-mail accounts. However, when you create the new profile, we recommend that you do the following:

a.     Do not delete your original Outlook profile.

b.    Do not create your new profile by using a copy of your original profile.

Notes

We recommend that you keep your original profile because the original profile may not be the source of your problem. Creating a new Outlook profile is only a test to help you see whether your original profile is causing Outlook to crash.

If you have more than one e-mail account in your profile, you may test your problem by adding only one e-mail account at a time. This practice will let you isolate a problematic e-mail account much as you isolated problematic add-ins and extensions.

For more information about how to create a new Outlook profile, refer to the following Microsoft KB article:

829918       How to create and configure an e-mail profile in Outlook 2007 and Outlook 2003

Outlook does not crash when you use a new Outlook profile

If Outlook does not crash after you create a new profile, the easiest solution is use the new profile that you created. If you have .pst files that are associated with your original profile, you can use the Mail item in Control Panel to update your new Outlook profile so it references these .pst files. For more information about how to manage .pst files in Outlook refer to the following Microsoft KB article:

287070 How to manage .pst files in Outlook 2007, in Outlook 2003, and in Outlook 2002

Outlook continues to crash when you use a new Outlook profile

If the problem continues when you use a new Outlook profile, the problem may be related to the data in your mailbox. This data may be visible or hidden. To determine whether this data is the cause of your problem, try to use a different mailbox. To do this, follow these steps:

a.     Do not log off from your current Windows profile.

b.    Use the Mail item in Control Panel to create a new Outlook profile for another user’s mailbox.

c.     If this is an Exchange mailbox, configure this new profile to always prompt for credentials.

i.   On the E-mail Accounts tab in the Account Settings dialog box, select the Exchange mailbox and then click Change.
ii.  Click More Settings in the Change E-mail Account dialog box.
iii. On the Security tab of the Microsoft Exchange dialog box, select “Always prompt for logon credentials”

d.    Start Outlook by using this new profile.

e.     Test Outlook to confirm whether Outlook still crashes.

If the problem no longer continues when you use Outlook together with a different mailbox, you should contact your system administrator. Your system administrator may be able to help with mailbox corruption.

If the problem continues when you use Outlook together with a different mailbox, continue to the “Try a new Windows profile” section.

3.    Try a new Windows profile

Outlook uses data that is located in several different registry hives under the HKEY_Current_User key and in data files in your local Windows profile. Therefore, you can test Outlook by using a new Windows profile to eliminate many of these settings and files as the cause of your problem.

Note Do not delete your current Windows profile for this test. Instead, create a new Windows profile and test Outlook by using this new profile.

To test Outlook by using a new Windows profile, follow these steps:

a.     Log off from Windows.

b.    Log on to Windows by using a different account.

Note You may have to create a new local account for testing purposes.  As there are several ways to create a Windows profile, please refer to your Windows Help documentation for information if you need help creating a new profile.

c.     Create an Outlook profile for your mailbox, by using the Mail item in Control Panel.

d.    Start Outlook, and then verify that Outlook still crashes.

If Outlook still crashes when you use a new Windows profile, continue to the “Outlook still crashes when you use a new Windows profile” section.

If Outlook does not crash when you use a new Windows profile, continue to the “Outlook does not crash when you use a new Windows profile” section.

Outlook still crashes when you use a new Windows profile

If Outlook still crashes when you use a new Windows profile, perform the following steps.

Note At this point in the troubleshooting process, you have determined that your problem is not caused by the user data in your original Windows profile.

a.     Close Outlook.

b.    Log off from this new Windows account and log back into your original Windows account.

c.     Continue to the “Testing to see whether the problem is computer related” section of this document.

Outlook does not crash when you use a new Windows profile

If Outlook does not crash when you use a new Windows profile, you have the following options:

·        Continue to use the new Windows profile 

If you want to continue using the new Windows profile, you can retrieve your personal documents from the original profile. By default, your personal documents are stored in the \My Documents folder in the profile path of the Windows account. For example, on a Windows XP-based computer, your documents are stored in the following location: C:\Documents and Settings\<user name>\My Documents.

Note The placeholder <user name>represents the user name of your Windows profile.

If you cannot access this folder location by using the new Windows profile, you can use the following steps to recover your documents from the original Windows profile:

a.     Log off from Windows.

b.    Log on to Windows by using your original Windows profile.

c.     Locate the documents that you want to transfer to the new Windows profile.

d.    Copy these documents to a separate drive or to a folder path on a drive that can be accessed by all Windows accounts. For example, you can copy your documents to a USB storage device, or to the C:\Backup folder.

Note You may have to create the C:\Backup folder.

e.     Log off from Windows.

f.     Log on to Windows by using your new Windows profile.

g.    Copy your documents to the \My Documents folder of your new Windows profile.

·       Continue to troubleshoot the problem by using your original Windows profile 

If you decide you do not want to use the new Windows profile, you can try to locate the specific user data that is causing the problem. To do this, follow these steps:

a.     Log off from Windows.

b.    Log on to Windows by using your original Windows profile.

c.     Check whether the problem is caused by data files in your Windows profile. To do this, locate the files that are listed in the following table, and then rename these files by adding “.old” to the file name.

 

File Default location (Windows XP)
Extend.dat C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\
Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook
Frmcache.dat C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\
Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Forms
Outcmd.dat C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\
Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook
Olk*.qat C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\
Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Office

 

 

 

File Default location (Windows Vista)
Extend.dat C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Outlook
Frmcache.dat C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Forms
Outcmd.dat C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Outlook
Olk*.qat C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Office

 

Note There may be more than one Outlook file that has a .qat extension in these locations.

d.    Start Outlook.

If Outlook does not crash when you start it, we recommended that you do not revert to using the original versions of the files you just renamed. Outlook will generate new default copies of these files, except for the .qat files. The .qat files are created only when you customize the Ribbon.

If Outlook still crashes after you rename the files that are mentioned in the table, follow these steps.

a.     Close Outlook if it is running.

b.    Start Registry Editor.

c.     Navigate to the following registrylocation:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\12.0

d.    Rename this key to \12.0-old

e.     Restart Outlook.

After you do this, Outlook will start a new first-run launch. Because of this, Outlook should prompt for your user name and your initials again.

If Outlook does not crash after you rename the \12.0 registry key, we recommend that you keep the current modifications to the registry. This means that you will have to reconfigure some previous customizations to your Office programs. Isolating the specific registry data that caused Outlook to crash is very difficult without using advanced debugging tools.

If Outlook still crashes after you rename the \12.0 registry key, we recommended that you restore the registry. To do this, follow these steps:

a.     Close Outlook if running.

b.    Start Registry Editor.

c.     Navigate to the following registry location:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\12.0

d.    Rename this key to \12.0-new

e.     Rename the \12.0-old key to \12.0.

After you do this, we recommend that you use your new Windows profile instead of your current Windows profile.  To help you migrate your data to the new Windows profile, you should follow the steps in the “Continue to use the new Windows profile” section earlier in this article.

4.    Testing to see whether the problem is related to this specific computer

It is possible that your problem is related this specific computer.  This might be because of bad RAM, conflicting software, corrupted files, incorrect registry data under the HKEY_Local_Machine hive, or even a problem with your Windows installation. To see whether your problem is related to this specific computer, you can use the following tests to isolate the problem.

·       Use Outlook on a different computer

If you have access to another computer that has Outlook 2007 installed, try to log on to that computer, and then use Outlook together with your mailbox.

If Outlook does not crash when you use a different computer, you can use the following tools to help further diagnose the problem on your original computer:

·      Office Diagnostics

To use the Office Diagnostics tool to troubleshoot your problem, follow these steps:

a.     Close as many programs that are running as you can.

b.    Check whether the Update Diagnostics test is enabled.

I.        Start any 2007 Microsoft Office system program other than Outlook.

II.        Click the Microsoft Office Button in the upper-left corner of the window, and then clickProgram Name Options.

Note The placeholder Program Name is the name of the 2007 Microsoft Office program that you started in step I.

III.        Click Trust Center, click Trust Center Settings, and then click Privacy Options.
IV.        Examine the Download a file periodically that helps determine system problems check box.
·          If the check box is checked, close Trust Center without making any changes and then exit the Office program. Then, continue to step c.

·          If the check box is not enabled, check the box, close Trust Center, and then exit the 2007 Microsoft Office system program. Wait about one week until the file is downloaded, and then go to step c.

c.     On the All Programs menu, click Microsoft Office, click Microsoft Office Tools, and then clickMicrosoft Office Diagnostics.

d.    When you are prompted to run Office Diagnostics, click Continue.

e.     Click Run Diagnostics in the Start Diagnostics dialog box.

f.      After all diagnostics are finished; examine the results summary to see whether you have any problems with your hardware or installation.

g.    Restart Outlook, and check whether Outlook still crashes.

For more information about Office Diagnostics, visit the following Microsoft Web site:

http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/help/HA012340761033.aspx

·      Windows Clean Boot

If Outlook still crashes after you finish running Office Diagnostics, try to use the System Configuration utility to troubleshoot your problem. To do this, follow the steps in the following KB articles as appropriate for your operating system.

310560 How to troubleshoot configuration errors by using the System Configuration utility in Windows XP

950093 How to use the System Configuration utility to troubleshoot configuration errors  in Windows Vista

Outlook still crashes on a different computer 

If Outlook still crashes even after you perform all the troubleshooting steps in this article, we recommended that you contact Microsoft Customer Support to help diagnose the problem. An issue that has not yet been fixed may be the cause of the problem. Your support engineer can help you make that determination.

Note If you do contact the Outlook support team at Microsoft; please give them the results and data for all the previous tests.

Taken from http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2000071