Article ID: 2317686 - Last Review: April 9, 2012 - Revision: 11.0

Outlook 2007 and Outlook 2010 Troubleshooting Methodology: Crashes

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There are times when Microsoft Office Outlook 2007 or Microsoft Outlook 2010 crashes while you are starting Outlook, performing general functions within Outlook, or exiting Outlook. This can be a very frustrating experience as the problem usually happens on a random basis and you are not able to easily determine the cause of the crashes.

This article provides a set of steps to help narrow down the cause of Outlook crashes and help prevent them from occurring in the future. In the process of learning these steps, you will be exposed to a troubleshooting methodology that can be applied to scope and resolve many other Outlook problems. This documentation is not intended to be a guarantee against future issues, but it is offered as a knowledge transfer to help identify, troubleshoot and fix issues to help facilitate the stable operation of Outlook.

Narrow down the issue

Whether you experience the crash on one or many workstations, the following list can help you narrow down the problem and potentially find the appropriate fix or workaround.

Determine if the issue is reproducible. Identify a set of steps that consistently crash Outlook.
Determine if the issue only occurs with a specific version or build of Outlook or Office. For the most recent version, see the Self-help Resources section at the end of this article.
Check to see if any specific command-line switches for Outlook prevent the crash from occurring. For a list of command-line switches, see the Self-help Resources section below.
Determine which third-party applications are integrating with Outlook and if removing them temporarily has any effect. After identifying this applications, ensure they are recent versions as provided by the vendor. To determine which third-party applications are installed, see the reference to Process Explorer in the Self-help Resources section below
Create and test with a new messaging profile. For details on how to create a new profile, see the Self-help Resources section below.
Run Office Diagnostics for Office 2007. Information on available diagnostic tests and the underlying tracking mechanisms used by Office Diagnostics are provided in the Self-help Resources section below.

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Self-help Resources

Below is a list of self-help resources.

Troubleshooting crashes

Outlook 2007: Troubleshooting Outlook Crashes (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2000071)

Outlook 2010: How to troubleshoot crashes in Outlook (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2632425/ )

Product updates

KB 953878 Cumulative updates are available from the Microsoft Office team to fix reported problems (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/953878)

Outlook command-line switches

Command-line switches for Microsoft Office Outlook 2007 (http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/outlook/HP012185891033.aspx?pid=CH100788811033)

Command-line switches for Outlook 2010 (http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/outlook-help/command-line-switches-for-outlook-2010-HP010354956.aspx)

How to locate processes and add-ins that integrate with Outlook

KB 970920 Using Process Explorer to List dlls Running Under the Outlook.exe Process (http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;970920)

How to create a new mail profile

KB 829918 How to create and configure an e-mail profile in Outlook 2010, Outlook 2007, and Outlook 2003 (http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;829918)

Diagnostics

Diagnose and repair crashing Office 2007 programs by using Office Diagnostics (http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/help/HA012340761033.aspx)

Safe Mode

Work with Office 2007 safe modes (http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/outlook-help/work-with-office-safe-modes-HP010140792.aspx?CTT=1)

Work with Office 2010 safe modes (http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/outlook-help/work-with-office-safe-modes-HP010354300.aspx?CTT=1)

Specific crash scenarios

KB 938941 Outlook 2007 may close unexpectedly (crash) when you try to start Outlook 2007 under an existing profile (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/938941/ )

KB 2427204 Outlook 2010 crashes at startup (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2427204/ )

KB 2298962 Outlook crashes when you try to send email messages because of a nonexistent delivery location setting in your profile (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2298962/ )

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Note This is a "FAST PUBLISH" article created directly from within the Microsoft support organization. The information contained herein is provided as-is in response to emerging issues. As a result of the speed in making it available, the materials may include typographical errors and may be revised at any time without notice. See Terms of Use (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=151500) for other considerations.

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