You may receive an error message and Outlook does not start when you try to start Outlook on a computer that is running Windows XP

When you try to start Microsoft Outlook on a computer that is running Windows XP, you may receive one of the following error messages, depending on the version of Outlook that you are running. After you receive the error message, Outlook does not start.

Microsoft Outlook 2010:


If you view the error report contents, you see error signature information similar to the following:

Microsoft Office Outlook 2007:

Microsoft Office Outlook 2003:

Microsoft Outlook 2002 and Microsoft Outlook 2000:

This issue may occur on a computer that is running Windows XP if the Outlook.exe file was configured to open by using the Windows program compatibility mode setting. When you set compatibility for Outlook to Windows 95 or to Windows 98/Windows Millennium Edition, Outlook displays this error message. This occurs because the location of the Outlook Profile information in the registry is different on a Windows XP-based computer than it is on a computer that is running Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows Millennium Edition.

To have us fix this problem for you, go to the "Fix it for me" section. If you prefer to fix this problem yourself, go to the "Let me fix it myself" section.

Fix it for me

To fix this problem automatically, click the Fix it button or link. Then click Run in the File Download dialog box, and follow the steps in the Fix it wizard.




Notes

• This wizard may be in English only. However, the automatic fix also works for other language versions of Windows.
• If you are not on the computer that has the problem, save the Fix it solution to a flash drive or a CD and then run it on the computer that has the problem.

Then, go to the "Did this fix the problem?" section.

Let me fix it myself

To resolve this issue, follow these steps:

1. Locate Outlook.exe.
   
   Outlook.exe is typically located in one of the following folders, depending on the version of Outlook that you are running:
   • Outlook 2010
     C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office14
   • Outlook 2007
     C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office12
   • Outlook 2003
     C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office 11
   • Outlook 2002
     C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office 10
   • Outlook 2000
     C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office 9
2. Right-click Outlook.exe, and then click Properties.
3. On the Compatibility tab, click to clear the Run this program in compatibility mode for check box.
4. Click OK.
5. Try to start Outlook.

Did this fix the problem?

• Check whether the problem is fixed. If the problem is fixed, you are finished with this section. If the problem is not fixed, you can contact support (http://support.microsoft.com/contactus) .
• We would appreciate your feedback. To provide feedback or to report any issues with this solution, please leave a comment on the "Fix it for me (http://blogs.technet.com/fixit4me/) " blog or send us an email (mailto:fixit4me@microsoft.com?Subject=KB) .

For more information about how to create profiles in Outlook, click the following article numbers to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: For more information about Windows Program Compatibility mode, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: