When you start Microsoft Outlook, you may receive one the following error messages: After you receive the error message, Outlook does not start.

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This issue may occur on a computer that is running Microsoft Windows XP when the Outlook.exe file was configured to open with the Windows program compatibility mode setting.

When you set compatibility for Outlook to Windows 95 or to Windows 98/Windows Me, Outlook displays this error message. This is because the location of the Outlook Profile information in the registry differs on a Windows XP-based computer.

This issue may also occur when the registry key that stores the profile settings for Outlook is damaged.

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To resolve this issue, use one of the following methods.

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Method 1: Disable the compatibility setting

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: • Microsoft Office Outlook 2007 C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office12 • Microsoft Office Outlook 2003 C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office 11 • Microsoft Outlook 2002 C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office 10 • Microsoft 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. If you receive error message again, use Method 2.

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Method 2: Delete the registry key

To do this, follow these steps.

Important This section, method, or task contains steps that tell you how to modify the registry. However, serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly. Therefore, make sure that you follow these steps carefully. For added protection, back up the registry before you modify it. Then, you can restore the registry if a problem occurs. For more information about how to back up and restore the registry, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

1.	Click Start, click Run, type regedit, and then click OK.
2.	Locate one of the following registry keys, as appropriate for the version of Microsoft Windows that you are using: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Windows Messaging Subsystem
3.	Delete the Profiles key under the Windows Messaging (Subsystem) key. To do this, right-click Profiles, and then click Delete. Click Yes to confirm the deletion.
4.	Exit Registry Editor, and then restart Outlook.

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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:

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