OLEXP: How to Troubleshoot Outlook Express in Windows 2000

This article describes how to troubleshoot issues when you run Outlook Express in Microsoft Windows 2000.

To troubleshoot Outlook Express, perform the following procedures:

• Create a new identity.
• Create a new account with the Internet Connection Wizard.
• Rename and repair damaged files.
• Create a new user profile.

How to Create a New Identity

1. On the File menu, point to Identity, and then click New Identity.
2. In the New Identity dialog box, type your name in the Identity box. If you want to password protect the identity, type the password information, and then click OK.
3. In the Identity Added dialog box, click Yes when you are prompted to switch identities.
4. Outlook Express automatically quits and then restarts, and the Internet Connection Wizard starts.

How to Create a New Account with the Internet Connection Wizard

NOTE: To follow these steps, you must know your e-mail address, the Post Office Protocol 3 (POP3) server name, the Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) server name, your account name, and your password. If you do not know this information, contact your Internet Service Provider (ISP).

1. In the Your Name box, type the name that you want be displayed when you send mail for this account, and then click Next.
2. In the Internet E-mail Address box, click the option to either sign up for a new Hotmail account or to use an existing e-mail address. If you want to use an existing e-mail address, type the address in the I already have an e-mail address that I'd like to use box, and then click Next.
3. In the E-mail Server Names box, type the POP3 and SMTP server names for your mail account, and then click Next.
4. In the Internet Mail Logon box, type the account name and password that you use to log on to your Internet e-mail server. If necessary, click Log on using Secure Password Authentication (SPA). Contact your ISP if you do not know if the server requires SPA.
5. Click Next, and then click Finish in the Congratulations dialog box.

How to Rename And Repair Damaged Files

Most of the time, Windows 2000 does replace absent files in the cache. If Windows 2000 does not do this, or if the file appears to be damaged in the cache as well as the system, it may be necessary to rename both files, and then place the Windows 2000 CD-ROM in the CD-ROM drive. The files are replaced from the CD-ROM when you start Outlook Express.

The files that you need to rename depend on the error message that you receive and the files that are associated with the function that you are trying to perform.

To replace these files, you can simply rename the files that are located in the Program Files\Outlook Express folder and enable Windows 2000 to replace them from the cache (<Root>\System32\dllcache), or you can rename the files in both the original location and in the cache, and then enable Windows 2000 to replace them from the CD-ROM. You receive the following error message if you delete both copies of the file and you do not have the Windows 2000 CD-ROM in the CD-ROM drive: If you place the Windows 2000 CD-ROM in the CD-ROM drive, and then click Retry, the files are replaced with those files that are on the CD-ROM.

If you have the CD-ROM in the CD-ROM drive already, you may not receive this error message because the files are replaced automatically.

How to Create a New User Profile

1. Click Start, point to Settings, click Control Panel, and then click System.
2. Click the User Profiles tab, click the user profile that you want to copy in the Profiles stored on this computer box, and then click Copy To.
3. In Copy To box, type the location for the new profile, or click Browse to locate a folder for the new profile.
4. Click Change to open the Choose User dialog box.
5. Click a new user in the Names box, and then click Add.
   
   The new user name appears in Add Name box.
6. Click OK to add the user as a new user profile on your computer.

If these steps do not resolve the issue, reinstall Windows 2000. It is not likely that any settings or programs can be lost. When you reinstall Windows 2000, absent files and registry keys are replaced, but your user settings remain; your Outlook Express mail accounts remain, user interface settings do not change, and programs that you have installed remain functional.

For additional information about troubleshooting Outlook Express configurations, click the article numbers below to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: For additional information about how to upgrade Outlook Express to Outlook Express 5.5, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: