"Customize" Outlook Freezes

[Roxana]

Outlook 2002 /Word 2002 /Office XP / W98se

Perhaps they'll be an answer in this group instead of Outlook.General, where
this has sat - more or less - ignored, or in best case scenario, answered
ineffectively, more than two days ago. No return reply from this person
since then.

I don't mean to rile anyone with this "preface", but it's quite frustrating
to sit here and wait interminably.
N.B. - I waited for ~ 2 days before 'reposting' this question. I didn't
cross-post/multi-newsgroup post either.

I realize - and can plainly see - that the MS Outlook newsgroups are *filled
to the brim* with constant problems, but can't anyone Follow-up / Watch /
Flag any question they initially volunteer to reply to ? (even I know how to
do that)
If there's no follow-up, what's the point of initially "trying to help" ?

Thanks.
Roxana


<paste of where this question was last left>
Renaming didn't work.

Renamed to Outcmd.old while Outlook was closed.
Launched Outlook, and all was normal.
Closed Outlook.
Re-launched Outlook.
Tried "Customize".
Outlook Froze; GUI wouldn't re-draw properly'
Ctrl-Alt-Del Outlook.
No new Outcmd.dat file was created.

Re-launch Outlook:
The data file 'Personal folder' was not closed properly. .... checking for
problems'
The data file 'Archive folder' was not closed properly. .... checking for
problems'

Renamed Outcmd.old back to Outcmd.dat

Now I'm here. Any other suggestions ?

Thanks for the reply and your help.

in message

You may have a corrupted outcmd.dat file. This is the file that stores your
toolbar customizations, and when it becomes corrupted, Outlook can't use it
at startup to build your toolbars, thus causing the hangups. Try renaming or
deleting your outcmd.dat file while Outlook is closed. Renaming it might be
the best idea if you have a lot of customizations that you'd prefer not to
lose; that way if renaming the file doesn't solve your problem, you may be
able to restore it later when you do get Outlook working properly again.

--
Jocelyn Fiorello

*** Messages sent to my e-mail address will NOT be answered -- please reply
only to the newsgroup to preserve the message thread. ***

</paste>

 

[Roxana]

Mistake in my copy/paste of url's.
Second URL is:

Roxana

 

[Diane Poremsky]

did you try detect and repair? did you test it with a new outlook profile to
see if the problem is with your profile or outlook/the computer?

 

[Roxana]

Hello.

No, I did not try "Detect and repair". I'm customarily reticent to apply any
of "MS repair" features (especially in IE. Don't know about how Outlook
[mis]behaves though). My experience with the few "repair" has been
unpleasant. Usually messes up all customisations; re-instates certain
aspects one desires not, etc. Has required old updates to be re-done, bla
bla. Maybe Outlook isn't as bad, but it "worries/bothers" me. IF that's the
only choice... and IF it will work, and not just make me travel down that
entire path - for no fruit - OK. But, I'm reticent...

Yes, I tested in another profile.... Same exact symptom and result.

Thanks for your help.

Roxana

in message

 

[Roxana]

It was suggested I perform a "Detect and Repair" of Outlook 2002 to try to
fix the Hard Freeze of Outlook when trying to use the menu item: Tools >
"customize".

I conducted the "Detect and Repair" and it failed to correct the Hard
Freezing of Outlook 2002. The situation remains as it was, and is unresolved
as of this moment.

Roxana

 

[F. H. Muffman]

It was suggested I perform a "Detect and Repair" of Outlook 2002 to try to
fix the Hard Freeze of Outlook when trying to use the menu item: Tools >
"customize".

I conducted the "Detect and Repair" and it failed to correct the Hard
Freezing of Outlook 2002. The situation remains as it was, and is
unresolved
as of this moment.

Out of curiousity, did anyone suggest renaming extend.dat while Outlook was
shutdown? I know they did bring up outcmd.dat, but I don't see anyone
mentioning extend.dat.

 

[Roxana]

in message

in message



Out of curiousity, did anyone suggest renaming extend.dat while Outlook was
shutdown? I know they did bring up outcmd.dat, but I don't see anyone
mentioning extend.dat.

extend.dat itself was never mentioned. However, Brian Tillman (?) made
mention of something which makes me think ofr a defacto deletion. Yes, Brian
Tillman wrote:
<paste>
If I were in your shoes, I'd also clean
out ALL the old support files from both the C:\Windows\Local
Settings\Application Data and the C:\Windows\Application Data folders., as
well as the mail profile keys under the registry (I believe it's
HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Windows Messaging
Subsystem\Profiles, but I don't have a Windows 98 system to check) and
create a new mail profile using the Mail applet in Control Panel.
--
Brian Tillman [MVP-Outlook]
</paste>

Therefore, that would surely include *extend.dat*, inasmuch as that file is
within that directory.
One copy also resides in C:\WINDOWS\Local Settings\Application
Data\Microsoft\Outlook, but that one was created Friday, January 05, 2007
when I performed a Scanpst.exe, IIRC. Nope; *check that* last line... that
file is modified/dated today - Thursday, October 18, 2007 and I didn't do
any scanpst for more than 1 1/2 years.
Hmmm... wonder if that was when I performed the "Detect and Repair".

The first one - which resides in C:\WINDOWS\Application
Data\Microsoft\Outlook was created and modified Monday, October 15, 2007.
That one must coincide with another suggestion posed by the newsgroup.

Roxana

 

[F. H. Muffman]

Out of curiousity, did anyone suggest renaming extend.dat while Outlook
was
shutdown? I know they did bring up outcmd.dat, but I don't see anyone
mentioning extend.dat.

extend.dat itself was never mentioned. However, Brian Tillman (?) made
mention of something which makes me think ofr a defacto deletion. Yes,
Brian
Tillman wrote:
<paste>
If I were in your shoes, I'd also clean
out ALL the old support files from both the C:\Windows\Local
Settings\Application Data and the C:\Windows\Application Data folders., as
well as the mail profile keys under the registry (I believe it's
HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Windows Messaging
Subsystem\Profiles, but I don't have a Windows 98 system to check) and
create a new mail profile using the Mail applet in Control Panel.
--
Brian Tillman [MVP-Outlook]
</paste>

Therefore, that would surely include *extend.dat*, inasmuch as that file
is
within that directory.
One copy also resides in C:\WINDOWS\Local Settings\Application
Data\Microsoft\Outlook, but that one was created Friday, January 05, 2007
when I performed a Scanpst.exe, IIRC. Nope; *check that* last line... that
file is modified/dated today - Thursday, October 18, 2007 and I didn't do
any scanpst for more than 1 1/2 years.
Hmmm... wonder if that was when I performed the "Detect and Repair".

The first one - which resides in C:\WINDOWS\Application
Data\Microsoft\Outlook was created and modified Monday, October 15, 2007.
That one must coincide with another suggestion posed by the newsgroup.

Ok, first, if I might make a suggestion. Correcting yourself in a stream of
thought conversation is fine, you need to do that. In a newsgroup post,
it's a little hard to read and a little confusing. It'd be like responding
to an email asking for Susie's phone number with: "Sure, I have it here
somewhere Nope, not there. hold on, let me go check my address book in the
bedroom, I'll walk away for a few minutes. Nope, not there either, but I
stopped and checked in the filing cabinet in the office and I found it there
and it's XXX-YYY-ZZZZ." I'll be honest, I'm not even sure what you said,
but I get the gist that there are two of them.

Shut down Outlook.
Rename them both.

Yes, I understand you might have done it already (Which is also unclear.
You said that Brian Tillman suggested it. You never said you actually did
it. And before you ask why that should be in question, you were suggested
to do a Detect and Repair multiple times before you did it, so I don't think
it's otherworldly to believe you didn't do it yet), I'm asking you to try it
again, mostly because I can't figure out if you renamed either of them at
any point during this.