Entourage Freezes at Start UP

[Jukbox_Jim]

Version: v.X
Operating System: Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard)
Processor: Intel
Email Client: pop

I attempted to send and email with an attachment. Entourage crashed and gave me an error message.

I force quit out of Entourage.

Now Entourage freezes on start up at the info pane. Can not get into the program at all to do a check. I have tried holding down the shift key at start up but no luck.

This is a first. Entourage has run perfectly for years.

Thanks for any help.

Jim

 

[Diane Ross]

Now Entourage freezes on start up at the info pane. Can not get into the
program at all to do a check. I have tried holding down the shift key at start
up but no luck.

This is a first. Entourage has run perfectly for years.

Normally, the shift key down when starting up fixes a send problem like you
described. There must have been some damage to Entourage when you forced
quit. BTW, did you try to stop the send rather than force quitting
Entourage?

Let's do some quick tests.

1) Go to System Preferences --> Create a New User in Accounts. Switch to the
New User by logging out/in or use Fast User Switching. Does Entourage launch
in the new User?

2) If yes, then go back to your regular User and drag your Identity folder
to Shared.

Your Hard Drive/Users/Shared

3) Switch back to the new test User

4) Open Entourage in the new User and under Entourage in the Menu bar select
Work Offline. Quit Entourage.

5) Drag from Shared your Identity folder (this actually copies the file) to
the Microsoft User Data folder --> Office X Identities folder. Open
Entourage and see if you old Identity will open. I would hold the Shift key
down too.

If your Identity worked in the new User we know the problem is in your
User's folder,

If no, in step 1, then it's your office install and/or problems with your OS
files.

Let me know what you find.

 

[Jukbox_Jim]

Now Entourage freezes on start up at the info pane. Can not get into the
program at all to do a check. I have tried holding down the shift key at start
up but no luck.

This is a first. Entourage has run perfectly for years.

Normally, the shift key down when starting up fixes a send problem like you
described. There must have been some damage to Entourage when you forced
quit. BTW, did you try to stop the send rather than force quitting
Entourage?

Let's do some quick tests.

1) Go to System Preferences --> Create a New User in Accounts. Switch to the
New User by logging out/in or use Fast User Switching. Does Entourage launch
in the new User?

2) If yes, then go back to your regular User and drag your Identity folder
to Shared.

Your Hard Drive/Users/Shared

3) Switch back to the new test User

4) Open Entourage in the new User and under Entourage in the Menu bar select
Work Offline. Quit Entourage.

5) Drag from Shared your Identity folder (this actually copies the file) to
the Microsoft User Data folder --> Office X Identities folder. Open
Entourage and see if you old Identity will open. I would hold the Shift key
down too.

If your Identity worked in the new User we know the problem is in your
User's folder,

If no, in step 1, then it's your office install and/or problems with your OS
files.

Let me know what you find.
[/QUOTE]

Got to step 2 and tried to drag my regular identity folder to shared but it got about 3/4 of the way and stopped-" There is a problem with the file and it cannot be copied".

Corrupt file?

Jim

 

[Diane Ross]

Got to step 2 and tried to drag my regular identity folder to shared but it
got about 3/4 of the way and stopped-" There is a problem with the file and it
cannot be copied".

Corrupt file?

Sounds like corruption, but I would also run Disk Utility to verify your
drive.

If you need to rebuild, you need lots of extra disk space. The more disk
space you have the better your chances of a successful rebuild.I have a
drive set up with 500 GB free for recovery of databases. I've had 100%
success using this large amount of space. Other users are reporting back
that this worked for them when it failed on their regular drives.

Make a duplicate in the Finder first as additional backup. A rebuild does
make a duplicate, but sometimes in the process the original and backup get
merged resulting in total disaster. It's rare but it happens.

How to rebuild:

<http://www.entourage.mvps.org/database/rebuild.html>