Unable to open using shortcuts or even the program file

[Lorien]

I'm using Windows XP Professional SP3. I'm using Outlook 2007 but the problem
also existed with Outlook 2003 (I just didn't bother checking for a solution
then but now that I've upgraded I want it working right). Whenever I click on
any Outlook icon - I have several including the one on the toolbar (or even
on the Outlook.exe file in the Office Folder in My Computer), I get an error
message:

Cannot start Microsoft Office Outlook. The command line argument is not
valid. Verify the switch you are using.

This happens with no other programs or other office programs. I can get in
only by typing the following in the run dialog box:

outlook /recycle

I've reinstalled outlook three times (both with 2003 and 2007) and that
hasn't fixed the problem. I've tried creating shortcut icons from scratch but
the same problem occurs. I think it's something in the registry but I don't
know where to look there. Does anyone have any ideas? I'm not even sure why
the run dialog works when the others don't.

 

[neo [mvp outlook]]

Do other desktop shortcuts to applications like Word, Excel, .etc work?
Reason I ask is that I have seen Trend Micro (security software that does
antivirus, firewall, .etc) get a bad update where it doesn't allow shortcuts
to work, but using start > run works. An uninstall/reinstall of Trend fixed
it.

Other than that, if the run dialog box works but no shortcuts do, what
happens if you delete all shortcuts to Outlook and then create a new one?
(Note: If going thru Windows Explorer and then directly to outlook.exe in
the programs folder also fails, I would have to go with my first observation
that something is integrating with Windows Explorer the direct launch to
fail.)


I'm using Windows XP Professional SP3. I'm using Outlook 2007 but the
problem
also existed with Outlook 2003 (I just didn't bother checking for a solution
then but now that I've upgraded I want it working right). Whenever I click
on
any Outlook icon - I have several including the one on the toolbar (or even
on the Outlook.exe file in the Office Folder in My Computer), I get an error
message:

Cannot start Microsoft Office Outlook. The command line argument is not
valid. Verify the switch you are using.

This happens with no other programs or other office programs. I can get in
only by typing the following in the run dialog box:

outlook /recycle

I've reinstalled outlook three times (both with 2003 and 2007) and that
hasn't fixed the problem. I've tried creating shortcut icons from scratch
but
the same problem occurs. I think it's something in the registry but I don't
know where to look there. Does anyone have any ideas? I'm not even sure why
the run dialog works when the others don't.

 

[Lorien]

All other shortcuts work just fine. I tried removing all shortcuts and then
creating one new one but it had the same problem (not unexpected since going
directly to the program file itself has the problem). I don't have Trend
Micro on this system (though I do on another system and it hasn't caused me
any trouble). This system uses an obsolete copy of Norton Antivirus (it
hasn't been updated for a few weeks) but the problem didn't begin when I
installed it. It occurred much later and for no apparent reason (I hadn't
installed anything recently). How do I go about finding out what's blocking
the program? Where are the arguments set and where is the switch set?

 

[Lorien]

Something I just noticed. The outlook.exe file was modified by someone or
something this morning. It also has the number 687 next to the exe extension
(not where I can change it). When I tried to check on the create file instead
of the modify file, it gave me an error that said it couldn't change the
time. I wonder if there's a trojan working somewhere that's updating this exe
file every day and controlling the arguments and switches by directly
altering the exe file itself. If so, how in heaven's name do I find it - I've
tried all the online antivirus programs and nothing comes up.

 

[neo [mvp outlook]]

You might consider updating your antivirus and/or using some tools to see if
you have a bug since it isn't normal to have the outlook.exe with numbers in
it.

Something I just noticed. The outlook.exe file was modified by someone or
something this morning. It also has the number 687 next to the exe extension
(not where I can change it). When I tried to check on the create file
instead
of the modify file, it gave me an error that said it couldn't change the
time. I wonder if there's a trojan working somewhere that's updating this
exe
file every day and controlling the arguments and switches by directly
altering the exe file itself. If so, how in heaven's name do I find it -
I've
tried all the online antivirus programs and nothing comes up.

 

[Lorien]

I installed McAfee, Symantec, Trend Micro, and Pandasoft (all separately and
then uninstalled to avoid conflicts) and ran them and fixed anything they
found. They found very little and I still have the problem. That should be
enough to show it isn't a virus (or at least not one antivirus software can
detect). What gets me is that the outlook.exe file has been modified in the
last day and I certainly didn't do it (and the PC wasn't even logged into the
internet at the time) so something is working in the background and I don't
know what it is. It can't be in the program files or it would have been
deleted when the program was uninstalled (when I tried that several times) so
it must be somewhere else (Windows or the registry probably). I'm tempted to
do a windows repair (or sfc /scannow) to see if that fixes the problem - I
haven't really taken it that far yet, hoping a less dramatic solution was
possible.