OL98: Troubleshooting Outlook Bar Problems

ID: Q181268

The information in this article applies to:
IMPORTANT: This article contains information about editing the registry. Before you edit the registry, you should first make a backup copy of the registry files (System.dat and User.dat). Both are hidden files in the Windows folder.

SUMMARY

This article describes steps you can take to troubleshoot Outlook Bar display and behavior problems that may occur in Microsoft Outlook 98.


MORE INFORMATION

Display Problems

Display problems include the inability to turn the Outlook Bar on or off or an improperly positioned Outlook Bar. The Outlook Bar display is set in the Windows Registry.

WARNING: Using Registry Editor incorrectly can cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall Windows. Microsoft cannot guarantee that problems resulting from the incorrect use of Registry Editor can be solved. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.

For information about how to edit the registry, view the Changing Keys And Values Help topic in Registry Editor (Regedit.exe). Note that you should make a backup copy of the registry files (System.dat and User.dat) before you edit the registry.

If you are experiencing these display problems, follow these steps:

  1. Quit all programs and back up System.dat and User.dat files.


  2. Click the Start button, and click Run.


  3. In the Open box type regedit.


  4. Navigate to the following key:
    HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\8.0\Outlook\
    Office Explorer\Frame


  5. On the Edit menu, click Delete and then quit the Registry Editor.


The next time you start Outlook, this Registry key is rebuilt automatically.

Behavior Problems

Outlook Bar behavior problems include shortcuts that do not work and error messages when you use the Outlook Bar. You can rebuild the Outlook Bar by starting Outlook with the command-line switch, /ResetOutlookBar. Rebuilding the Outlook Bar will remove any custom shortcuts. Use one of the following methods to use this command-line switch:

Method 1:

  1. Use the right mouse button to click the Microsoft Outlook shortcut, click Properties, and then click the Shortcut tab.


  2. In the Target box, type a space after the path to Outlook and then, type the command-line switch:
    /ResetOutlookBar
    NOTE: If the path listed in the Target box (or Command Line box) contains spaces, such as C:\Program Files, you must enclose the path in quotation marks and use the correct case for each character in the path and the command-line switch must be outside the quotation marks. For example, the default path for Outlook contains a space so the entry would be:
    "C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office\Outlook.exe" /
    ResetOutlookBar


  3. Click OK, and double-click the shortcut to start Outlook.

    NOTE: After you use the command-line switch to start Outlook, repeat these steps, but remove the switch and the space after the path.


Method 2:

The advantage of this method is that you do not have to go back and remove the command-line switch from the path of the shortcut.

If you do not want to modify the shortcut, follow these steps:

  1. Click the Start button and click Run.


  2. In the Open box, type:
    Outlook /ResetOutlookBar
    NOTE: There is a space character between Outlook and the forward slash (/).


  3. Click OK.


If the reset command-line switch does not solve the problem, search your hard drive for "*.fav" (without the quotation marks). Your search should find a .fav file for each profile. The file format is "Profile Name.fav". Back up and delete the .fav file for the profile that contains the problem Outlook Bar. The next time you restart Outlook with the same profile, it recreates, the *.fav file. Because the *.fav file contains Outlook Bar settings, this procedure removes any custom shortcuts.


REFERENCES

For more information about other command line switches, type "control" in the Office Assistant, click Search, and then click to view "Control what happens when you start Outlook."

For additional information about command-line switches, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Q182112 OL98: Additional Command-Line Switches
For more information on Outlook Bar and Shortcut issues, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
Q182109 OL98: Error in the Shortcuts File Starting or Quitting Outlook

Additional query words: 98 


Keywords          : GnlUif 
Version           : WINDOWS:98
Platform          : WINDOWS 
Issue type        : kbhowto

Last Reviewed: July 28, 1999