Outlook 2007 will not start. Get Message: Cannot start Microsoft Office Outlook. Cannot open the Outlook window. And a big red X

Good news and bad news....

The good news is the problem can be fixed...

The bad news is you have to recreate your profile for Outlook, which means anything that is not still on the server is lost. If you are working with an Exchange server, this will not be an issue. You will just have to remap your PST files, if applicable.


Navigate to c:documents and settings%username%application datamicrosoft and look for the folder called outlook. Rename the folder to outlook.000. Now, navigate to c:documents and settings%username%local settingsmicrosoft and find the outlook folder in there. Do the same, rename the folder to outlook.000.

NOTE: If you are on a domain, the "Application Data" and "Local Settings" folders may be located on the user's home drive (the network drive under my computer)

As soon as both the folders are renamed, restart Outlook. You will have to re-create a profile. If you are using Exchange, contact your system administrator for the specifics of the profile setup. If you are using a POP3, IMAP, HTTP, or other server, check with your email service provider for the specifics on the profile setup. Once the new profile is complete, you will be able to access outlook again.

Try this, sometimes you can get outlook to boot into safemode and then do a backup of your pst, uninstall outlook and reinstall, then import from your pst. Use User-Initiated Safe mode To start a Microsoft Office program in User-Initiated Safe mode:
On the Microsoft Windows Start menu

1. Click Start, point to All Programs, and then point to Microsoft Office.
2. Press and hold the CTRL key, and then click the name of the Microsoft Office program that you want to run.

In the Command Prompt window

• No templates (template: A file or files that contain the structure and tools for shaping such elements as the style and page layout of finished files. For example, Word templates can shape a single document, and FrontPage templates can shape an entire Web site.) can be saved.
• In Microsoft Office SharePoint Designer, the last used Web site is not opened.
• Toolbar or command bar customizations are not loaded, and customizations cannot be saved.
• The AutoCorrect list is not loaded, and changes are not saved.
• Recovered documents are not automatically opened.
• Smart tags (smart tags: Data recognized and labeled as a particular type. For example, a person's name or the name of a recent Microsoft Outlook e-mail message recipient is a type of data that can be recognized and labeled with a smart tag.) are not loaded, and new tags cannot be saved.
• All command-line options are ignored except /a and /n.
• Files cannot be saved to the Alternate Startup Directory.
• Preferences cannot be saved.
• Additional features and programs are not automatically loaded.
• Documents with restricted permission cannot be created or opened.