OT: Help! Outlook 2k - or alternatives?

This is really two questions in one; but first, a bit of background if you'll bear with me. Following a heavy IE crash on Thursday evening, Outlook has now repeated a problem I had once before, where it hangs on the splash screen and then refuses to continue loading. I've found that if I trigger a mail event, such as by right-clicking a shortcut and "send to -> mail recipient", Outlook will then behave perfectly for the remainder of that session - but once I've shut the computer down and fired it up again the following evening, it goes back to hanging. The only cure which worked last time was a total "format c:" re-install; simply removing and re-installing Outlook, or doing an "over the top" reinstall of Windoze, has no effect... *so*: 1) has anyone else encountered this, and found a simpler solution; or 2) can anyone suggest a decent replacement for Outlook, given that I use the calendar, contact database and task scheduling as well as email functionality? Many thanks in advance, Jonny

I had a mate who had a similar problem of OE crashes. Moved him onto another email proggy and he's been happy ever since. Eudora is my recommendation, Pocomail and The Bat! are also very good. Don't know about the other things, but I'm sure you'll find similar (most likely better!) replacements around. How could you even consider formatting your HDD and reinstalling windows simply for OE? I'm amazed! Rafe Mc On Sat, 1 Sep 2001 09:50:29 +0100, "Jonny Hodgson" <[email hidden]> wrote:

Quoted text (24 lines)

>This is really two questions in one; but first, a bit of background if >you'll bear with me. > >Following a heavy IE crash on Thursday evening, Outlook has now >repeated a problem I had once before, where it hangs on the splash >screen and then refuses to continue loading. I've found that if I >trigger a mail event, such as by right-clicking a shortcut and "send >to -> mail recipient", Outlook will then behave perfectly for the >remainder of that session - but once I've shut the computer down and >fired it up again the following evening, it goes back to hanging. > >The only cure which worked last time was a total "format c:" >re-install; simply removing and re-installing Outlook, or doing an >"over the top" reinstall of Windoze, has no effect... *so*: > >1) has anyone else encountered this, and found a simpler solution; or > >2) can anyone suggest a decent replacement for Outlook, given that I >use the calendar, contact database and task scheduling as well as >email functionality? > >Many thanks in advance, >Jonny >

There is a problem with the old rundll32.dll dynamic link lib. What happens is that O2K happens to have few little bits of code in it that is part 16 bit app and part 32 bit app. Usually what happens when the program is called upon it does not look to see if rundll32.dl is loaded and what happens is that the DLL part of the program is already running. The two collide and whoala! You have a splash screen that does not know how to continue on. Now usually what I tell other ppl is that the Developing team that produced O2K drank one to many beers when they programmed the code. Do a CTRL + ALT + DEL and thumb through your program manager. If your running win9x you will find the program rundll32.dll in your screen click end task. O2K should start right up. your mail setting will be different if you have a lan connection if you have a modem you should not have a problem. Win2k will do this wonderful thing as well just not as often. If you closed your program down and restart it while you have another copy running you will notice the glitch. ER um Feature. We've written MS for them to fix it but it is on a code base error they call it a yellow flag. (not to high on the priority list) Humm if they are going to take over the world then you might think they should do it right. Don't you think?

Jonny Hodgson wrote: > 2) can anyone suggest a decent replacement for Outlook, given that I > use the calendar, contact database and task scheduling as well as > email functionality? If you find something better, please let me know. I have sort of a hate relationship with Outlook, but have to use it because of the damn shared calendar... I'm not aware of any other programs that can use Exchange calendars:( BR, -olev

Rafe McAuliffe <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]... > How could you even consider formatting your HDD and reinstalling > windows simply for OE? I'm amazed! Outlook, not OE... and I figured that since the machine had gone nearly two years from new without a re-install, it was probably due one anyway! I'm actually a big fan of Micro$hite's user interfaces; it's just frustrating that the code behind them is so ridiculously bloated and unstable. Next machine will get Linux though, I'm pretty sure. Do your other suggestions also have calendar / contacts / task scheduling? Thanks! Jonny

Warning.Flammable <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]... > Do a CTRL + ALT + DEL and thumb through your program manager. Ifyour > running win9x you will find the program rundll32.dll in your screenclick > end task. > > O2K should start right up. your mail setting will be different ifyou have > a lan connection if you have a modem you should not have a problem. Win98SE... and rundll32 isn't running. Not that, sorry. Btw, after I do fire up Outlook my allocated memory (and hence swapfile) start to creep skyward, to the tune of several hundred meg if left along for a while :-( Jonny

ollo wrote:

Quoted text (9 lines)

> Jonny Hodgson wrote: > > 2) can anyone suggest a decent replacement for Outlook, given that I > > use the calendar, contact database and task scheduling as well as > > email functionality? > > If you find something better, please let me know. I have sort of a hate > relationship with Outlook, but have to use it because of the damn shared > calendar... I'm not aware of any other programs that can use Exchange >

endars:( you could use Forte Freeagent, Freeware and pretty good stuff i still use outlook for reasons unknown, freeagent is better, Agent (the non free one) is probably even better.

Goto Microsoft updates page click through Product support it is on the left side of the screen download all and any updates for O2K. Sounds like you have a cool memory leak. Usually created by some bad code or a faulty peice of hardware *RAM* If you have other RAM availible try changing that out. If this does not work your Motherboard cache RAM could be toast. My guess is that you have something loading that is causeing a conflict. May be that cool plug-in for ICQ or something else. Update stuff remove / unistall stuff its a teadious task but eventually you will have a functional system. I don't run anything from MS any more because its E V I L !! Good luck

Since you have the problem as a result of a crash, I doubt your problem is the result of strange code. I would imagine you have a corrupted file somewhere. The strange thing about win add/remove is that it often won't remove all files. This then causes a problem with reinstalling. If this is the problem, then the easiest way to cure it is to format. It can be fixed without going through that, but any other way gets tricky to describe, since you have to look for the corrupted files. I guess you could try going through and changing the dates of the files in the windows directory along with the subdirectories and then trying a reinstall. The installation may look for file dates to determine whether or not to install the files(if a particular file is dated the same or newer, the installation may skip it). One other thing to try is to run regedit.exe located in your windows directory. Use the find function and locate and delete any reference to outlook before you do a reinstall. Be especially careful with this, as mistakes can cause major problems. Best of luck. Jonny Hodgson <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:ps1k7.24916$[email hidden]...

Quoted text (25 lines)

> This is really two questions in one; but first, a bit of background if > you'll bear with me. > > Following a heavy IE crash on Thursday evening, Outlook has now > repeated a problem I had once before, where it hangs on the splash > screen and then refuses to continue loading. I've found that if I > trigger a mail event, such as by right-clicking a shortcut and "send > to -> mail recipient", Outlook will then behave perfectly for the > remainder of that session - but once I've shut the computer down and > fired it up again the following evening, it goes back to hanging. > > The only cure which worked last time was a total "format c:" > re-install; simply removing and re-installing Outlook, or doing an > "over the top" reinstall of Windoze, has no effect... *so*: > > 1) has anyone else encountered this, and found a simpler solution; or > > 2) can anyone suggest a decent replacement for Outlook, given that I > use the calendar, contact database and task scheduling as well as > email functionality? > > Many thanks in advance, > Jonny > >

"Jonny Hodgson" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:v5ak7.28816$[email hidden]... : Win98SE... and rundll32 isn't running. IIRC, rundll32 doesn't reside in memory. It's a launcher for other DLLs. When it's done launching/running it goes away. It's used something like: c:> rundll32 shell32.dll <arguments> Dale

"nailhead" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]... : Since you have the problem as a result of a crash, I doubt your problem is : the result of strange code. I would imagine you have a corrupted file : somewhere. Maybe even the previously mentioned rundll32... that's a common file to get stomped on by a virus or trojan (the recent Sircam virus is one). Dale. ================================================== GPL Rank: +106.12 DSM: www.dsm.org CP990 Panorama Gallery: http://members.home.net/digitallattice/pano.html

Can't help specifically, Jonny, but have a look here for some further help...;-) http://www.slipstick.com/index.htm http://www.microsoft.com/office/outlook/support/default.htm Here's a thought though. Is it a corrupt splash screen ? I don't know the name of the outlook splash screen, but it will probably be something like outlook.sys (Microsoft are consistent sometimes...;-)) -- ...................................Paul-xxx Losi Triple X, diggin' the dirt, 2WD stylee www.teamlosi.com http://communities.msn.co.uk/LosiPaulsPictures/shoebox.msnw "Jonny Hodgson" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:ps1k7.24916$[email hidden]... > This is really two questions in one; but first, a bit of background if > you'll bear with me. > > Following a heavy IE crash on Thursday evening, Outlook has now > repeated a problem I had once before, where it hangs on the splash > screen and then refuses to continue loading. I've found that if I > trigger a mail event, such as by right-clicking a shortcut and "send > to -> mail recipient", Outlook will then behave perfectly for the > remainder of that session - but once I've shut the computer down and > fired it up again the following evening, it goes back to hanging. > > The only cure which worked last time was a total "format c:" > re-install; simply removing and re-installing Outlook, or doing an > "over the top" reinstall of Windoze, has no effect... *so*: > > 1) has anyone else encountered this, and found a simpler solution; or > > 2) can anyone suggest a decent replacement for Outlook, given that I > use the calendar, contact database and task scheduling as well as > email functionality? > > Many thanks in advance, > Jonny > >

ollo <[email hidden]> writes: > Jonny Hodgson wrote: > > 2) can anyone suggest a decent replacement for Outlook, given that I > > use the calendar, contact database and task scheduling as well as > > email functionality? Emacs with gnus or VM is imho unbeatable. it does require substantial effort to get to grips with, or at least to be comfortable with, though. http://w3.trib.com/~ccurley/emacs.html > If you find something better, please let me know. I have sort of a hate > relationship with Outlook, but have to use it because of the damn shared > calendar... I'm not aware of any other programs that can use Exchange > calendars:( I think I've seen som Unix command-line tools for Exchange interaction somewhere. if you can find them, I should think porting them to windows using the cygwin-tools should be a breeze. -- Gunnar #31 SUCKS#015 Tupperware MC#002 DoD#0x1B DoDRT#003 DoD:CT#4,8 Kibo�: 2 "a poster is a human being or the software equivalent"

Warning.Flammable <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]... > Goto Microsoft updates page click through Product support it is onthe left > side of the screen download all and any updates for O2K. Tried that... SR-1a declared itself to need to d/l 27 meg, got to 30 in my two-hour connection and then quit when the connection got booted. Idiot M$ people. However, I've now ordered it on CD having finally found how to do that in the UK... > Sounds like you have a cool memory leak. Usually created by somebad code > or a faulty peice of hardware *RAM* If you have other RAM availibletry > changing that out. If this does not work your Motherboard cacheRAM could > be toast. No, it's Outlook. CtrlAltDel'ing it after I've closed it stops the mem leak. > My guess is that you have something loading that is causeing aconflict. May > be that cool plug-in for ICQ or something else. Nope, was fine for ages then suddenly fell over. > I don't run anything from MS any more because its E V I L !! Unfortunately, I'm still waiting for Linux to get to the point where I can happily run GPL and some of my other games - then I suppose I'll have to ditch MS Office, which I like as a user. > Good luck Thanks! Jonny

Hiya J. Any idea where i can buy GPL. I haven't seen it in any shops I've visited lately...;-) "Jonny Hodgson" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:CpPk7.35980$[email hidden]...

Quoted text (41 lines)

> > Warning.Flammable <[email hidden]> wrote in message > news:[email hidden]... > > Goto Microsoft updates page click through Product support it is on > the left > > side of the screen download all and any updates for O2K. > > Tried that... SR-1a declared itself to need to d/l 27 meg, got to 30 > in my two-hour connection and then quit when the connection got > booted. Idiot M$ people. However, I've now ordered it on CD having > finally found how to do that in the UK... > > > Sounds like you have a cool memory leak. Usually created by some > bad code > > or a faulty peice of hardware *RAM* If you have other RAM availible > try > > changing that out. If this does not work your Motherboard cache > RAM could > > be toast. > > No, it's Outlook. CtrlAltDel'ing it after I've closed it stops the > mem leak. > > > My guess is that you have something loading that is causeing a > conflict. May > > be that cool plug-in for ICQ or something else. > > Nope, was fine for ages then suddenly fell over. > > > I don't run anything from MS any more because its E V I L !! > > Unfortunately, I'm still waiting for Linux to get to the point where I > can happily run GPL and some of my other games - then I suppose I'll > have to ditch MS Office, which I like as a user. > > > Good luck > > Thanks! > Jonny > >