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“Microsoft Outlook has encountered a problem and needs to close. We are sorry for the inconvenience”. This error message may appear when you try to open the Microsoft Outlook program. Also, Microsoft Outlook may refuse to open up without showing an error message or with a different one. There are a number of reasons that may prevent the program from opening. Let's look in to the below mentioned free Microsoft Outlook support guide. It will help you troubleshoot such Microsoft Outlook problems and understand

Instructions:

Make sure the Outlook program is not running in the background. When done, click the Start button and click Search. Type 'outcmd.dat' (without quotes) in the All or part of the file name box, select C: drive as the directory to look in to from the drop-down menu under the Look in box, and hit the Search button to begin the search.

When finished, you will see the outcmd.dat file. Right-click the file and select Rename. Give a different name to file (any name of your choice). Exit the Search Results window. Now click the Microsoft Outlook icon and open it. It should open up fine. Go back looking for the outcmd.dat file in the Search Results window if the email program still does not open. Right-click the file and select Delete. If prompted, confirm the action by clicking the Yes button. Reopen and close the window Outlook. It should open fine.

OUTCMD.DAT is a small file that stores the custom changes you make to your Outlook toolbar buttons. Since malware or virus infections often target toolbars to slip into your computer, they add toolbars or add-ins to this file, making it corrupted. A temporary glitch can cause this file to become corrupted. If Outlook starts working fine after renaming the file, you can customize your Outlook toolbar buttons again. Otherwise, delete the file and then re-customize your toolbar buttons.

If you are using Windows 7 with the Outlook 2010 version and receive “Can not start Microsoft Outlook. Unable to open the Outlook window. Click the Startbutton and open Command Prompt.

Type 'C: Program FilesMicrosoft OfficeOffice 14Outlook. exe”/ resetnavpane' (without quotes and as is) and hit the Enter key. The command assumes that your Office program resides in Programs Files in the C: drive. If it resides in a different location, change the path accordingly. Exit the Command Prompt window. Open Outlook and check back, it should work fine. The command removes and recreates the navigation panel for your Outlook profile. If the problem persists, move on to the next step.

Since Outlook is not opening in the normal mode, restart in Safe Mode. To do so, click the Start button and go to Run. When in Outlook, click the Tools tab, and select Trust.

Click the drop-down menu and select it if COM Add-ins is not selected beside Manage. Hit the GO button to get in the COM Add-ins window. Look for the unnecessary add-in, click to uncheck the box beside it, and then hit the OK button. If you want to remove an add-in, just select it, and hit the Remove button. The add-in will be removed. Exit Trust Center, close Outlook and reopen it. It will open up fine in the normal mode.

Additional Tips:

If none of the above mentioned methods works, open Outlook in Safe Mode and delete your existing email profile. Create a new one, close and reopen Outlook normally. In case Outlook still does not open, contact an Outlook support service.

Microsoft Outlook may refuse to open up without showing an error message or with a different one. Now click the Microsoft Outlook icon and open it. If Outlook starts working fine after renaming the file, you can customize your Outlook toolbar buttons again. If you are using Windows 7 with the Outlook 2010 version and receive “Can not start Microsoft Outlook. In case Outlook still does not open, contact an Outlook support service for outlook online support