Outlook Express could not be started because MSOE.DLL could not be loaded.

Newt:

I just ran into the same error message as Topnotch. I am running W98SE and using Firefox & Thunderbird as my primary browser & mail client. I also have IE 6.0 installed including Outlook Express. Outlook in installed as part of Office 2000. I use Outlook only for the calendaring features.

If I understand the articles and this thread correctly, it sounds like I need to uninstall & reinstall Outlook Express. Is that correct and if so, how do I do that?

 

First thing to try is a little less drastic and at worst will leave you with a faster and more agile system. Best case it might cure the problem.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

General clean-up instructions for Win95/98/ME

• Open a browser window and dump all TIF (temporary internet files) and cookies. Close.
• Open windows explorer and
  .. delete the contents of all temp folders
  .. delete any files in c:\ with a name filennnn.chk (where nnnn is any number so file0001.chk, file1034.chk, etc)
• verify that you have fewer than 500 files & folders directly under c:\. If you are close to that number, remove or move some files.
• empty the recycle bin
• boot to DOS
• from the command prompt do the following
  .. scanreg /fix <ENTER> (press the ENTER key)
  .. scanreg /opt <ENTER>
  ****note that 95 does not have scanreg.exe but a copy from 98 or ME will run fine if you can get one
  .. scandisk c:\ /nosave /autofix /surface <ENTER>
  .. Win /D:M (forces a safe mode windows start)
• Run another scandisk (start~programs~accessories~system tools) and check for a standard scan and to fix all errors found. The DOS scan couldn't check for long file name issues.
• Run a defrag
• Reboot to normal Windows.

 

Newt:

I followed the clean-up list from top to bottom with the exceptions noted below. The machine is more frisky now, but the same OLE error comes up when trying to open Outlook. When I try to open OE, the error message is:

OE could not be started because MSOE.dll could not be loaded.​

Regarding the clean-up list:

1. I did not get a response to scanreg/opt on the DOS prompt. I did run scanreg/fix. scanreg.exe is installed and running it under W98SE gets the response "The registry has already been backed-up today. Do you want to back-up the registry again?" I didn't.

2. Believe the "\" is a typo in the item to run scandisk under DOS:

.. scandisk c:\ /nosave /autofix /surface <ENTER>​

I removed it and ran scandisk.

So, thanks for the tune-up. What do you suggest from here to tackle the OE issue?

 

Newt:

Hope you meander your way to this new thread they created! Let me know what thoughts you have from here. Thanks.

 

This issue is now moot -- I've gone to new hardware and XP. Thanks for the try Newt!

 

Thanks for the update. Sorry but I apparently lost track of this thread. Didn't mean to leave you hanging back in August.

 

No problem -- I'm sure I'll be coming your way more than once on XP issues going forward.

 

Good. If you ever post a question and get no answer within a business day or two, post again to bump it to the top.

 

Thanks -- will do.