Resolved Windows Feature Update 1709 freezes Outlook 2003

After this update installed on my wife's laptop, she tried to use Outlook to read email. It could be opened to read documents in the read window, but almost all functions failed to work, each giving a message like "Send/Receive Error: Operation Failed." I searched the Internet for solutions, and all I could find were related to interactions with other software.

So then I went to "Control Panel/Programs" and selected "Features/Uninstall or Change a Program." Then I right clicked on Microsoft Office Standard Edition 2003, and it gave a "repair" option.

I ran the repair, and it fixed Outlook.

Her laptop was running Windows 10 Home Edition 64. I did not have this problem with the 1709 update on my desktop or laptop, which were both running Windows 10 Pro.

 

I am glad that resolved it but I think it important to point out that mainstream support for Office 2003 (including Outlook 2003) ended in 2009 and extended support ended in 2014. Setting aside the security concerns (which is reason enough to upgrade), because even extended support has ended, it is reasonable to expect compatibility issues will continue to develop as Windows 10 continues to evolve. And next time, (and I expect eventually) there may be no solution.

I am a lifetime (well, since Outlook 97 anyway) user of Outlook. In fact, I am totally dependent on it. My life is in there and managed by it. I also used Outlook 2003, then updated to 2007 when it came out and built a new computer for myself. I did not, however, upgrade to Office 2010 or Office 2013 because Office 2007 continued to function just fine on my latest builds with W10.

But mainstream support for Office 2007 ended in 2012 and extended support finally ended in October 2017. So (for security and eventual compatibilities reasons) a couple months ago I bit the bullet and upgraded from Office 2007 Pro to Office Home and Business 2016 (which also includes Outlook 2016).

I have to admit, I was very hesitant. I was not worried about all my Word documents or Excel spreadsheets as I had backups. And while I backed up my .pst file and had several Outlook file exports, I was still afraid something would happen and I would lose all my contacts, calendar entries, rules and emails. But my fears were unfounded as Office 2016 installed and imported everything just fine. There's a little learning curve, but it is not bad. Her's from 2003 will be a little steeper, but IIRC, the learning curve from 2003 to 2007 was not that bad either.

So break it to her and tell her it is time to upgrade - before its too late.

 

Bill, do what you think is right for you. But there are some of us that believe that change isn't always better or needed, and we understand the security risks of taking that chance, and backing up accordingly. I've worked with newer versions of Office a little, and for my needs, they aren't as good as 03. And I doubt that I'm the only one that feels that way. And even though I'm retired, I have enough keeping me busy that any avoidance of dealing with another upgrade is a boost for my overall productivity.

I'm an old guy who doesn't believe that the latest tools are always the best tool. Sometimes grabbing a shovel is better than renting a backhoe. Often what software companies think is an improvement turns out to be a mess. To wit, when I took advantage of Microsoft's very generous free update to Windows 10 from Windows 7, I expected some problems. But never guessed how long it took to get back to normal. And that wasn't because of out-of-date software. That was because of things like USB 2.0 compliant devices that worked perfectly fine in Windows 7, and to this day don't function as well under Windows 10. I don't remember Microsoft telling us that we had to buy new printers because Windows 10 wouldn't work with the current one.

As for this particular issue, Outlook 2003 stopped working after the 1709 update with Windows 10 Home, but still worked fine on Windows 10 Pro. So it seemed worth the little effort it took to see if it could be fixed.

So I posted that easy fix here for all the other users of 2003 like myself, so that maybe I can help them.

 

Well, I'm no spring chicken either. And as I expressly noted above, I set aside the security issue and focused the entire rest of my comment on compatibility.

If she were running XP, I would care because XP systems, when they have Internet access, are threats to the rest of us. But she has W10 so, IMO, security is not an issue for us - and likely not for her either (for now). My concern was totally based in the fact Microsoft may very well release an update in the future that breaks Office/Outlook 2003 because they are no longer expending resources to develop and test for compatibility of such obsolete, legacy products.

Our philosophies are not that different. Like I said, I hung on to Office 2007 for 10 years because I saw no need to upgrade. My password manager dates back to 2008 even though it has been superseded multiple times too. But I don't need to the newer features.

If something does not work under W10 that did under W7, blame the hardware maker, not Microsoft. Microsoft provided hardware makers and software developers the specs for W10 compatibility well over a year before W10 was released to the public. If the hardware makers failed to release compatible W10 drivers and the software developers failed to release compatible updates, that's on them, not Microsoft. Blame them for wanting you to spend more money on newer versions.

Now, as a hardware guy, I have to add in their defense, there typically are zero returns on the investment of making W10 drivers and software upgrades on legacy products. Those development expenses can be considerable.

 

The printer, which was USB 2.0, as I said, worked perfectly under Windows 7 Professional 64. When I plugged it into the same computer after the upgrade from Windows 7 to Windows 10 Pro 64, in the same computer port (a USB 2 port), in a computer that was two years old, the printer would not work.

Windows 10 reported that the printer was USB 2.0 (correct), and reported that it was in a USB 3.0 port (incorrect), so it should be plugged into a USB 2.0 port (which makes no sense, since it was already in a USB 2.0 port). Also, USB 3 should backwardly support a USB 2 product, so why would Windows 10 be saying it needed to go to a USB 2 port, especially when it was in a USB 2 port already?

Since you are a hardware guy, explain why, given what I just described, this would be a hardware problem, and not a Windows 10 problem?

 

Update: The same problem happened on my laptop. It is running Windows Pro 10. Same fix worked.

tq

 

I did not say it was a hardware problem. As I noted above, if your hardware worked under W7 but not under W10, it is because the hardware maker failed to make compatible W10 hardware drivers. Compatible drivers are the responsibility of the hardware maker, not Microsoft.

USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 work under W10 too, for millions and millions of users and 100s of millions of pieces of hardware. Virtually all keyboards and mice connect through USB (either by wire, or by wireless dongle). That proves Windows can communicate with the USB interface just fine. So it is then up to the hardware maker to ensure their hardware can do the same, and also that they have provided compatible drivers for the connected device.

Microsoft is not the primary driver for advances in hardware technologies. Hardware makers are doing that on their own too. Microsoft did not force the end to EIDE drives, AGP graphics cards, 4:3 monitors, LPT1 (parallel) printers, DOCSIS 2 modems, 10Mbps networking, PS/2 keyboards and mice.

Don't get me wrong. I share your frustration. But retiring legacy hardware before it dies is just a fact of life. I had a great old LaserJet that only worked with DOS, W95/98 and XP. I had to retire it when I moved to W7. And of course, this is not just with computers. Cassette players, 8-Tracks, CRT TVs and monitors, cell phones and more.

As a side comment with regards to USB, IMO, it has never been a very reliable interface. People complain all the time about "some" of their connected devices dropping out and have been doing so since USB1.0. But this is and has been happening with Apple and Linux/UNIX based platforms too. As you noted, USB (regardless of version) should be forwards and backwards compatible but with some devices, it just does not work as advertised. But since it does work with other devices, and the port and the OS are the same, how can it be the OS when that same OS supports the same port just fine with other connected USB devices?

Personally, I think much of the blame falls on the hardware manufacturers failing to fully develop and test compatible drivers. But also I blame them for making very cheap (in cost and quality) USB interfaces, cables, and connectors - and devices too. I think external drive makers are some of the worst.