Member Avatar for DebbieH

Hi,

I am having problems with Outlook 2000 (PC). Often, I have to restart my computer 3 times before I can get Outlook to launch! Either the program hangs/freezes on the splash screen when i try to launch it, or it freezes when I try to switch from 1 folder to another folder in my inbox. No error messages, it just freezes. Or I get an hour glass and "Not responding" on top of window. I tried "repair" option in Outlook but it didnt help.

Hence...I want to uninstall and reinstall Outlook. But I'm afraid I will lose all my email, contacts, sent mail (and it is crucial that I don't); Any suggestions? Please???

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by andrewmason

Dani AI

Generated

Short, practical plan for (builds on points from and ):

  1. Try less-destructive fixes first
  • Start Outlook in Safe Mode to rule out add-ins: 
    outlook.exe /safe

    If it opens, disable non-Microsoft add-ins and test again. Run the Inbox Repair Tool (ScanPST.exe) against your .pst if Outlook opens or you can find the file on disk.

  1. Make a filesystem backup of your data (do this before uninstalling)
  • If Outlook opens: use File > Import/Export to export a Personal Folder (.pst) to an external drive.
  • If it won’t open: use Windows Explorer to search the system for *.pst and copy every .pst you find to a safe location (external USB or burned CD). Right-click → Properties to note sizes. Keep at least two copies. If you see any .ost files, know that OST is a cached copy for Exchange/IMAP and can usually be rebuilt from the server, but copy it anyway if you want a local backup.
  1. Reinstall / profile rebuild (safe order)
  • Uninstall Outlook/Office only after backups are confirmed. After reinstall, create a new mail profile (Mail in Control Panel) and attach/import the copied .pst via Outlook’s account/settings > Data Files or File > Open/Outlook Data File. Test by opening the copied .pst before letting Outlook become your daily store again.
  1. Useful checks and cautions
  • Large ANSI PSTs (Outlook 2000-era) are fragile — sizes near or above 2GB commonly cause hangs; if a PST is large, create a new PST and move older mail into it in stages.
  • Verify backups by opening them in Outlook before uninstall. If ScanPST can’t repair a corrupted PST, consider reputable recovery tools or professional recovery — do not keep reinstalling without secure backups.

This sequence preserves data first, then fixes or replaces the application. It avoids guessing causes and gives safe, verifiable steps to follow.

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Member Avatar for DimaYasny

as such, if you orderly remove outlook and reinstall it, the pst files should remain. if you're working with an exchange server, your email database is on the server, so it's even better.
to be on the safe side, I'd save the outlook folder containing the PST/OST files, and/or export all folders from outlook to pst files somewhere, to import them after the reinstall, if the email dbase gets lost.

and upgrade that old thing to 2003-2007 already :)

Member Avatar for denthal

Hi,

I am having problems with Outlook 2000 (PC). Often, I have to restart my computer 3 times before I can get Outlook to launch! Either the program hangs/freezes on the splash screen when i try to launch it, or it freezes when I try to switch from 1 folder to another folder in my inbox. No error messages, it just freezes. Or I get an hour glass and "Not responding" on top of window. I tried "repair" option in Outlook but it didnt help.

Hence...I want to uninstall and reinstall Outlook. But I'm afraid I will lose all my email, contacts, sent mail (and it is crucial that I don't); Any suggestions? Please???

Did you use original Office disc 2 to do the repair?

Member Avatar for andrewmason

Hi,

I am having problems with Outlook 2000 (PC). Often, I have to restart my computer 3 times before I can get Outlook to launch! Either the program hangs/freezes on the splash screen when i try to launch it, or it freezes when I try to switch from 1 folder to another folder in my inbox. No error messages, it just freezes. Or I get an hour glass and "Not responding" on top of window. I tried "repair" option in Outlook but it didnt help.

Hence...I want to uninstall and reinstall Outlook. But I'm afraid I will lose all my email, contacts, sent mail (and it is crucial that I don't); Any suggestions? Please???

Products by Microsoft have many flaws for safe majors you need to take backup of outlook files. if it start freezes and after some time it will stop working.

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