Outlook/Outlook Express Issues
Problem: Outlook blocks certain attachments—they just cannot be opened!
Solution:
Open the Registry Editor. Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft \Office\x\Outlook\Security Here, x should be “9.0” for Outlook 2000, “10.0” for Outlook 2002, and “11.0” for Outlook 2003. Next, go to Edit > New, and click ‘String Value’. Type in “Level1Remove” (without the quotes) for the new value.Press [Enter]. Right-click the new string value name, and click ‘Modify’. Type in the extension of the file type you would like to open in Outlook, for instance, “.exe” (without the quotes).
To specify multiple file types, use the format “.exe;.com” (without the quotes; note the semicolon). Click ‘OK’, quit the ‘Registry Editor’, and then restart your PC. From now on, Outlook will no longer block the attachments you specified. 
Problem: Clicking hyperlinks in Outlook Express does nothing at all.
Solution:
This could happen if one or more registered file associations are configured incorrectly. To repair this, go to the Control Panel > Folder Options. Click the ‘File Types’ tab. Select ‘URL:HyperText Transfer Protocol’ in the list of file types.Click the ‘Advanced’ button (in Windows XP), or the ‘Edit’ button (in other Windows versions).
In the list of ‘Actions’, select ‘Open’, and click ‘Edit’. The ‘Application used to perform action’ box should contain, including the quotation marks: “C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer\iexplore.exe” -nohome (This is assuming IE is your default browser.) If it contains a short name version of that path, or an incorrect path, change it to the above, again assuming that you want IE to open your hyperlinks. Now click ‘OK’ twice. Repeat these steps for the file type ‘URL:HyperText Transfer Protocol with Privacy’. Finally, click ‘OK’.
Problem: Outlook doesn’t open at all, or takes a very long time to open.
Solution:
This is a common error with Outlook 2000 and 2002. Sometimes, it may take more than 30 seconds to open. This is often due to a corrupt ‘Outcmd.dat’ file—it stores custom changes you may have made to your toolbar buttons. You can rename or delete the file; but if the problem gets resolved when you do this, you will, of course, need to make your custom toolbar button changes again.
To remove the ‘Outcmd.dat’ file, simply search for the file and delete it. When Outlook next opens, it recreates the file (a non-corrupted one). Delete any instances of Outcmd.dat you find on your PC, and that usually, the file is in the ‘Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook’ folder.
Problem: Outlook sends out attachments called ‘winmail.dat’ that cannot be read by other mail clients.
Solution:
You’ll need to turn off ‘Rich Text’ sending for messages in Outlook. Go to Tools > Options and click the ‘Mail Format’ tab. In the ‘Send in this Message Format’ list, select ‘Plain Text’ and click ‘OK’. This will set your default sending method to plaintext, which means you’ll lose your special formatting—fonts, colours, and so on. But the ‘winmail.dat’ problem will be solved and all receivers irrespective of the mail client they’re using, will be able to read your mail. There still remains a question: what if you want to view the winmail.dat—the mail the sender intended you to read, with all its formatting? A couple of programs can decode the file and allow you to view it. One of them is WMDecode for Windows, available at www.biblet.freeserve.co.uk.
Problem: You receive mail in your mail client, but you cannot send mail.
Solution:
This is a very common problem, compounded by the fact that many ISPs frequently change their outgoing mail settings. There are three things you can do. First, check that your settings are correct—the outgoing mail server address, and see whether authentication is needed for the outgoing mail. You might think you have the settings right, but since ISPs can change the settings, you might have to call customer service and verify again. Second, experiment a little. The customer service person may not know the settings, for instance, he or she may not know that outgoing mail server authentication is needed. Ensure that the e-mail address you typed is the one your ISP assigned to you, and see if it works. And third, if you’re positive that your settings are right, then try to receive your mail first, and send immediately after that. This often works!
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