If you have received outlook error 0x80040154 you may have a big problem. This is one of those generic “no one knows” or “has a thousand fixes-and none work for you” errors. In outlook it comes up as “unknown error” which is very frustrating.

Files that were once registered become unregistered or something in the registry is corrupt. In Outlook 2003 the major offender is inetcomm.dll. I’ll guide you through a few common solutions:

1. Click Start -> Run and type regsvr32 inetcomm.dll
2. Restart your computer and try to start Outlook. If it works, fantastic! The problem was inetcomm.dll somehow became unregistered.
3. Restart your computer in Safe Mode with Networking (F8 a second after boot-up but before the Windows load screen pops up) and try to open Outlook. If it works, you may have a virus or piece of software that is conflicting with Outlook. If you have recently installed any software that could be the culprit, uninstall it and try again. Otherwise, while still in Safe Mode, start an antivirus program and scan for viruses/trojans/spyware, etc.
4. If that doesn’t work, try removing the current Outlook profile you are using. Be sure to backup your email folders and settings first. Go to Control Panel -> Mail -> Profiles. Either delete the current profile or add a new profile and set it to default. Since it is likely a problem with the old profile, you do not want to use any of the old outlook files* or settings but reenter or import them. Setup an email account with the new profile and test it out before you import your old personal or archive folders.
5. If that doesn’t work, try repairing Outlook/Office*. Go to Control Panel -> Add/Remove Programs -> Outlook or Office and click uninstall or repair (depending on the version of Windows). A dialog box will appear and walk you through the repair process. Be sure to backup your folders and settings.
6. If the repair doesn’t work, you will need to uninstall Outlook and reinstall it.

* When you repair or reinstall Outlook it does not delete the personal folders by default. This is a good feature in case Outlook does get damaged, however, when Outlook is damaged as a result of the folders or profiles, not removing them during the above operations does not help. I recommend once you backup your folders and settings to delete all traces of Outlook information from the location: C:\Documents and Settings\username\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook\ . Then reinstall outlook or create a new profile. This is a last resort of course, because it is 100% starting over. With many people Outlook is their lifeline and keeping all information within it is critical.

Related posts:

1. RPC over HTTP/s with Outlook 2003 / 2007
2. Outlook 2003 Auto-Complete Cache (History List)
3. Outlook Print Margins Cut Off
4. Outlook Web Access Out of Office Assistant
5. Exchange server reported error 0x8004011D

|  Print This Post |