Fixing Cannot Start Error Message In Outlook

Sometimes, while trying to open your Outlook 2003 application, you may get the following error, which can block you from further accessing the application:

Cannot start Microsoft Outlook. Unable to open the Outlook window. The set folders could not be opened. The server is not available. Contact your administrator if this condition persists.

According to the Outlook technical support team, such error messages usually occur when you use Outlook 2003 along with Microsoft Office 2003 Custom Installation Wizard. This is because here, the users might mention about a PST (personal storage table) file folder in the Windows Installer transform, by using the Default location for the PST files path option. So, the main reason for the Cannot start Outlook error is that users often specify a file name instead of a folder path.

You can use the Custom Installation Wizard to fix the issues for the future installations of Office:

• In the first step, you need visit the Change Office User Settings page and expand Microsoft Outlook 2003 followed by Miscellaneous. Now, you can click on the PST Settings.
• Next, move onto the right pane and double-click on the Default location for PST files. Here, you need to enter the path you want to have in the location box. One of them can be like this: enter %USERPROFILE%\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook\.
• Once you have typed in the specific path, you need to click on OK. Now, you can follow the steps to complete the wizard. After correcting the MST file, you can arrange Microsoft Office by using this file.

For resolving the Cannot Start Outlook error for an existing installation of the application, you need to mention the PST file by using the Mail icon in the Control Panel option.

• While running the Custom Installation Wizard in Outlook, you have the option to make necessary changes any Office user setting on the computer where this MST is arranged.
• First, you can click on the Miscellaneous PST Setting and then specify a default location for the PST files. While doing so, you can also use environment variables such as %USERPROFILE% in the Default location for PST files box. You can give the location as %USERPROFILE%\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook\.

These steps can help you to fix the common error message in Outlook. To know more about the Outlook features, feel free to contact our 24/7 Outlook technical support number.