27th September 2002

Question: I have a Windows 98 computer, and when I try to open Microsoft Outlook Express I get an error that it could not start because "Msoe.dll" could not be loaded. I have tried reinstalling Outlook Express but that didn't fix it. Is there anything I can do?

Answer: I think we can help you with this. The error you are getting is a result of there being different versions of Outlook Express files located in the C:\ Program Files \ Outlook Express folder. This happens occasionally during the installation and uninstallation of different Outlook Express versions. I'm betting that you upgraded to a different version of Outlook Express, and that's what triggered the problem for you. The fix is somewhat simple in that you only have to manually uninstall and reinstall Outlook Express. That is where the simple part ends, though, as you will be required to make some edits in your registry. For step-by-step instructions on how to manually uninstall and reinstall Outlook Express, please refer to Microsoft Knowledge Base article - Q256219. This article will also take you through backing up your data from Outlook Express.