You receive a program conflict error message when you start Outlook 2000 (256946)

SYMPTOMS

When you start Outlook, you may receive the following error message:

A recently installed program may cause Microsoft Office or other e-mail-enabled programs to function improperly. Outlook can resolve this conflict without affecting the program that originally caused the problem. Do you want Outlook to resolve this problem?

RESOLUTION

The error message asks you to click either Yes or No. There are two scenarios that may occur:

Scenario 1

If you click Yes, the Fixmapi.exe utility starts and attempts to fix the MAPI file conflict by installing the correct version.

If a currently running program is using the Mapi32.dll file, the Fixmapi utility may not fix the file conflict. In this case, the following information dialog box is displayed:

Outlook was unable to resolve the conflict between a recently installed program and Microsoft Office or other e-mail-enabled programs. Outlook needs to modify a system component that another program is currently using. To fix this problem, please restart Windows.

If you click OK, Windows does not restart. However, an entry for the Fixmapi utility is placed in the RunOnce registry key. When you restart Windows, the Fixmapi utility attempts to correct the Mapi32.dll file conflict.

Scenario 2

If you click No, there is no change made to the core MAPI file. Because Outlook uses the Mapi32.dll file in the C:\Program Files\Common Files\SYSTEM\Mapi\1033\95 file, clicking No does not affect the operation of the application. NOTE: It may be necessary to close all programs, run the Fixmapi.exe utility by itself, and then shut down your computer completely before restarting.

WORKAROUND

If the Fixmapi utility does not correct the error message, use the following steps:

Quit all open programs.
Rename the Mapi32.dll file in C:\Windows\System to Mapi32.old.
Locate the Fixmapi.exe file in C:\Windows\System, and then double-click Fixmapi.exe to run the program.
Restart your computer.

MORE INFORMATION

Traditionally, the Windows Messaging Subsystem (WMS) installs the core MAPI files in the C:\Windows\System folder. Earlier versions of Outlook access the files from that location; In Outlook 2000, the key MAPI files are stored in a common location.

"Simple Mapi" applications, such as Outlook Express, Eudora, Netscape, and other 3rd party applications install and access the Mapi32.dll file from C:\Windows\System. Applications that support "Simple MAPI" allow you to send documents by clicking Send To on the File menu.

The Mapi32.dll file in the System folder is also used by Microsoft Fax.

If the Microsoft Exchange System Manager (ESM) is installed on your computer, running Fixmapi.exe fixes Microsoft Outlook, but it also breaks the ESM. If you have the ESM installed, please follow the steps in the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

243659 XFOR: Exchange Migration Wizard Stops Responding After You Use Outlook 2000

Specifically, follow the steps to add the FixMAPI value to the registry. If you have already run Fixmapi.exe and the ESM is broken as a result, reinstall the ESM and then follow the steps shown in Q243659.