OLEXP: An Access Violation Occurs in Outlook Express If You Click Cancel When You Are Choosing a Message Store (312590)

SYMPTOMS

When you first start Outlook Express, you may be prompted to choose a location for the message store. If you click Cancel, an access violation may occur in Outlook Express. This issue can occur if the following conditions exist:

You start Outlook Express for the first time.
You are logged on with an account that was created by using Input Method Editor.
Your account was created in a right-to-left language such as Thai or Arabic.
You are using the English-language version of Windows XP.

CAUSE

Outlook Express does not support bidirectional characters. When you start Outlook Express the first time, it attempts to create the message store in a location that is based on the account that is in use. If the folder for your account is created with bidirectional characters, Outlook Express cannot set the message store location and prompts you to pick another location for the message store. The OK button is not available until you choose a non-bidirectional folder for the message store; only the Cancel button is available.

RESOLUTION

To resolve this problem, obtain the latest service pack for Internet Explorer 6. For additional information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

328548 How to Obtain the Latest Internet Explorer 6 Service Pack

The English version of this fix should have the following file attributes or later:

   Date         Time   Version         Size       File name
   ---------------------------------------------------------
   19-Nov-2001  17:37  5.50.4910.1000  2,748,688  Mshtml.dll

WORKAROUND

To work around this problem, choose a non-bidirectional folder for the message store when you are prompted to choose a message store.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed at the beginning of this article. This problem was first corrected in Internet Explorer 6 Service Pack 1.

MORE INFORMATION

Note that the hotfix that is described in this article only prevents the access violation from occurring. This hotfix does not add support for bidirectional characters.