Outlook Express will not open

I am running Windows 98 and using Microsoft Outlook Express 5.0 for my email. It was running fine last night and then I went to use it this morning and it will not open. I double click on the icon and the hour glass will come up for about 2 seconds and then disappear. I can't lose any of my emails because they are very important ones. Please help. Thanks in advance.

Russ

 

first off
you won't lose anything - they're either there and you can't see them right now
or they're gone already

use windows explorer and find a windows subdirectory something like this:
C:\WINDOWS\Application Data\Identities\{xxxxxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxx}\Microsoft\Outlook Express
that should have .dbx files like drafts, folders, inbox, sent, etc
- this is where Oe stores your emails

copy and paste the entire subdirectory somewhere else on you hard drive - just in case

then look for this directory: C:\Program Files\Outlook Express
msimn.exe is the file that starts the program
click/double click on it, see if the same thing happens

then i'd run a virus scan and spyware scan

 

If you doubleclick C:\Program Files\Outlook Express\Msimn.exe, does Outlook Express open?

If not, maybe you should try upgrading to <A HREF="http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/downloads/recommended/ie55sp2/default.asp">Internet Explorer 5.5 SP2</A> which Includes Outlook Express 5.5.

This will most probably solve your problem, and it's advisable anyway, if only because many security issues have been fixed in the meantime as well.

Good luck,

 

hi styles.....this may be irrelevant, but my Outlook express was down for 4 days and I found out it was my DSL provider doing a "conversion" or something.
Check that out too.....I drove myself nuts trying to reconfigure, etc....

rylz