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Tech Tips / Windows XP / Installation and Configuration

Perform a quick reinstallation of Outlook Express

Most of the applications that ship with Windows XP cannot be removed or reinstalled separately. However, there are some tricks around this that are helpful in certain situations, such as the reinstallation trick for Outlook Express.

Microsoft Knowledge Base article Q318378 recommends using Sfc.exe to repair Outlook Express, but these instructions may not always solve the problem.

Instead, follow these steps to reinstall Outlook Express:

1. Open the Start menu and select Run.
2. Type %SystemRoot%\Inf in the prompt and press [Enter].
3. Locate and right-click the Msoe50.inf file.
4. Select Install.
5. Close the folder window after the copy process is complete.
6. Run Outlook Express.

This completely reinstalls Outlook Express and lets you start over. Outlook Express does not have an uninstall option, so it cannot be removed from the computer.

Note: These steps to reinstall Outlook Express are not supported by Microsoft, so be aware that unforeseen issues could arise following this procedure.