Vista - Outlook 2007 only opens in safe mode

Help. Outlook 2007 will only open in safe mode. Though workable, it isn't a good long term solution. Here's what as the result of scouring various internet user groups. I'm hoping somebody here ends that cycle with a solution.

I've:

1. Run scanpst.exe. No errors found in my .pst file.
2. I've disabled all Outlook 2007 add-ons.
3. I've done resetting of outcmd.dat and extend.dat
4. I've created a new .pst file and done an export of the old .pst to that new .pst.
5. I've created a new desktop shortcut icon that points to Outlook 2007 in the office directory

There is the sum and substance of all the advice I've seen. I'm left with the problem, i.e., I click on Outlook 2007 and I get the splash screen along with fragments of the normal screen in the upper left hand corner: file, edit, view, go, tools, help, search - menu bar. That's it. Cursor is frozen. I do the 3 finger salute. Up comes task manager. I end the task, reclick on Outlook 2007 icon and I'm allowed to load the app in safe mode.

What I'm looking for is a real smart guy/chick who has been down this route and has the 'fix'. Are you he/she?

p.s. by the way, Microsoft's support site is absolutely lousy, containing nothing in the KB about this common problem and ultimately only leads to an invitation to spend $49 with MSFT product support. Good grief!

I have EXACTLY the same issue. It just started recently. Have cleaned the registry. Have uninstalled and reinstalled Office 2007. Nothing changes. Have restored windows to point before this started, but nothing changed.

Mdunaway is your problem with Outlook or Office?

Great question. It is with Outlook only.

Outlook, being a part of Office, would be uninstalled when Office is uninstalled, and then re-installed when Outlook is reinstalled.

Hi,
mdunaway, and welcome to the forums.

Around the time this started to occur, check your Windows Update history and see if something got installed in Outlook that might be related to causing this issue....

so glad to find this thread as I developed this problem last week. many thanks to John Galt and Mary Poppins for directions to look. I should have made my name "Clueless in NC" but how do I tell which updates I installed last week?

I too am having this same issue. Outlook works fine in safe mode but it just locks up in standard mode. Anyone have any suggestions? I have run the inbox repair tool, uninstalled and reinstalled Office, created new profiles, reset the extend.dat ... files. Ready to go back to Office 2k3 on Win XP. At least it worked ....

mapifix and repair on it.

I tried this and nothing has changed. Outlook still only works in safe mode. And it is fixmapi not mapifix ...