Error starting Outlook: "Cannot start Microsoft Office Outlook. Cannot open the Outlook window."

Error starting Outlook: "Cannot start Microsoft Office Outlook. Cannot open the Outlook window."

Cause:

This problem can occur when file that maintains the Navigation Pane settings becomes corrupted. This file is called profilename.xml, where profilename is the name of your Outlook profile. This file is stored in the following folder:

• Windows XP
  C:\Documents and Settings\username\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook
• Windows server2008r2, Windows 7
  C:\Users\username\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Outlook

A good indication this file is corrupted is when the file size is 0 KB.

Resolution:

To resolve this problem, use the following steps.

1. On the Start menu click Run.
2. In the Run dialog box, type the following command:
   
   Outlook.exe /resetnavpane
   
   Note: There is a space between "Outlook.exe" and "/resetnavpane"
3. Click OK.