Address Book / Contact Missing - Part II

If Outlook Express automatically completes names you type in the To box when you are composing a message, but you do not see any contacts in the Address Book, the Wab32.dll file might be damaged.

A damaged Wab32.dll file can also cause you to receive one of the following messages when you try to send e-mail:

"Outlook Express: There was an error opening this message.
An error has occurred."

"The Address Book failed to load. Outlook Express is incorrectly configured, please re-install."

"The message could not be sent. Some of the recipients for this message are not valid. Please verify the names."

If you experience any of these symptoms, rename your old address book, replace the Wab32.dll file, and then import contacts from your old address book into a new one.

To rename your old address book

1. Close the Address Book and quit Outlook Express.
2. Click Start, click Search, and then click Other files or folders.
3. Under Look in, click the disk on which Windows is installed.
4. In the Name of file or folder box, type:
   *.wab
5. Click More advanced options.
6. Select the Search system folders check box.
7. Select the Search hidden files and folders check box.
8. Click Search.
9. In the results list, right-click your Address Book file, click Rename, and then type:
   old.wab
10. Press ENTER.
11. Right-click your Address Book file again and click Properties.
12. Make a note of the location of this file, which is shown in the General tab under Location.
    
    If you cannot see the entire location, pause the mouse pointer over the part of the location you can see.

To replace the Wab32.dll file

1. Insert your Windows CD into the CD-ROM drive.
2. Click Start, and then click Run.
3. In the Open box, type:
   msconfig
   and then click OK.
4. On the General tab, click Expand File.
5. In File to restore, type:
   wab32.dll
6. In Restore from, type:
   CD:\win9x\win_14 where CD is the drive letter of your CD-ROM drive (often D).
7. In Save file in, type:
   drive:\program files\common files\system where drive is the drive letter of the hard disk that contains your program files (usually C).
8. Click Expand, and then click OK.
9. Restart the computer.

To import contacts from your old Address Book into your new one

1. Start Outlook Express.
2. On the File menu, point to Import, and then click Address Book.
3. Locate and click your old Address Book, which you renamed Old.wab earlier.
   
   The default location of this file is C:\Windows\Application Data\Microsoft\Address Book.
4. Click Open.