OL2000: Error Message: Not a Valid Office Add-in Starting Outlook

ID: Q235009

The information in this article applies to:
  • Microsoft Outlook 2000
IMPORTANT: This article contains information about editing the registry. Before you edit the registry, make sure you understand how to restore it if a problem occurs. For information about how to do this, view the "Restoring the Registry" Help topic in Regedit.exe or the "Restoring a Registry Key" Help topic in Regedt32.exe.

SYMPTOMS

When you start Outlook, you may receive the following error message:

<Path> is not a valid Office add-in.

This will typically occur when installing Microsoft Office 2000 to a folder other than the default folder. This issue affects all versions of Office 2000.


CAUSE

The registry entries for Small Business Customer Manager are set during installation of Small Business Tools, but the program files are not yet installed.


RESOLUTION

Initially, the error message may be avoided by deactivating the Outlook Sync add-in following these steps:

  1. On the Tools menu, click Options and then click the Other tab.


  2. Click Advanced Options and then click Add-in Manager.


  3. Click to remove the check mark at Outlook Sync. Click OK, OK and OK again. Restart Outlook.


If the startup error persists, exit Outlook, rename the Extend.dat file, and then restart Outlook. To rename this file:
  1. Close Outlook if it is open.


  2. Click Start, point to Find, and click Files or Folders.


  3. In the Named box, type extend.dat, in the Look In box, click to select drive C, click to check Include Subfolders, and click Find Now.


  4. Click to select the file name, and on the File menu, click Rename.


  5. Change the .dat file extension to .old, and press ENTER. If you have multiple instances of the file, rename each.


  6. Close the Find window.


If the startup error still persists, proceed to the steps in the following subsections, selecting the steps that match your Office installation and configuration choices. Addtionally, there are two possible resolutions to this issue. Use the first resolution if you do not want to have Small Business Customer Manager installed on your computer; use the second resolution if you do want it installed.

Small Business Customer Manager Not Installed

WARNING: Using Registry Editor incorrectly can cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that problems resulting from the incorrect use of Registry Editor can be solved. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.

For information about how to edit the registry, view the "Changing Keys and Values" Help topic in Registry Editor (Regedit.exe) or the "Add and Delete Information in the Registry" and "Edit Registry Data" Help topics in Regedt32.exe. Note that you should back up the registry before you edit it. If you are running Windows NT, you should also update your Emergency Repair Disk (ERD).

To modify the registry, follow these steps:
  1. Click Start, click Run, and type regedit. Click OK.


  2. Navigate to the following registry key:


    3. HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\Outlook\Addins\SBCM.ADDIN.1
  3. With the SBCM.ADDIN.1 key selected, press DELETE.


  4. Quit the Registry Editor.


Small Business Customer Manager Installed

If you want the Small Business Customer Manager installed on your computer, follow these steps:
  1. Click Start, point to Settings, and click Control Panel.


  2. Double-click Add/Remove Programs.


  3. Select Microsoft Office 2000 Disk 2, and then click Add/Remove. The installer will start up in Maintanance mode.


  4. Click the button next to Add or Remove Features.


  5. Click to expand Small Business Tools and locate Small Business Customer Manager.


  6. Click the red X and then click to select Run from my computer.


  7. Click Update Now. If prompted, insert CD-2 and complete the installation.



MORE INFORMATION

If Office was installed in the default location, it may be necessary for you to complete another troubleshooting step if you want to install Small Business Customer Manager. When attempting to install the program through Maintenance Mode Setup, you may receive the following error:

Small Business Customer Manager cannot be installed into the same location as a previous version of Access or a previous version of the Access run-time. You must first uninstall any previous version of Access before installing Small Business Customer Manager.
To complete the installation, follow these steps:
  1. Click Start, point to Find, and then click Files or Folders.


  2. In the Named box, type Msaccess.exe.


  3. In the Look in box, select My Computer from the list.


  4. Rename Msaccess.exe to Msaccess.old. If more than one file is found, rename the file that is in the same folder with the other Office programs.


  5. Run the Maintenance mode installation for Office 2000 Disk 2 from the Add/Remove Programs icon in Control Panel, and install Small Business Contact Manager under Microsoft Small Business Tools.


A run-time copy of Microsoft Access will be installed.

If the Small Business Customer Manager was previously installed on the computer and then moved to another location, it may be necessary to register the program to point to the new location. To do this, follow these steps:
  1. Quit any open programs.


  2. Click Start, point to MS-DOS Prompt, or Command Prompt, depending on the version of Microsoft Windows you are using.


  3. At the MS-DOS prompt, type


    4. 
cd "\program files\microsoft office\office"
    and press ENTER. Include the quotation marks.

  4. At the MS-DOS prompt, type


    5. 
c:\windows\system\regsvr32.exe sbcmsync.dll
    for Windows 95/98
    -or- 
    
c:\winnt\system32\regsvr32.exe sbcmsync.dll
    for Windows NT,
    and press ENTER.

  5. You will receive the following message:


    6. DllRegisterServer in sbcmsync.dll succeeded.
  6. Click OK and close the MS-DOS prompt.


Additional query words: OL2K error startup First run invalid

Keywords : kbdta
Version : WINDOWS:2000
Platform : WINDOWS
Issue type : kbprb


Last Reviewed: September 22, 1999
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