OL98: (IMO) Option to Share Contacts with Outlook Not Available in Windows Address Book

ID: Q238872

The information in this article applies to:
  • Microsoft Outlook 98
NOTE: These procedures only apply if you have installed Outlook with the Internet Mail Only option. To determine your installation type, on the Help menu click About Microsoft Outlook. In About Microsoft Outlook you should see "Internet Mail Only" if you have the Internet Mail Only option installed.

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

In Outlook Internet Mail Only (IMO), your Address Book may appear empty, even though you have e-mail addresses in the Contacts folder. In the Windows Address Book(WAB), the option to share contacts with Outlook is not available.

NOTE: This issue has been noted to occur in rare cases after installing Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.


CAUSE

This issue may be caused by one or more of the following:

  • An invalid version of Outlwab.dll file


  • A missing Outlwab.dll file


  • Incorrect information in the Windows registry



MORE INFORMATION

To correct this issue, do one of the following:

  • Rename and reinstall the Outlwab.dll file.
-or-
  • Modify the registry.

Rename and Reinstall the Outlwab.dll File

If Outlwab.dll is not on your computer, start with step 6.
  1. Click Start, point to Find, and click Files or Folders.


  2. In the Named box, type Outlwab.dll.


  3. In the Look in box, click to select My Computer. Click Find Now.


  4. Right click Outlwab.dll, and click Rename.


  5. Rename the file to Outlwab.old, and press ENTER.


  6. If you are running Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.x , reinstall Outlook.

    -or-

    If you are running Internet Explorer 5.x and Outlook Express, reinstall Outlook Express 5.0.


The setup program will replace the missing Outlwab.dll file.

Verify the Registry Entry

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).
  1. Click Start, and then click Run.


  2. Type regedit, and click OK.


  3. Navigate to the following key:


    4. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office\8.0
  4. Click the 8.0 folder. In the right hand window, you should see a string value called BinDirPath. If not, on the Edit menu, click New String Value. For the name of the String Value, type BinDirPath.


  5. Verify that the data contained in the BinDirPath value is the path to Outlwab.dll. Correct the path if it is incorrect. Click OK.


    6. The default path for this file is: 
    
C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office
  6. Close the Registry Editor and then restart Outlook.


NOTE: If you have installed Microsoft Office to a folder other than the default, make sure the path is to that folder.

Additional query words: 98 grey gray greyed grayed

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


Last Reviewed: September 30, 1999
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