Create a New Outlook Profile

One of the first troubleshooting steps you should try before doing things like uninstalling and reinstalling Outlook is creating a new profile. A new profile is also recommended when you upgrade to the latest version of Outlook.

Use the following steps to create a new profile using Outlook 2002/2003:

  • Close Outlook.
  • Open Control Panel and find the Mail applet. If you use the Category view in Windows XP's Control Panel, look for the Mail applet in the User Accounts category.
  • Select the Show Profiles button.
  • Click the Add button to make a new profile. Do not Copy your existing profile.
  • Follow the wizard to create your profile.

To use your existing personal data store:

  • After clicking Finish in the profile wizard, select the new profile from the Mail dialog and choose Properties, then Email Accounts and finally, View or change email accounts.
  • Select New Outlook data file and find your existing PST, add it to the profile and set it as the default.
  • Ok your way back to the Email Accounts dialog and select the PST you just added in the Deliver new e-mail to the following location menu.
  • When you return to the Mail Setup dialog, choose Data Files and remove the extra personal folders from your profile.

 

Notes:

  • When you are using an existing PST, you can use the default PST format on the New Personal Store dialog. If you are going to create a new PST and need to use it with older versions of Outlook, select Outlook 97/2002 format.
  • While the New dialog appears to only create a new pst, you can select an existing one to use.

If the new profile fixes your problem, select the old profile and press Remove.