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yet another Microsoft blogger

# Monday, April 25, 2005

Fixing Outlook Red "X" Problem

Every few months, Outlook 2003 will get into a situation where it will no longer render images in the preview pane or the message window. If you reply to the message, then you will see the image.

Perplexed by the problem, I would take the brute force "Detect and Repair" solution but that isn't always desirable as it resets all the Outlook settings and takes a while. Months ago, some one posted to an internal DL that the problem can be fixed by deleting the Outlook Temporary Cache folder. Since then I had forgotten this solution, and noticed the problem re-appeared. I was talking to Reeves today and he mentioned that he is having the same problem.

Anyway, here is how you fix the problem.

  1. Locate the Outlook Temporary Items folder by opening the Registry and locating HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\11.0\Outlook\Security\OutlookSecureTempFolder
  2. Navigate to the value of this Key. It should be something like: %USERPROFILE%\Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files\OLK3D\ where OLK3D is some randomly generated string that always starts with OLK
  3. Quit Outlook
  4. Delete the contents of the folder
  5. Launch Outlook

Problem solved! I could not locate a KB article on this topic.

Posted Tuesday, April 26, 2005    Permalink    Comments [50]  View blog reactions

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Tuesday, April 26, 2005 1:57:25 PM (Pacific Daylight Time, UTC-07:00)
Thanks Omar!

One note: you may not be able to navigate to this folder with your mouse. I was unable to see the OLK folder on my machine and instead copied the path from RegEdit into my explorer navigation (pasting into start->run would have also done the trick). Manually opening up the folder allowed me to delete the files and solve the problem as well.
Wednesday, April 27, 2005 3:45:36 AM (Pacific Daylight Time, UTC-07:00)
Hi Omar,

Some great stuff on Outlook here and elsewhere on your blog. One small problem for me. The only email link (bottom of teh right-hand pane) yields an error in...Outlook (Command line argument not valid). So I cannot email you. If you have a minute, will you please email me your address?

Thanks

Christophe
Christophe Cuny
Tuesday, October 09, 2007 1:39:23 PM (Pacific Daylight Time, UTC-07:00)
Brilliant. This stumped me and my tech. Great tip. Thanks!!!
Heather Kelly
Thursday, November 01, 2007 4:03:09 PM (Pacific Daylight Time, UTC-07:00)
There is another real simple way to solve the problem: just empty the IE temporary files folder. Helps immediately.
Mungoman
Tuesday, November 06, 2007 10:26:04 PM (Pacific Standard Time, UTC-08:00)
EUREKA, It Worked! Thank you for helping me solve this really annoying problem!
horqua
Tuesday, November 13, 2007 1:09:47 AM (Pacific Standard Time, UTC-08:00)
Solution definitely works. This should be KB material. Thanks.

This has been post 2005 and still stands the test of time.
Thursday, December 13, 2007 3:46:04 AM (Pacific Standard Time, UTC-08:00)
I've got a version of this problem and unfortunately these fixes (emptying Outlook Temporary Items folder, emptying IE Temporary Internet Files folder) has not worked.

I'm using Outlook 2003. When I select 'Click to Download Pictures' from the preview pane first, pictures show in both the preview pane and upon double clicking the email in its own window. But if I double click the email first, then select 'Click to Download Pictures' from the email window, the pictures only show in the preview pane, not in the email window. Any suggestions?
Andrew Krainin
Thursday, January 03, 2008 9:26:56 AM (Pacific Standard Time, UTC-08:00)
This worked great! We started having this problem at our company when alot of people were sending daily embedded graphs to each other. Flushing that folder fixes it every time and it would seem it becomes a problem when that folder gets really full, we were seeing it fill up to 1.2 Gb or so. You do have to navigate directly to the folder from a command line as it is hidden from browsing.
Josh Fry
Wednesday, January 09, 2008 7:31:40 AM (Pacific Standard Time, UTC-08:00)
Thanks it works great!
Carn79
Friday, January 18, 2008 10:33:10 AM (Pacific Standard Time, UTC-08:00)
I have been looking for this fix for WEEKS. Microsoft, put this on your website! Thanks!
dude
Tuesday, January 29, 2008 10:55:24 AM (Pacific Standard Time, UTC-08:00)
Good fix!! One of our users ran into this problem and I've never seen it before. There were a million different "fixes" that I found pertaining to it online but none of them worked until I tried yours. Good job.

Marcus
IT Helpdesk
Marcus
Friday, February 01, 2008 12:19:16 PM (Pacific Standard Time, UTC-08:00)
Great fix. That temp folder for Outlook is the source of so many issues. Let's hope they get that resolved in the future.
Eric
Saturday, February 02, 2008 4:09:08 PM (Pacific Standard Time, UTC-08:00)
This worked for me too. Thank you! I'll remember to apply this fix every few months if it happens again.

I wonder if there is amore permanent fix - something that I won't have to apply every few months. If the problem really is to simply delete these randomly created subdirectories that outlook generates, then maybe there is a setting somewhere that says don't generate these directories at all...or keep the total size of these directories less than some size...
Taylor Monacelli
Saturday, February 09, 2008 9:39:40 PM (Pacific Standard Time, UTC-08:00)
Great Tip..I have been searching the net to solve x mark problem.i never get a solution.I deleted all the files from OLK folder and its working fine..
Thomas
Friday, February 22, 2008 9:03:54 AM (Pacific Standard Time, UTC-08:00)
I tried this solution and it seemed to work for awhile. Now the problem is back but the folder is empty. Im running outlook 2003 off of an exchange server.
Ryan
Wednesday, March 05, 2008 1:35:21 AM (Pacific Standard Time, UTC-08:00)
This fix worked for me a few months ago too. Like Ryan Im on an exchange server but now the problem is back for me and my colleagues and the fix isn't working :( For me, it is our office stationary that get's affected - red x's where the pics should be.
Mark
Friday, March 07, 2008 6:04:45 AM (Pacific Standard Time, UTC-08:00)
Brilliat, man! It really worked for me too!
As said above, I didn't find the folder using the search funtion in Windows, but had to copy/paste the path from Regedit.
Jan
Tuesday, March 11, 2008 1:13:52 PM (Pacific Daylight Time, UTC-07:00)
Just adding my thanks! Fixed problem that had stumped me and my friends.
Andy
Tuesday, March 11, 2008 10:40:56 PM (Pacific Daylight Time, UTC-07:00)
Thanks this helped a lot.

Is there another solution were we don't have to re clear the folder every two weeks or so?

Again Thanks for helping with post
Ettienne
Wednesday, March 12, 2008 4:07:00 AM (Pacific Daylight Time, UTC-07:00)
Hi
Read the articles, real useful, however i have a problem whereby the pics appear on the email but when we print , a red x abd block prints rather than a the pic..

Please help !!!!

Hassen
south Africa
Hassen Tilly
Thursday, March 13, 2008 10:32:35 AM (Pacific Daylight Time, UTC-07:00)
It has also worked for me running on Exchange but only for a short time and the same people come back wanting a perm fix.

Is there a setting where we can disable the OLK3D folder temp save?

Thoughts?
Tim
Wednesday, March 19, 2008 10:21:42 AM (Pacific Daylight Time, UTC-07:00)
THX
terminus7
Thursday, April 03, 2008 12:38:43 AM (Pacific Daylight Time, UTC-07:00)
Thansk for the very useful tip !
Lior
Thursday, April 03, 2008 11:50:08 PM (Pacific Daylight Time, UTC-07:00)
very helpful! thanks a lot!
sarah
Tuesday, April 15, 2008 12:31:54 PM (Pacific Daylight Time, UTC-07:00)
Hello friend,
If there is a permanent solution for this Red x outlook signature problem,
I do understand to resolve this issue is
1: removing the OLK3D files
2: Removing the registry key

but both are just the temp solution if the number reach to 99 it start happening again.

Any help.

Ned
Tuesday, April 15, 2008 11:31:42 PM (Pacific Daylight Time, UTC-07:00)
Whoo-hoo! fixed it! My temp folder was about 315Megs.
Thanks!
Bruce
Thursday, April 17, 2008 8:46:42 AM (Pacific Daylight Time, UTC-07:00)
Spectacular! A simple fix to a problem that has been bothering me. Thank you.
Gregg Zimmerman
Thursday, April 17, 2008 8:47:40 AM (Pacific Daylight Time, UTC-07:00)
By the way - my folder had more than 10 Gig of accumulated crap.
Gregg Zimmerman
Tuesday, April 29, 2008 3:08:16 PM (Pacific Daylight Time, UTC-07:00)
I had to jump out to a command line and manually navigate to the path but once I got there the and deleted the files everything worked! Thank you.
Jag
Thursday, May 01, 2008 10:46:31 PM (Pacific Daylight Time, UTC-07:00)
fucking microsoft!
michael
Thursday, May 08, 2008 10:57:25 AM (Pacific Daylight Time, UTC-07:00)
Thanks for keeping this fix posted. Just clearing the Temp IE cache did not fix the problem. Actually had to go out and whack the OLK3D entry from the registry as you suggested. This was a quick fix for one or our company's higher-ups and the IT Dept says thanks!
Kevin
Thursday, May 08, 2008 11:07:52 AM (Pacific Daylight Time, UTC-07:00)
You ROCK!
Kriscoa
Wednesday, May 14, 2008 11:47:28 AM (Pacific Daylight Time, UTC-07:00)
Thanks!
anonymous
Monday, May 19, 2008 1:54:56 AM (Pacific Daylight Time, UTC-07:00)
hello,
instead to complicate yourself (as i did when followed these intructions,going into the computer),just follow these links...simple, part of the program...safer...
this is for outlook 2007
http://www.tech-recipes.com/rx/1843/outlook_2007_download_pictures_automatically
this is for outlook 2003
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/831608
the fonction is called Automatic Picture Download Setting...
instead red cross problems...
ouf,took me 2h to found the right way...

amicalement votre
m.
m.
Monday, July 14, 2008 5:10:35 AM (Pacific Daylight Time, UTC-07:00)
After a lot of running around, this fixed the problem.
Thanks!!!
Gil
Monday, July 28, 2008 1:51:54 AM (Pacific Daylight Time, UTC-07:00)
Thanks its working

Lary

Thanks to everybody again
Shafiquzzaman. Lary
Wednesday, July 30, 2008 1:01:21 PM (Pacific Daylight Time, UTC-07:00)
This process does seem to "fix" more and more "wierd" issues.

If you can't see the folders in Windows Explorer make sure Explorer is configured to show hidden system files and folders and that you are in the computers local admin group to be on the safe side.

This is also the "fix" to really making Outlook clean up after itself and not leave any confidential material around.

Even though this folder may be found under the IE temp folders just clearing IE folders and temp files does not always delete the files in the Outlook temp folder.
If you are running multiple profiles or multiple user names the temp folder may be in multiple locations.

BTW this can be batched or scripted.
JH
Thursday, July 31, 2008 11:31:28 AM (Pacific Daylight Time, UTC-07:00)
Great fix! Thanks for the help!
Monday, August 04, 2008 5:42:01 PM (Pacific Daylight Time, UTC-07:00)
This is like a big miracle cure for lots of outlook problems. I just used it to solve a problem with Outlook and microsoft CRM 4.0 server not being able to promote e-mails with a signature.
details here - http://forums.microsoft.com/Dynamics/ShowPost.aspx?PostID=3704932&SiteID=27&mode=1
Sunday, August 10, 2008 3:14:17 PM (Pacific Daylight Time, UTC-07:00)
Thanks for the fix !! Been hunting around for a resolution to issue for weeks.
John Tan
Wednesday, August 13, 2008 1:42:17 PM (Pacific Daylight Time, UTC-07:00)
Great one!!!
Helped me a lot... Thanks a ton!!!
Kirron
Tuesday, August 26, 2008 8:26:18 PM (Pacific Daylight Time, UTC-07:00)
Thanks I have been searching many sites and your answer solved my problem. Legend!!
FK
Sunday, September 07, 2008 6:36:36 AM (Pacific Daylight Time, UTC-07:00)
Great!
IT took a 40 minute shot at this and failed...

Amir
Amir
Monday, September 08, 2008 7:00:05 AM (Pacific Daylight Time, UTC-07:00)
Thanks for the tip. I did this trick a couple of days ago and worked.
Rolando
Sunday, September 14, 2008 11:01:16 AM (Pacific Daylight Time, UTC-07:00)
Omar & Jan
You solution just worked great and is a life saver,as my It department said they will have to reimage my laptop which is painful for all the applications to be revived.
Jan THANKS for the simple but critical copy/paste path from registry as I too did not see the folder under the Application Data path.

You both rock!
Sam
Thursday, September 25, 2008 3:29:39 AM (Pacific Daylight Time, UTC-07:00)
Thanks it works great!
Gracias funciona perfectamente!

Saludos

JOSEMA-Madrid (SPAIN)
JOSEMA
Wednesday, October 01, 2008 10:38:02 AM (Pacific Daylight Time, UTC-07:00)
Thank you very much!!
Adam Chan
Thursday, October 09, 2008 6:51:39 AM (Pacific Daylight Time, UTC-07:00)
Thanks dawg, that really helped.
Loyiso
Friday, October 10, 2008 8:18:41 AM (Pacific Daylight Time, UTC-07:00)
Thx that really worked well i always wondert why that was :)
Wednesday, October 22, 2008 11:59:18 AM (Pacific Daylight Time, UTC-07:00)
One more thanks! Our Help Desk took time searching, cleaning, unchecking and checking boxes... I am glad I could find your solution when I Googled it. Thanks again for sharing this info!
OLK User
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