Microsoft KB Archive/291183

= How to troubleshoot Outlook forms cache issues =

Article ID: 291183

Article Last Modified on 8/2/2004

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APPLIES TO


 * Microsoft Outlook 2002 Standard Edition

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This article was previously published under Q291183





For a Microsoft FrontPage 2000 version of this article, see 232314.



SUMMARY
This article describes how to troubleshoot problems that you may encounter related to the Outlook forms cache.

NOTE: Before you read this article, you should be familiar with the contents of the following Microsoft Knowledge Base article:

290806 OL2002: How the Forms Cache Works



MORE INFORMATION
If the forms cache is not functioning correctly, or you have problems when you open items or custom forms, use the following troubleshooting steps before you delete the forms cache. By doing this, you can determine the cause of your problem and minimize any potential side-effects of removing the entire forms cache.

Verify if Items Use a One-Off Form
In Outlook, you can store a form definition in an item instead of in a published location. If you store a form destination in an item and then open the item, the form that you use is always the form that is stored in the item. If you make changes to the published version of the form, a one-off item continues to use the older version of the form that you stored in the item. This may make the form appear to have a problem with the forms cache, but this is how the one-off items function.

You should determine where a form definition is stored in the item because this can cause an unexpected behavior, and you may incorrectly presume that your problem is related to the forms cache. For additional information about one-off forms, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

290657 OL2002: Working with Form Definitions and One-Off Forms

Memory-Related Problems
Outlook may not completely close or release a form from memory. This may be related to how you implemented the Visual Basic Scripting Edition (VBScript) in a custom form. If Outlook does not completely unload the form from memory, you may need to exit and restart Outlook. This removes the form from memory and forces Outlook to reload the form from either the cache, or the forms library, or a folder.

It is important that you verify that Outlook exits completely. You can use Windows Task Manager to verify that Outlook is not running. However, it is recommended that you restart your computer to make sure that the problem is not related to something existing in memory.

If Outlook does not exit completely, this may be the cause of the forms cache problem. If the form contains VBScript, try to determine if there is something in the form that causes Outlook not to exit. Disable any Component Object Model (COM) add-ins or non-standard Microsoft Exchange extensions.

How to Remove an Individual Form from the Forms Cache
There may be a problem with how the form is stored in the forms cache. Before you remove the entire cache, determine if the cache problem is specific to a single form. To determine if the cache problem is specific to a single form, delete the forms cache folder that stores the temporary file for the individual form that is experiencing the problem. This forces Outlook to recache only the published form that you are having a problem with. For additional information about how to locate the folder that contains the cached form, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

290806 How the Forms cache works

Clear the Entire Forms Cache
If the problem is not specific to a single cached form, there may be a problem with the Frmcache.dat file, or the cache in general. If all other the other troubleshooting procedures described in this article do not resolve the cache problem, you should try to reset the entire forms cache. To do this, follow these steps:
 * 1) On the Tools menu, click Options, and then click the Other tab.
 * 2) Click Advanced Options.
 * 3) In the Advanced Options box, click Custom Forms.
 * 4) In the Custom Forms box, click Manage Forms.
 * 5) In the Forms Manager box, click Clear Cache.

