Microsoft’s Shift to the New Outlook: Challenges and Current Issues with Classic Outlook
In an ongoing effort to modernize user experiences, Microsoft is prioritizing the transition of users to the New Outlook for Windows. This shift has been particularly emphasized for fresh installations of Microsoft 365, where the new app is now set as the default option. Additionally, the company has simplified the process for switching between the New Outlook and the classic version.
Alongside these deployment efforts, Microsoft has been actively enhancing the New Outlook by introducing features such as offline access, enabling users to work without an internet connection. Moreover, the company has implemented more stringent security measures by restricting certain file types.
Challenges with Classic Outlook: Emerging Bugs and Issues
However, amidst these advancements, the classic Outlook application has recently been plagued with bugs and technical issues. Notably, there were incidents in April where the application’s download functionality failed. This month, Microsoft acknowledged that a significant upgrade to the Calendar feature has rendered the app inoperable for many users. Workarounds have been issued for several of these technical problems, which users can explore in-depth in relevant support articles.
Current Crashes Affecting Classic Outlook
Adding to the frustrations, a recently confirmed issue is causing classic Outlook to crash when users attempt to open or start a new email. Microsoft has noted that this problem affects all channels and stems from an inability of the application to access the Forms Library. This issue is particularly prevalent among users operating in virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) environments. The company’s statement on the matter is as follows:
When you open or start a new email, classic Outlook crashes. This issue occurs because Outlook cannot open the Forms Library. This issue can occur for Outlook on all Microsoft 365 Office channels. The emerging cases for this issue are on virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI).
Given that opening emails is a fundamental feature of any email client, it is surprising that such a critical bug was overlooked during testing. This situation raises questions about Microsoft’s current focus and priorities.
Error Logs and Workaround Solutions
The underlying cause of these crashes has been linked to the OLMAPI32 DLL file, part of Microsoft’s Messaging Application Programming Interface (MAPI).The error logs provide specific details, including:
Faulting application name: OUTLOOK. EXE, version: 16.0.14334.20090, time stamp: 0x683fe030 Faulting module name: OLMAPI32. DLL, version: 16.0.14334.20090, time stamp: 0x683ff910 Exception code: 0xc0000409 Fault offset: 0x00196e1c Faulting process id: 0x9100 Faulting application start time: 0x01dbdbe04fe54514 Faulting application path: C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\root\Office16\OUTLOOK. EXE Faulting module path: C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\root\Office16\OLMAPI32. DLL
Fortunately, Microsoft has provided a temporary solution while they investigate the bug. Users can manually create a FORMS2 folder at the following location: C:\Users\\AppData\Local\Microsoft\FORMS2. The instructions for this workaround are outlined as follows:
You may be able to work around the issue by creating the FORMS2 folder. This folder is expected to exist at C:\Users\\AppData\Local\Microsoft\FORMS2.
To create the folder, please do the following:
- Close Outlook and any other Office applications.
- Select Start > Run, then enter the path
%localappdata%\Microsoftand click OK.- In the File Explorer menu, choose New > Folder and name it
FORMS2.
For further details on the issue, users can visit Microsoft’s official support article here.
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