OL2000: How to Troubleshoot the Outlook Forms Cache (232314)

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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:

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 the Windows Task Manager to verify that both Outlook and the MAPI spooler (Mapisp32) are 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 article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Use the Clear Cache Button in Outlook Service Release 1 (SR-1)

Outlook 2000 SR-1/SR-1a includes a command that allows you to clear the entire forms cache. If you are able to use Outlook 2000 SR-1/SR-1a, use this method to clear the cache instead of the method in the following section. For additional information about the new button to clear the cache, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

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, delete the contents of the Forms folder that contains the forms cache. When you restart Outlook, and use a custom form, the forms cache is re-created. Until a custom form is used, Outlook does not re-create the Frmcache.dat file.