Issue with Outlook Classic : Unable to Send/Receive Emails

Hi Hank,

Good day. I'm Jhun an independent advisor. In regards with your Outlook works only after a full PC restart, this may be caused by the following:

1. A stuck Outlook background process.
2. Corrupt profile or data file.
3. Add-in conflict.
4. Office installation issue.

Let's try to do these steps and see what will fix the problem.

A. Check for stuck Outlook process.

1. Press Ctrl+Shift+Esc (Task Manager).
2. Look for Microsoft Outlook.
3. If it’s listed, select it → click End Task.
4. Try reopening Outlook.
5. If this fixes it, Outlook is hanging instead of closing properly.

B. Start Outlook in Safe Mode. This is for Add-ins conflict checking.

1. Press Windows + R
2. Type: outlook.exe /safe
3. Press Enter
4. If Outlook works normally in Safe Mode, Go to File > Options > Add-ins.
5. At bottom, select COM Add-ins > Go.
6. Uncheck all add-ins.
7. Restart Outlook normally.
8. Re-enable add-ins one by one to find the problem.
9. Add-ins are one of the most common causes of send/receive freezing.

C. Create a new Outlook profile. Corrupt mail profiles frequently cause this behavior.

1. Close Outlook.
2. Open Control Panel.
3. Click Mail.
4. Select Show Profiles.
5. Click Add.
6. Create a new profile.
7. Set it as Default.
8. Open Outlook.
9. If this fixes the issue, your old profile was corrupted.

D. Repair Office Installation. Since you're using Outlook Classic:

1. Open Settings.
2. Go to Apps > Installed Apps.
3. Find Microsoft 365 / Office.
4. Click Modify.
5. Choose: First try Quick Repair. If not fixed > do Online Repair.
6. Online Repair fixes deeper corruption.

E. Check Data File (PST/OST Repair).

1. Close Outlook
2. Go to, C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\root\Office16
3. Run: SCANPST.EXE
4. Browse to your Outlook data file and scan
5. Corrupt OST/PST files can block send/receive and prevent reopening.

I hope this works.

Regards,
Jhun