Windows 7 could not create work file check temp environment error will NOT go away..................UGH!

lckw

New Member
I am running Windows 7 64 bit and Office 2007 and one day I get the error "Outlook could not create the work file check the temp environment". The error itself was of no help but after searching and searching I found supposed "fixes". I have tried a number of them but then I shut down the computer for the day and the next day the error is back. HELP SOMEBODY PLEASE and I will email you a beer or something.

I have tried:
Deleting all files in the temporary folders since one "fix" noted a full folder
Checking the HKEY in regedit.exe and all was well with %userprofile%\local setting\temporary internet files so the suggestion was to change to "temp" instead of temporary internet files.
I went into Internet Explorer tools and moved the folder per another "fix"
I went to regedit and changed CACHE value to c:\windows\temp

Things are good after I do something but only for the day. Close down, go to bed, wake up to the problem yet again. What is going on and how do I get it to really be fixed?
 
Outlook does use several Temporary locations and caches. But if it worked before it should still work unless something has changed like you don't have any room on the drive.


It has cash files in C:\Users\YourUser\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Caches
and C:\Users\YourUser\AppData\Local\Temp

If you run Outlook as Admin, does it help?

Is this a personal install or an enterprise use?

If nothing else, you can open the Program and Features dialog and select Office and change. You will have an option to repair the install. Maybe that would correct the problem.

I have seen no options in Outlook itself to place temporary files at a designated location.
 
I do have plenty of room on the drive. I have cleared out temp files. I have also run anti-virus scans. And the latest "fix" was to try scanpst.exe which did not help. I have not yet tried the Program and Features dialog.............
 
I did try the repair in Programs and Features but again no luck. The stupid message was back again the next day......."Outlook could not create the work file check the temp environement".......I HATE THAT MESSAGE!
 
Yippee, I think the message is really gone. I found this post:

"Close all open programs. Then in the registry editor, once you get to the folder listed above, right click on "Cache", left click on "Modify", paste in "%USERPROFILE%\Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files" (without the quotes), left click "Ok" close the registry editor. Restart the PC."

I have thought I had the right settings and I had tried changing and/or retyping the last part to say "Temprorary Internet File" or "Temp" but I didn't ever try copy and paste of the whole string %USERPROFILE%\Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files into the value for the "cache" and that worked. But what I also discovered what that there are two similiar folders, USER Shell Folders and Shell Folders

The value for both look to be similar. I think I had been adjusting and changing and modifying "Shell Folders" but NOT "USER Shell Folders". This time I copied and pasted into "USER Shell Folder". That appears to have made the difference.

HKEY_CURRENT_USER
Software
Microsoft
Windows
Current Version
Explorer
Shell Folders - Cache = Users\"me"\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Temporary Internet Files
USER Shell Folders - Cache = %USERPROFILE%\Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files

I am hoping all settings are now correct and all I can assume is that I was confusing one for the other, but at this point I can't be sure nor do I know what was the cause of the problem in the first place. I am just happy the error is now gone.
 
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