posted for future reference if anybody needs the info.
I have just had the same problem with outlook express and xp and this fixed my problem.......taken from, (hope they don't mind me stealing it)
http://www.duxcw.com/yabbse/index.ph...;threadid=4187
"To fix this, open Regedit and navigate to this key:
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT
\CLSID
\{FB7199AB-79BF-11d2-8D94-0000F875C541}
\InProcServer32
In the right-hand pane, double-click on the (Default) value and delete whatever is entered there, leaving it blank. Click OK. Now perform exactly the same step with the key directly underneath, namely
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT
\CLSID
\{FB7199AB-79BF-11d2-8D94-0000F875C541}
\LocalServer32
Once both (Default) values are empty, OE will open normally"