…follow these steps to set the registry value that will prevent Outlook from  loading the perf counters.

1.Click Start, click Run, type regedit.exe, and then click OK.

2.Using Registry Editor, locate the following key for Outlook 2007:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\12.0\Outlook\Options\Mail

4. On the Edit menu, point to New, click Key, type CancelRPC, and then press ENTER to name the key.

6. On the Edit menu, point to New, click DWORD Value, type EnablePerfTracking, and then press ENTER to name the DWORD.

7. In the right pane, right-click EnablePerfTracking, and then click Modify.

8. In the Edit DWORD Value dialog box, click Hexadecimal, and then type 9 under Value data.

9. Click OK to quit Registry Editor.

Outlook would not start – alternating between memory errors and a debug screen pointing to perf.dll as a culprit.

System Restore would fix the issue – for 24 hours.

So I called Microsoft support this morning, and got a call back almost 4 hours later. An hour and 10 minutes later, we found a solution, but no reason for the problem:

Delete the HKLM\System\ControlSet001\Services\Outlook key, and voila. All fixed.

Definitely a bug in the March update. Microsoft is still to identify it as a broader issue, but with 5 clients at 4 locations all with the identical problem, I don’t need any more proof. Just glad it’s fixed.

Next…