So, I'm back.

OK. So, I have now spent the better part of my life which I will not get back and several bottles of Jamesons on "teaching" jsnydcsa Snr. how to use gMail. He's got the basics.

In the meantime, this systools thing APPEARS (emphasis on ... APPEARS) to have "worked" at least in the short term. That is to say he's now able to open and run Outlook and things appear to run normally. I've completed a few tasks to potentially move things forward. (1) I copied the "fixed" file over to an offline device so that at least there MAY be a fixed/clean file for future use. (2) he's sworn to me that he's just going to start wholesale deletion in Outlook of various "Newsletter" type folders of 10+ years worth of "Click here for the latest weekly news on X, Y, Z". I'm hoping that helps. He's a digital hoarder. This is tough.

Still, I would NOT recommend systools. Yes, it "worked". But I don't know how or why it worked or what it did. That makes (a) understanding the problem and (b) how to fix the problem the inevitable next time impossible. Add in bad CS/online help. So, not recommending systools.