i dont know if ive already sent this

try to open outlook express and it says 'outlook express could not be started because msoe.dll could not be loaded'

already have adress book selected

i downloaded a better version of internet explorer recently which may have affected it

its really important as it is the only way i keep in contact with my father, and he hasnt heard from me in months as i have kept putting it off

Try repairing Internet Explorer, Outlook Express is part of IE. Go to Start, Settings, Control Panel, Add / Remove Programs. Find Microsoft Internet Explorer and Internet tools. Click on it to highlite it, now click Add / Remove, next choose the Repair option. You will need to restart the computer to complete the process. HTH

See if this MSKB article helps. If you're unsure about anything, post back.

Additional info here, here and here.

Post back with your results.