Outlook 2003: BCSRuntime.dll is missing from your system

Today I can across the following issue:

“The program can’t start because BCSRuntime.dll is missing from your system. Try reinstalling the program to fix this problem.”

This issue is apparently associated with using Microsoft Office 2003 while having some Microsoft 2010 product such as Office, Visio, Projects, etc. installed. It is an easy fix – thanks to this helpful link. Here are the instructions of how to resolve the issue below.

Close Outlook

Start

Control Panel

Add/Remove Programs (Win XP) or Programs and Features (Win 7)

** Win 7 – if you are in Category View: Programs – Uninstall a program

Click:      Microsoft Office 2010 (or other Microsoft 2010 product)

Click:      Change (near the top menu)

Choose:                               Add or Remove Features

Choose:                               Office Shared Features

Choose:                               Down arrow by Business Connectivity Services to disable [not available]

Choose:                               Continue

Once the setup is complete, you should be able to open Outlook 2003 without the error message.