Hello all,

This "address book makes outlook and word hang or stop responding for
up to 5 minutes" problem seems to be a known error, but there is no
known fix.

However, I have found a work-around:
when you create the message and you want to add an email address,
do not click on the little address book icon (i.e. next to "To:",
"Cc:" or "Bcc:").

In stead, type in some name in the "To:" field and then click in the
next field, or click in the text area (where your email message will
go).
After a few seconds, Outlook will draw a ziggy red line underneath
what you typed in the "To:" field, because it can't find a unique
match to what you typed within the contacts.

At this point you will now be able to use the address book, i.e. you
can now click on the little address book icon (i.e. next to "To:",
"Cc:" or "Bcc:"), and use the address book to find your contact and
put it into the "To:", "Cc:" or "Bcc:" field.

Cheers,
Wim