Please add the following to the original question;
1) When Outlook 2002 becomes unsable, Task Manager shows Outlook 2002 twice
I am running Outlook 2002 with Windows XP Pro, SP-2
2) When Outlook 2002 becomes unstable, a little window pops up on the
taskbar that indiocates CPU usage is at 100%...even though no other program
is running
3) I have no problem opening a link in an email message that has no attachment

I hope the foregoing provides enough additional information for someone to
figure outr what is going on with the following:

ORIGINAL QUESTION:
It started when I tried to open an email messsage that had an attachment.
When I tried to open the message (the message, not the attachment), Outlook
froze ("Not Responding" in Task Manager).

At first this spread to all such situations. But now I cannot even open the
Help menu without Outlook going into its freeze. On the other hand, I have no
problem opening an email with no attachement.

I have tried monkeying with Security Settings, I have reinstalled the entire
Office 2002 Suite several times. I have tried different settings with my
anti-virus program. All to no avail

Since I normally receive many email messages with attachments, this is a
serious situation.

Has anyone else ever experienced this, or heard of it, or know of some way
to overcome it? Any and all suggestions are more than welcome.

Also, I am about to upgrade to Office 2003 and I am afraid the problem will
carry over to Outlook 2003.