The emails don't show in the reading pane? Are you waiting for the emails to fully download? Is your mailbox large? Have you considered using cached mode (assuming you're using an Exchange account) to allow you to access your emails without downloading them every time?

Thanks for responding, sorry I have been away for a week. I am not using exchange. When I open outlook, it shows the screen opening the program, then becomes an icon at the bottom of my screen, but I cannot actually open the page - not sure how better to word it. I get screen boxes showing emails downloading, but I cannot get the app to actually open and view. If I click on the open icon at the bottom of the screen it shows me a border with a blank center and wont enlarge to full screen... Its like it gets stuck opening up, but is functioning - - - hope that makes sense