Replaced motherboard - Now outlook gives this error -Error Something went wrong. [657rx]

Question

Replace the motherboard on my system at lunch, in the morning everything was great. After install, tried to open Outlook (2019 version) and i get this error. I've talked to people and they have talked about PowerShell, managing credentials and other things. The issue is i had to change the password to that email that my system is registered so i cannot disconnect that account from the Users account. Email works great on webmail and also phone. I just cannot get it to open on outlook.

Answer 1

Hi,

Thank you for sharing your question. I see that Outlook worked earlier in the day, but after the hardware change you now receive the message “Something went wrong. [657rx]” and cannot open Outlook even though your email works fine on the web and on your phone.

Based on my knowledge the 657rx error is an authentication failure that often happens after hardware changes such as a motherboard replacement. Windows treats the device as “new,” which breaks trust between the computer and your Microsoft or work/school account. This leads Outlook to fail identity verification even though the password is correct.

The recommended fix is to reset the trust relationship and clear corrupted credentials. Microsoft moderators outline effective steps that resolve this issue:

Sign out of Office apps and close them completely.

Delete the AAD Broker Plugin cache at

%localappdata%\Packages\Microsoft.AAD.BrokerPlugin_cw5n1h2txyewy

Go to Settings > Accounts > Access work or school, disconnect the affected account, restart the PC, then reconnect the account. This refreshes authentication tokens and device registration.

Re‑sign into Outlook and allow it to rebuild the secure connection.

May I also ask, Have you already tried disconnecting the account under Access work or school, or does Windows prevent you from removing it due to being your sign‑in account?

Feel free to let me know what happens after trying these steps or if you need help walking through them one by one. I’m here to help you get Outlook working again.

 

Best Regards,

Noel

Answer 2

Perform the following steps in order and test Outlook after each major step:

1. Start Outlook in safe mode
   1. Close Outlook.
   2. Press Windows + R.
   3. Type Outlook /safe and select OK.
   4. If Outlook opens, disable add-ins:
      1. Go to File > Options > Add-ins.
      2. In Manage, select COM Add-ins and choose Go.
      3. Clear all check boxes (do not click Remove), then choose OK.
      4. Close Outlook and start it normally.
2. Reset the Outlook navigation pane
   1. Close Outlook.
   2. Press Windows + R.
   3. Type Outlook.exe /resetnavpane and select OK.
   4. Try starting Outlook again.
3. Repair the Outlook profile
   1. Open Outlook (if it will open, even briefly).
   2. Select File > Account Settings > Account Settings.
   3. On the Email tab, select the mail account and choose Repair.
   4. Follow the wizard and then restart Outlook.
4. If Outlook will not open at all
   • Run the classic Outlook connectivity troubleshooter on the same Windows PC:
     1. Use the Start button in the article’s troubleshooter section to launch it.
     2. Follow the prompts in Get Help to automatically diagnose and fix profile/connection issues.
5. If the profile is corrupted and cannot be repaired
   • Create a new mail profile and re-add the mailbox (similar to the Q&A example where a new account was added, the old one removed, then re-added). Once mail syncs correctly, remove any temporary account/profile.

If none of the above resolves the issue, completely uninstall Office, ensure remaining Office folders are removed, restart, and then reinstall Office from the subscription, as this has resolved persistent Outlook startup issues in similar cases.

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References:

• I can’t start Microsoft Outlook or receive the error “Cannot start Microsoft Outlook. Cannot open the Outlook Window”
• Fix your Outlook email connection by repairing your profile
• Cant get into outlook - Microsoft Q&A
• What to do when Outlook will not open on my PC? - Microsoft Q&A
• How can I get office 365 to work? - Microsoft Q&A