Remove corrupted names from the nickname list

Another bugaboo I can't seem to fix is a ghost entry in my Outlook contacts. Normally this wouldn't be a problem, but it's attached to my name. I email "Chris Pirillo" because I have several accounts for different reasons. When I click on the green-dashed and underlined entry in a recipient field, this is what Outlook tells me:

"The name or distribution list has been deleted and is no longer a valid address book entry."

When I look to remove this dude from my address book, he's not there! Where's he coming from? How can I get rid of him?

If the AutoComplete function is giving you similar fits, try this fix from Microsoft. It'll remove all the nickname entries. Thanks to David Breedlove, a Lockergnome fan, for sending me the link. This is what he wrote:

"Outlook keeps a nickname list that is used by the automatic name checking feature. The nickname list is automatically generated as you use Outlook. If the nickname list is corrupted, Outlook may not be able to identify recipients, or may send the message to the wrong person."

Sure enough, it works! I started with a clean slate and deleted the *.nick file in my home directory. OK, that was easy.