I've been using OE6 since it was released (currently 6.00.2900.5512 on XP SP3
with IE 8), and this problem has developed only recently. When I first boot
up and start OE, it works fine, but after awhile (don't really know how long,
but not long), when I click the Send and Receive All toolbar button, press
Ctrl+M, or use either the drop-down list of the Send and Receive button or
the Send and Receive All command in the Tools menu, either nothing happens at
all, or I get the Outlook Express dialog box/window that shows mail-checking
status for a fraction of a second, and then it's gone, and mail is not sent
or received. I've found that, once this problem starts, if I click on the
Send and Receive All toolbar button and hold the mouse button down for about
a second before releasing it, OE displays the status window normally and
sends and receives mail normally.

I've also been experiencing a problem where OE intermittently fails to send
or receive mail at the interval it's set for in the Options/General tab.
Sometimes, I'll notice that there's a message waiting to be sent in the
outbox that I thought I'd sent hours ago (it's set to send mail immediately).
At other times, it works the way it's supposed to.

This may or may not be an OE problem, as I've recently replaced all of my
security software. Norton Internet Security was driving me nuts, so I got rid
of it and replaced it with Comodo Firewall (free) and SunBelt's Vipre.
However, since OE works normally at first after every boot, and since it
still sends and receives normally when I click and momentarily hold the
send/receive button, it doesn't appear that any of the security software is
blocking OE from sending or receiving.

...Norton Internet Security was driving me nuts, so I got
rid of it..

1. Download/run this removal tool then reboot:
http://service1.symantec.com/SUPPORT...05033108162039

If no joy...

2. Does the behavior persist if you uninstall IE8 Beta via Add/Remove
Programs (after first disabling Vipre)?

3. Was Vipre and/or NIS running in the background when you installed IE8
Beta and/or WinXP SP3?
--
~Robear Dyer (PA Bear)
MS MVP-IE, Mail, Security, Windows Desktop Experience - since 2002
AumHa VSOP & Admin http://aumha.net
DTS-L http://dts-l.net/

oldmike wrote:
I've been using OE6 since it was released (currently 6.00.2900.5512 on XP
SP3 with IE 8), and this problem has developed only recently. When I first
boot up and start OE, it works fine, but after awhile (don't really know
how long, but not long), when I click the Send and Receive All toolbar
button, press Ctrl+M, or use either the drop-down list of the Send and
Receive button or the Send and Receive All command in the Tools menu,
either nothing happens at all, or I get the Outlook Express dialog
box/window that shows mail-checking status for a fraction of a second, and
then it's gone, and mail is not sent or received. I've found that, once
this problem starts, if I click on the Send and Receive All toolbar button
and hold the mouse button down for about a second before releasing it, OE
displays the status window normally and sends and receives mail normally.

I've also been experiencing a problem where OE intermittently fails to
send
or receive mail at the interval it's set for in the Options/General tab.
Sometimes, I'll notice that there's a message waiting to be sent in the
outbox that I thought I'd sent hours ago (it's set to send mail
immediately). At other times, it works the way it's supposed to.

This may or may not be an OE problem, as I've recently replaced all of my
security software. Norton Internet Security was driving me nuts, so I got
rid of it and replaced it with Comodo Firewall (free) and SunBelt's Vipre.
However, since OE works normally at first after every boot, and since it
still sends and receives normally when I click and momentarily hold the
send/receive button, it doesn't appear that any of the security software
is
blocking OE from sending or receiving.

I ran the Norton removal tool, and it indicated it had completed its tasks,
but this did not resolve the OE problem.

I have not tried to uninstall IE8 yet, as I'm saving that as a last resort.

Vipre was not running when I installed SP3 or IE8, but NIS was.

Here's some further clarification of the symptoms: the problem occurs only
when there is a message in the outbox. If I close OE and restart it, the
message is sent normally when OE starts up, and unless/until I put another
message in the outbox, I can check mail normally using the Send and Receive
All toolbar button.

IE8 could still be the culprit, but..............

1: Turn off e-mail scanning in your anti-virus program. It is a redundant
layer of protection that eats up CPUs, slows down sending and receiving, and
causes a multitude of problems such as time-outs, account setting changes
and has even been responsible for lose of messages. Your up-to-date A/V
program will continue to protect you sufficiently. For more, see:
http://www.oehelp.com/OETips.aspx#3

Note that for some AV programs, it may be necessary to uninstall the program
and reinstall in Custom Mode and opt out of e-mail scanning when the option
arises.


2: (If the problem still exists):

Either the Outbox, or Sent Items is corrupt.

Do the following for the Outbox, and if the problem persists, repeat for
Sent Items after you move any messages you wish to save to a local folder
you create.

Tools | Options | Maintenance | Store Folder will reveal the location of
your Outlook Express files. Write the location down and navigate to it in
Windows Explorer or, copy and paste it into Start | Run.

In WinXP, Win2K & Win2K3, the OE user files (DBX and WAB) are by default
marked as hidden. To view these files in Windows Explorer, you must enable
Show Hidden Files and Folders under Start | Control Panel | Folder Options
Icon | View, or in Windows Explorer | Tools | Folder Options | View.

With OE closed, find the DBX file for the folder in question {Outbox.dbx}
and delete it. A new one will be created automatically when you open OE.

General precautions for Outlook Express:

Do not archive mail in default OE folders. They will eventually become
corrupt. Create your own user defined folders for storing mail and move your
mail to them. Empty Deleted Items folder regularly. Keep user created
folders under 100MB, and Default folders as empty as is feasible.

After you are done, follow up by compacting your folders manually while
working *offline* and do it often.

Click on Outlook Express at the top of the folder tree so no folders are
open. Then: File | Work Offline (or double click Working Online in the
Status Bar). File | Folder | Compact all folders. Don't touch anything until
the compacting is completed.
--

Bruce Hagen
MS-MVP Outlook Express
Imperial Beach, CA


"oldmike" wrote in message
news
I ran the Norton removal tool, and it indicated it had completed its tasks,
but this did not resolve the OE problem.

I have not tried to uninstall IE8 yet, as I'm saving that as a last
resort.

Vipre was not running when I installed SP3 or IE8, but NIS was.

Here's some further clarification of the symptoms: the problem occurs only
when there is a message in the outbox. If I close OE and restart it, the
message is sent normally when OE starts up, and unless/until I put another
message in the outbox, I can check mail normally using the Send and
Receive
All toolbar button.

Thanks Bruce.

I turned off email scanning in Vipre, deleted Outbox.dbx and Sent Items.dbx,
and compacted folders according to your instructions. I've never archived
messages in any of the default OE folders, so that didn't require any action.
But I still have the problem.

I have, however, noticed some additional symptoms/circumstances that may
help pinpoint the source of the problem. Previously, I had experienced this
problem only when there were messages in the Outbox waiting to be sent.
However, I've recently noticed that, even when there is nothing at all in the
Outbox, when I tell OE to check for mail (using any method, but usually the
toolbar button), the OE send/receive window flashes on the screen and
immediately disappears, and it doesn't attempt to connect to check for mail.
If I keep the toolbar button pressed for a short time and then release it,
the send/receive window opens and OE checks all email accounts for new mail
as it normally does.

This would seem to indicate that the source of the problem really is not
solely related to sending but to initiating the process that opens the
send/receive window.

Does this suggest anything?

Mike

A mess that defies logic, but then that is what OE does. Try a new identity
next and see what happens.

You may have a damaged identity especially if it is the default Main
Identity. File | Identity | Add New Identity. Create a new one and test it.
If all is well, you can import your messages and Address Book from the old
identity and delete it.

How to Create and Use Identities in Outlook Express
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=209169

An Outlook Express basic repair kit:
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/IE/...epair.mspx#EHH
--

Bruce Hagen
MS-MVP Outlook Express
Imperial Beach, CA


"oldmike" wrote in message
...
Thanks Bruce.

I turned off email scanning in Vipre, deleted Outbox.dbx and Sent
Items.dbx,
and compacted folders according to your instructions. I've never archived
messages in any of the default OE folders, so that didn't require any
action.
But I still have the problem.

I have, however, noticed some additional symptoms/circumstances that may
help pinpoint the source of the problem. Previously, I had experienced
this
problem only when there were messages in the Outbox waiting to be sent.
However, I've recently noticed that, even when there is nothing at all in
the
Outbox, when I tell OE to check for mail (using any method, but usually
the
toolbar button), the OE send/receive window flashes on the screen and
immediately disappears, and it doesn't attempt to connect to check for
mail.
If I keep the toolbar button pressed for a short time and then release it,
the send/receive window opens and OE checks all email accounts for new
mail
as it normally does.

This would seem to indicate that the source of the problem really is not
solely related to sending but to initiating the process that opens the
send/receive window.

Does this suggest anything?

Mike

You nailed it, Bruce! A new identity eliminated the problem.

It's too bad that there's no way to also import all of your settings
(layout, toolbar buttons, message rules, etc.) from the old identity into the
new one. Having to recreate the message rules from scratch is the biggest
nuisance.

Thanks!!

You're welcome. Actually, there is a way to do that, but it ends up being
the same identity, bugs and all.

You can import the rules, but you need to change the identity for each one.

The Partial Backup:
http://www.insideoe.com/backup/partial.htm

OLEXP: How to Backup and Restore Outlook Express Blocked Senders List and
Other Mail Rules:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/276511/
--

Bruce Hagen
MS-MVP Outlook Express
Imperial Beach, CA


"oldmike" wrote in message
...
You nailed it, Bruce! A new identity eliminated the problem.

It's too bad that there's no way to also import all of your settings
(layout, toolbar buttons, message rules, etc.) from the old identity into
the
new one. Having to recreate the message rules from scratch is the biggest
nuisance.

Thanks!!

Thanks once again!

I exported the key for the message rules for the old identity, opened the
file in notepad, and then did a search-and-replace for the old identity GUID
with the new one (copied and pasted them from regedit). It worked great. I
did have to reassign the folders, and in one case an account name, in OE, but
that was a lot less work than recreating them from scratch.

YW. Glad it helped.
--

Bruce Hagen
MS-MVP Outlook Express
Imperial Beach, CA


"oldmike" wrote in message
...
Thanks once again!

I exported the key for the message rules for the old identity, opened the
file in notepad, and then did a search-and-replace for the old identity
GUID
with the new one (copied and pasted them from regedit). It worked great. I
did have to reassign the folders, and in one case an account name, in OE,
but
that was a lot less work than recreating them from scratch.