Urgent help needed with outlook express please.

[muddyjames]

I am waiting for some important emails to come through about my holiday next week and outlook express on win xp has gone wierd.

On Friday afternoon it was fine and then I left it for about 5-6hours then came back later and it said program not responding. It keeps on doing this now. It is ok as it still downloads emails so I can see the topic and who they are from but as soon as I open an email to read it, it just dies.

Anyone got any ideas please. I have done a defrag but now I cant do system restore to thursday.

[Sider]

Not trying to be smart, but have you tried restoring the system to something previous to thurs? Have you got a decent antivirus, and is it running? Worst case scenario, have you got the POP info for your email accounts? If so, you can download yourself a free email client, and use it as a temporary solution. Mozilla has a rather neat mail client, might be worth checking.

[muddyjames]

I did a defrag on sunday so the only restore point I have is just before the defrag and no earlier.

All pop things are in place as I can download the emails, it is just when I try and open the emails it says program not resppnding. I deleted nearly a thousand emails out of my sent box last week and since then the pc has been running ever so slow too.

I had avg and that found no virusses and now removed that and downloaded avast and that found no virusses. I did notice the other day that instead of a small pop up box coming up saying connecting to XXXXXXX@internethost (this being my email connection) it said connectng to destroymypc@XXXX.com or similar to that effect. Maybe that was a virus?

Really annoying asI have 10 emails that are really important to read. grrrr

[KingWolf]

I had a similar problem a while ago while using outlook - I just reinstalled the program off my office disk and it fixed the problem. Because I have a BT account I was able to log on and check my emails on line without the use of outlook.

Unfortunately I'm completely useless with computers - and just about everything else come to think of it so I can't be of any further help really.

Mark.

[SimonHarwood]

The best solution to an Outlook Express problem is to uninstall it and use anything else.

I use Mozilla Thunderbird (free download, only 6.4M, from http://www.mozilla-europe.org/en/products/thunderbird/ ). After installation it will ask if you want to import your OE data (address books, mailboxes, mail server details, etc.) and if you say "yes" it will do it all for you. You will then never need to even consider using the pile of poo that is Outlook Express ever again.

[carbore]

I would guess you have got an email worm, it may be hogging outlook and sending spam out to all your firiends or other spyware type avtivities.

I strongly suggest you try some of the virus and spyware  removal tools on
 http://www.snapfiles.com/Freeware/categories/security_privacy/top-downloads/toprated.html
http://www.snapfiles.com/Freeware/security/fwavspecial.html

Id try downloading them somewhere other than your pc onto a USB, so you dont run your PC and risk spreading it or losing more info.

Re your email, do you have a webmail facility on your account you could get the important emails from there until your PC is clean.

Good Luck.

[Edge]

Give this a whirl CLICKY THING. Picks up more than Norton,avg,avast or Mcaffee. Great firewall is "zonealarm".

[muddyjames]

well I have downloaded thunderbird and called my mate who runs the server I download emails from as I couldnt work out which password I used so he did a cool gadget that let me use his pc to change my password. So for now I am all up and running for emails.

I shall try some of the other products you have all suggested. Thanks everyone. I knew MC would save me again.  :clap:

[Sharpshooter]

Try logging into your web mail box. You do this on your internet providers webpage. It should explain how to do it from there.

[schuee]

Give this a whirl CLICKY THING. Picks up more than Norton,avg,avast or Mcaffee. Great firewall is "zonealarm".

Use Kaspersky for business/clients and home, seems to be a great piece of software, and your correct it does pick up more than the others.All Norton and Mcaffee are good at is grinding your machine to a halt.