MSN Email Problems

Recurring problem with MSN software...specifically their email...
Program non-responsive when attempts are made to open it...
Once success is attained, the same thing happens when attempting to link to email...

The problem is worse than that, however...
From time to time (more often than should ever occur) no matter what command is issued within the email program (opening, closing, sending, responding, searching folders, etc) screen resolution jumps from 1024 x 768 pixels to 800 x 600 or larger...
Sometimes so large that the task bar on the bottom of my monitor disappears...
Command again...it jumps back to where it should be...
On and on it goes...

Numerous calls for tech assistance...
Each time a different trouble shooting step has been taken...
Each time a short lived resolution seems to have occurred...
None lasting...

Initial installation was 4.5 years ago using a disc...
Last week a tech assistant finally listened to me and agreed it might be a software issue...
Rather than send me a new disc for installation, he uninstalled MSN and used IE to install an upgraded version of the program...

The next morning my email program was 'dead'...
Another 3 hour tech assist. call...
It was discovered that my sent emails hadn't been deleted before
downloading the upgrade and they had become corrupted...
That issue was resolved but not the problem with the screen resolution, which did not occur while the tech assistant had shared control of my computer for the session...

Before these two calls, I'd made one approximately two weeks earlier...
A new problem began appearing that was directly related to MSN...

As always, when unable to access my MSN mail using that program, I would link to it at MSN.COM/Hotmail...
Now the same problem was occuring at Hotmail as when I utilized the MSN email program...
Screen resolution jumping back and forth...
Out of control...
No other websites did the same thing while using IE...

MSN has no screen resolution issues when using their browser...
It's only within the email program itself...

The tech assistant (level one) wanted to clear cache, etc...
I explained I once worked as a tech assistant myself and the initial trouble shooting steps had been taken before I called...
They were not related to this problem which won't go away...

She explained that MSN cannot work without IE and therefore that is where the problem must lie...
She had me go into IE settings and make adjustments under the Advanced Tab on Properties...

Once again, as always, any slight tweak seemed to resolve the issue...
TEMPORARILY!

My IE is now functioning in a different manner, although I can live with it...

My OS is Windows XP...

Has ANYONE experienced a similar issue?
Does ANYONE have the slightest idea what's going on or how the problem might be resolved once and for all?

I'd promise to name my firstborn after the hero who can fix this for me, but I'm past childbearing age...
How about I rename my only child after you instead?????

Thank you for any assistance you might offer!!

D to the IANA

 

Sorry for the following list of questions but I have to ask to map this out in my head, just to see if I can come up with a suggestion or a reason why this is happening.
What version of IE are you using?
Have you upgraded to SP3?
What type of computer do you have?
Did it come installed with OEM software ?

 

Are you using Outlook Express as your default mail client?

 

Ask any questions you need to that might help...

IE is 7.0

OS is XP SP3

Computer is Dell Dimension Dim3000 Intel(R)
Pentium(R) 4 CPU 2.80GHz
2.79 GHz, 512 MB of RAM

The final question has me stumped...
I'm no computer geek...
I understand connectivity issues,
but not too much about computers themselves...
Define OEM and I will attempt to answer...

Thanks...
Diana

 

No ..
Outlook Express is not used...

I use only webmail...

MSN is where I link directly to my email...

Thank you...

 

D'oh...

By OEM you're asking about Outlook Email...
Correct, Bear?

Computer came with it installed...

I have never used it...

The POP server and SMTP server settings provided by MSN never worked
and the program was never activated by me...

As I responded to a second question in this thread...
I do not use Outlook Email program...

Wembail only...
MSN Webmail is my primary source of linking to my email...
MSN Hotmail is where I attempt to retrieve it when MSN is creating resolution issues...

Thank you again...
Hope this helps...

 

In this case, OEM actually means original equipment manufacturer. A fancy way of saying was it part of the gunk installed on the computer when you bought it.

Do you use MSN as your internet service provider?
If not, you don't need the MSN software to get to the website to get email.

Just type this into your browser window
http://www.msn.com/
and you are at the site. Hotmail link is on the left.

 

Thank you for the clarification of OEM...
I just learned something new...

No...it was not...

I understand that my mail is available to me by accessing it at MSN Hotmail...

I do not use the MSN browser, although it is available to me, of course...
My preference is IE...

I can almost hear the laughter as I prepare to type the next paragraph...

I SUBSCRIBE (i.e. PAY) for the MSN service because I like options available to me on the email portion of their software so much...

WHEN IT WORKS CORRECTLY!

I want to continue using it...
My goal is to find the problem and have it fixed.

Thanks for your input...

 

I'm sorry I cannot find a solution for your msn mail problem, I looked on msn support site and could not find support for msn mail.
When it started to change the screen resolution did you install any upgrades from windows.
If you installed upgrades from microsoft, there may be a conflict with the newer software installed, with the old msn mail you still have.

 

Thank you for taking the time to research this issue...
I'm not surprised that no links to the problem were found on the MSN website...
I've had numerous calls to them in the past 4.5 years and no one has heard of the problem or found an answer to it...

I have had one assistant admit that MSN software and XP sometimes have configuration problems, and he hoped that an XP techie could help me...
I was hoping this was going to be my answer, but when I was fortunate enough to get a warm transfer to them (no charge to me) I was booted straight back to MSN tech support...

The only upgrades that have been installed are automatic updates...
I have done none myself...

During the last two calls for tech assistance, the msn software was upgraded by the level two assistant in hopes that would solve the issue...

It hasn't.

My main hope in posting is that someone who has had a similar problem will come across my query and share their solution with me...

I can't possibly be the only person faced with this insane issue!

Thank you again for trying...

 

Is there a settings page in your msn mail program. If there is go to the settings page and look for the screen resolution tab. if you don't see one can you post a screen shot of the msn mail settings page..
All this depends on if you have a msn settings page

 

The settings page contains information on things such as the type of pane you want your emails to appear in, do you want them in ascending or descending order, junk filtering, etc...nothing like what you're thinking...

MSN 'settings' don't have anything to do with the screen resolution size on my monitor...
And the mail does not always appear in a larger resolution...
It seems to do it of its own accord and with no warning...

If I open an email, the resolution jumps to large...
If i can close it without resetting it from the settings tab on my computer's displaly property window, the resolution goes back to normal...
If I click to respond to an email, the resolution jumps large again...
Back and forth like that with every single command that's issued...

Five commands?
Five changes in screen resolution size...

It doesn't happen constantly...
But it occurs more than it should...
It will only stop by shutting it down altogether and then reopening it or sometimes by rebooting my computer....

I want to stress that this is not a computer issue...
I have absolutely no problems while using the MSN browser, which I seldom do...
I have no problems using IE either...

Unless...
And this has only happened on two or three recent occasions...
I try to access my mail at Hotmail while MSN email is having problems...

If the problem is going to be there, it doesn't matter whether or not
the MSN program is left running of if I've exited it...

I've tried everything I can think of using process of elimination...

I don't know where the conflict is originating, but there must be one somewhere...

I really want to thank you for taking so much time to think about this problem for me...

: )