OE6 not responding for 1.5 minutes.....

This was originally posted by grannyg in another thread. Rather than trying to explain everything again, I'll use his (or her) original post:
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i have a new computer running xp pro. Outlook express 6 seems to be my problem at the moment. When i double click to open it it tries to start, but then freezes up and i get the message "not responding". If i close it and then reopen it it usually opens up and i can receive and send email messages. Once in a while i have to reopen it a couple of times before it opens. This doesn't seem to quite fit the other questions in the forum, so decided to put it up for help. Its a bit frustrating because its intermittent in that sometimes it starts and sometimes not. Thanks!
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OK, I am having the same problem (I think). It's a friend's computer so I don't have access to it all the time. I believe grannyg's OE would have started if he would have waited longer. My friend's computer does exactly the same thing but OE will completely open if I wait almost a minute and a half. If I bring up Task Manager it will say Outlook Express is "Not Responding." However, if I wait a minute and a half, "Not responding" will change to "Running" and OE will finish loading and work fine once loaded.

Grannyg posted that he sloved the problem by switching antivirus programs. Any other suggestions? My friend is using McAfee antivirus. I hate to uninstall it because it involves a lengthy download and installation once removed. However, if this will cure the problem, I'm sure I could convince my friend to uninstall McAfee and see what happens.

 

Mark,

Thanks for the info. If it was my computer I would try reinstalling OE6 as suggested in Method II at the link you supplied. However, since this is a friend's computer and he's 80 years old, it's probably better if I just leave it alone unless someone replies with an easy fix. Apparently this has been going on for a long time but since my friend had dial-up he just figured OE was taking a long time because of his ISP. When I helped him switch to cable I noticed the problem and actually spent the better part of a day working on it because I didn't realize OE would eventually start if I waited long enough. I think this problem is bothering me more than my friend!

BTW, I would try uninstalling McAfee and see what happens before trying anything else. Apparently the antivirus program "grannyg" was using was the root of his problem.

dalan

 

Marrk,

I've never been able to do a successful "sfc/scannow" because Windows always asks me for something I don't have, like a Windows installation CD or even an SP3 CD for my computer last night. However, I can give it a try and see what happens.

Thanks for the McAfee uninstall link. You're right, McAfee uninstall/reinstall never goes very smoothly. Does this removal tool also work with the latest 2008 versions of McAfee?

Thanks,
dalan

 

Mark,

I tried uninstalling McAfee today and also ran the McAfee uninstall program from Major Geeks. It appeared that everything was successfully uninstalled.

After uninstalling McAfee and rebooting I noticed two things. The computer booted much faster and OE loaded in 45 seconds instead of 1.5 minutes. I also scanned for any malware or spyware. Nothing was found. Bottom line was OE still "Not responding" but not as long as before.

After doing all the scanning and testing, I had to install McAfee again since my friend has a high speed connection and no other anti-virus protection. Once McAfee was reinstalled, OE was back to 1.5 minutes of "Not responding." This is a weird one and I have no idea what could be causing the problem. I've never seen anything like it before.

Searching Google revealed some interesting results. If you search for this registry value, you'll see what I'm talking about:

FB7199AB-79BF-11D2-8D94-0000F875C541

I stumbled on this registry value after searching for other things like OE not responding, etc. Anyway, I don't think my friend has ever used MSN Messenger let alone uninstalled it. It's still checked in the Control Panel as a Windows Component but I cannot uninstall it (I realize it's an integral part of Windows but it can be disabled in most cases). If I try to uninstall MSN Messenger, Windows asks for the Windows CD which my friend doesn't have. Windows Messenger is NOT listed in the Add/Remove Programs. Oh well......

dalan

 

Mark,

Perhaps you're not understanding what I'm trying to tell you. With McAfee installed, OE takes longer to start and TM says it's "Not responding" for about 1.5 minutes. Without McAfee installed, OE still does "Not respond" but for a shorter period of time (about 45 seconds). OE should NEVER "Not respond" when starting it.

I've already tried disabled the scanning of outgoing emails. Makes no difference.

Also, if you read my post again, you'll see that I was UNABLE to disable MSN Messenger as a Windows Component because the computer prompts me for a Windows CD which my friend does not have.

dalan

 

Thanks for the suggestion but I'm not going to post in McAfee forums that OE does "not respond" for 45 seconds without McAfee and does "not respond" for 1.5 minutes with McAfee installed. By "Not responding," I'm referring to what the Task Manager is displaying, not how long I have to wait for OE to start. You should know OE (or any other program) should NEVER display in the Task Manager "Not responding." OE is "Not responding" and that's much different than a "lag" in my book. Also, McAfee forums will tell me to try OE without McAfee (either by disabling it or uninstalling it) and I already know what will happen.

Sorry for the confusion. I was referring to Basic 'Windows Messenger' (v 4.7). I would like to try disabling it an see what happens. From my google searches, it seems that a lot of people have had problems with OE "Not responding" because of Windows Messenger, MSN Messenger, or Windows Live Messenger. Perhaps everyone else posting their problems are getting these programs confused too. :-o

Anyway, all this stuff is pretty much moot points now anyway. I'll be heading back home in a few days and I sure as heck don't want to leave my friend without his OE working at all.

Thanks for your replies and your time.

dalan

 

Thanks. I wish I had more time to spend on it but I don't.

BTW, is Windows Live Mail the same email program that comes with Vista?