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GMartinFlag for United States of America

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re: Computer Locks Up When Attempting Access to Inbox of Outlook Express

Hi Everyone:

       I am wanting to help a friend of mine with her business computer.  Basically, the entire computer locks up when she clicks on the Inbox within Outlook Express.  The window can not be minimize or closed.  Everything else like the Address Book etc. are functional within Outlook Express.  The problem only begins when the Inbox is clicked.  So, she can not send or receive email as a result of this problem.  

       The situation began when she attempted to upgrade her older version of Outlook Express to the 6.0 version from microsoft's online site.  She has contacted tech support at Microsoft and AT & T, but, unfortunately, noone has been able to help her.  Everything works fine on her computer with the exception of the Inbox within Outlook Express.  She has ran a virus scan using PC-Cillin, but, there were not any viruses detected.

      Any help on this question will greatly be appreciated.
I look forward to hearing from everyone regarding this question. We must help her if we can because her livelihood depends upon being able to correspond via email with her customers in addition to being able to send out newsletters.

      Very sincerely,

      George
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CrazyOne
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The Inbox may be corrupted George. Try removing the Inbox.dbx from the folder OE is using and then open OE and then see what happens.


The Crazy ONe
Or try repairing IE

Start > Run rundll32 setupwbv.dll,IE6Maintenance "C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer\Setup\SETUP.EXE" /g
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Greetings, GMartin!
Did you client update Outlook Express without updating Internet Explorer? If she did, there may be incompatibility. She needs to update both.

There has been some recent patches, one of which has caused Outlook Express not to function correctly. Have her reinstall OE without any additional updates.

Best wishes, war1
Sometimes unistalling OE and reistalling it will fix problems like this
Hi George.

Virus Protection Features in Outlook Express 6
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;291387

Virus Protection features in Outlook Express 6 are found on Security tab of the Tools, Options dialog box.

Using Internet Explorer Security Zone to Disable Active Content in Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) E-mail

Security zones enable you to choose whether active content, such as ActiveX Controls and scripts, can be run from inside HTML e-mail messages in Outlook Express. By default, Outlook Express 6 uses the Restricted Zone instead of the Internet Zone. Microsoft Outlook Express 5.0 and Microsoft Outlook Express 5.5 used the Internet zone, which enable most active content to run. To customize your Internet Explorer security zone settings for Outlook Express:

1) Start Outlook Express, and then on the Tools menu, click Options.

2) *** Click the Security tab, and then click *** Internet Zone *** (less secure, but more functional) in the Virus Protection section under Select the Internet Explorer security zone to use.

3) Click OK to close the Options dialog box, and then quit Outlook Express

4) Start Internet Explorer, click Internet Options on the Tools menu, and then click Security.

5) Click Custom Level for the security zone that you selected in Outlook Express. The security settings that you choose apply to Outlook Express as well as Internet Explorer.

----------------------------------

I hope this article works for you.
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ASKER

Hi Everyone:

      I am thoroughly enjoying reading everyone's feedback so far.  At this point, if I need to uninstall and reinstall Outlook Express, how could I back up her address book and other information she may need?

      Any further thoughts on this question will greatly be appreciated.  Once again, I thank everyone for helping through this problem.

      Sincerely,

      George
How to backup Outlook Express (OE) Email and transfer settings to another PC:
http://www.iopus.com/guides/oe-backup.htm

OLEXP: How to Back Up and Recover Outlook Express Data
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;270670

OLEXP: How to Backup and Restore Outlook Express Blocked Senders List and Other Mail Rules
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;276511
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ASKER

Hi Everyone:

      I tried the suggestion to locate and delete the Inbox.DBX file.  Once I did this, I was able to access the Inbox.  However, the number of messages for it changed from 337 to 1.  The old Inbox.DBX file is now in the Recycle Bin.  Then, we located Outlook Express 6.0 within the Add/Remove Programs list and uninstalled it.  Now, it is back to Outlook Express 4.0 with the number of messages within the Inbox now being 350.  

       With respect to the Send/Receive Tool of Outlook Express, when it is used, we get the following error messages:  The connection to the server has failed.  Account: 'barbarajb@worldnet.att.net Mail Account (1)', Server: 'localhost', Protocol: POP3, Port: 110, Secure (SSL): No, Socket Error: 10061, Error Number: 0x800CCC0E.  And, the second error message: The connection to the server has failed.  Account: 'barbarajb@worldnet.att.net. Mail Account', Server: 'localhost', Protocol: POP3, Port: 110, Secure (SSL): No, Socket Error: 100615, Error Number: 0x800CCC0E.  I "believe" the SMTP and POP3 portion of Outlook Express needs reconfiguring, but, I am not sure.  

       In closing, I am happy to report that progress is being made on this problem because the computer no longer freezes up when the Inbox is uses.  However, there is still the problem of the Send/Receive Tool of Outlook Express because of the previously cited error messages.  
I believe if the SMTP and POP3 is reconfigured, it will likely fix this problem and provide proper closure to this situation.  However, I may be off base and there may need to be more done.  

       By the way, if it would not be too much trouble, could someone also elaborate upon the function of the Inbox. DBX file.  Does this file store all Incoming Messages within Outlook Express?  And, secondly, how could this file be restored to its default location or be opened to read email messages?

        Any further thoughts on this question will greatly be appreciated.  I anxiously await to read further thoughts on this question.

         Very sincerely,

         George
>>>By the way, if it would not be too much trouble, could someone also elaborate upon the function of the Inbox. DBX file.  Does this file store all Incoming Messages within Outlook Express?  And, secondly, how could this file be restored to its default location or be opened to read email messages?


Yeah every email that comes in to OE goes through the inbox. You can create rules when messages that come in to intantly be moved to another folder. This is what I do. I don't leave my email in the inbox folder but throug rules I have the emails move to folders that i have created.
>>>how could this file be restored to its default location or be opened to read email messages?

If you are talking about the one INBOX.DBX file you removed it is unlikely to that you can restore it because it seems there was corruption to the file and this generally is not fixable.

I am curious if after you removed that file did you try to see if OE 6 stopped locking the computer with the new inbox? If so there probably wasn't any need to uninstall OE.
Here are a few links that may help you a little

How to backup Outlook Express (OE) Email and transfer settings to another PC:
http://www.iopus.com/guides/oe-backup.htm

OLEXP: How to Back Up and Recover Outlook Express Data
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;270670

OLEXP: How to Backup and Restore Outlook Express Blocked Senders List and Other Mail Rules
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;276511
As far as those errors goes sometimes deleting the account and then recreating the account will fix the problem. If not I found contacting the ISP to be rather helpful in trouble shooting the problem
Hi George.

I hope my late reply will save your day.

Why crack your head over confusing Outlook Express backups when there is a software to help you do the deed?

http://www.outlook-express-backup.com

Outlook Express Backup Wizard is the world's most popular software utility to create backup copies of the Outlook Express email database.

How Can the Wizard Secure My Outlook Express?
The wizard creates a complete backup copy of your Outlook Express. This backup copy is the only way to restore your Outlook Express after a crash. The backup file contains everything in your Outlook Express: email messages, attachments, identities, address book, message rules, list of blocked senders, accounts, and signatures.

If your Outlook Express crashes, the wizard will restore it from the backup file. The procedure is very simple: run the wizard, select the backup file, and choose which items you want to restore (email messages, accounts, rules, etc). In a minute, your Outlook Express is up and running!

The wizard also helps you move Outlook Express data between computers. Use the wizard to backup Outlook Express on the first computer, copy the resulting backup file to your second PC, and use the wizard again to restore the backup file there.


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ASKER

Hi Everyone:

     At this point, I am wondering what the steps would be to deleting and recreating the account withing Outlook Express.  And, secondly, could someone give me the proper support number to dial if I have problems reconfiguring the account?  

     In closing, I apologize for the complexity of this question.  However, progress is being made and complete resolution is close at hand.

     Thanks again everyone. I look forward to reading more posted feedback.

     George

     
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ASKER

Hi Everyone:

     Just to test to see if the computer with the problem with Outlook Express can send email, I transmitted a brief email to myself.  A moment ago, I got back the sent email with the reason for the return being the following:
The user(s) account is temporarily over quota.  I am not exactly sure what this message means.  Could someone elaborate upon this message regarding its meaning?  

      I still think the final resolution to this posted question goes back to deleting and recreating the account.  However, I am unsure with regards to the actual steps.

      Thanks once again for all posted feedback. I hope my concerns surrounding this question do not cause too much confusion.  But, I am anxious to helping this lady with this problem since her livelihood depends so heavily upon her email working properly.

      George

     
GMartin,

>> I still think the final resolution to this posted question goes back to deleting
>> and recreating the account

To delete the Account, from the IE toolbar, select Tools > Options > Accounts. Highlight the account that you want to delete. Click on "Remove".

To add an account, at the same account page, click "Add" > Mail. The wizard will lead you into putting in the data for your account.
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ASKER

Hi Everyone:

      Once we get this Outlook Express problem taken care of, my friend wants to change from AT & T to MSN as her ISP.  Would it be very hard for her to do this?

       Thanks.

       George
Well it could be although I have MSN and their customer support is pretty good. They will walk here through the what she needs to do.
ASKER CERTIFIED SOLUTION
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CrazyOne
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George,
   With MSN, you will want to add the DNS number. It makes the connection better. Support should provide you with the number.
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ASKER

Hi Everyone:

      Before I begin, I sincerely thank everyone for their prompt and well-thought out responses.  In my opinion, everyone deserves the points on this one.  All feedback was carefully reviewed and taken into consideration in troubleshooting this problem.  First, I located and deleted the Inbox.DXB file.  This did fix the lockup problem associated with the Inbox Icon, however, the number of received messages dropped from 363 to 1 and there was still the problem of not being able to send and receive email which prompted me to the second possible solution of reconfiguring the SMTP and POP3 accounts.  
Upon reconfiguring these email server accounts, I am happy to report that she is able to send and receive email.  

      Thanks again everyone for a great job.  Thanks to your help, this problem is no longer present.

      George