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Outlook Express problem, anyone know how to fix this?

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funkster

New Member
Hoping someone can help...

Everytime I send an email, it gets stuck in the outbox and informs me it hasn't been sent, but in fact it has been sent - and it sends it repeatedly until I manually delete the email from my outbox (and in turn this means I have no record of sent emails in my sent items)

Does anyone know what the problem is here? I'm hoping I won't have to mess about trying to uninstall and reinstall outlook express.

I have done a scan using software from www.registryfix.com and it has found over 850 errors on my PC, only 13 of which it let me remove with the free version. The cost of the program is $37.99 and when I spoke to comeone on live chat they said it it doesn't pick up the problem on the purchased version, they will help me sort it on the live chat.

Reckon $37.99 could be good value for money to remove/fix over 850 errors??

My PC seems to run OK apart from the OE problem. But maybe it'll run even better if I buy this...

Any help/advice appreciated.

Cheers
 
Does your ISP have a decent helpdesk? They all claim to support OE (I know that cos I run Entourage and they always say we don't support that only OE).
 
twisted said:
Does your ISP have a decent helpdesk? They all claim to support OE (I know that cos I run Entourage and they always say we don't support that only OE).
Click to expand...

I tried them (Plus Net), they weren't much use, just told me to google 'outlook express fix'
 
funkster said:
Hoping someone can help...

Everytime I send an email, it gets stuck in the outbox and informs me it hasn't been sent, but in fact it has been sent - and it sends it repeatedly until I manually delete the email from my outbox (and in turn this means I have no record of sent emails in my sent items)

Does anyone know what the problem is here? I'm hoping I won't have to mess about trying to uninstall and reinstall outlook express.

I have done a scan using software from www.registryfix.com and it has found over 850 errors on my PC, only 13 of which it let me remove with the free version. The cost of the program is $37.99 and when I spoke to comeone on live chat they said it it doesn't pick up the problem on the purchased version, they will help me sort it on the live chat.

Reckon $37.99 could be good value for money to remove/fix over 850 errors??

My PC seems to run OK apart from the OE problem. But maybe it'll run even better if I buy this...

Any help/advice appreciated.

Cheers
Click to expand...

that's weird! i've got a similar problem with entourage. emails get stuck in my outbox. i've no idea if they've been sent or not.

it just started this afternoon. i'm have a btinternet/yahoo account.
 
Right.

Installing a piece of commercial software to "fix" your registry because you're having email problems is this:

A BAD IDEA

There's nothing in your post there that would lead me to immediately point at your registry and say "that's where we'll find the problem". Generally, you can bet that dipping into your registry - or getting a piece of software to do so for you is the *last* thing you want to be considering.

Hosing your machine lies down that road, unless you're very, very careful indeed. It might run better after you clean out the registry. But it might also not run at all...

You could have a look at the Windows Event Viewer, but I expect you won't find any useful information there. Still.

Right click My Computer > Select Manage

Under System Tools on the menu on the left side is the Event Viewer. Have a look under Applications for events relating to Outlook Express. If there's any, you can post them up here or Google them, to find out what could be up, but I'd be surprised if you'll find much there...

The first thing I'd suggest is to try another email client, for two reasons. Firstly, OE is one of the crappiest pieces of software I've ever had the pleasure of encountering. It really is rubbish.

Secondly, if you try another client and experience similar problems, it may indicate a deeper issue - either with your machine, or perhaps with your email settings or provider.

I'd suggest giving Thunderbird a try...

http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/thunderbird/

If you need help importing your settings or anything, let us know and I'm sure someone can help. Once it's setup, send yourself a test email and see what happens.
 
I wonder if the email server isn't fully completing the transaction but sending the email anyway. Check with the ISP that they aren't reporting any problems with the mail server.

Lots of people don't like OE but for free its very robust email client. Not that i'd use an email client any more, yahoo offers the same functionality and I can be anywhere and still read my email.
 
If you feel up to it, installing wireshark will show you exactly what is going wrong. Install it, get it sniffing whatever network interface you use to connect to the internet and get OE to send an email. All should be revealed :D

SMTP, the protocol used to send emails is very simple. Given that you say the message actually goes out, it seems fair to assume OE has authenticated correctly with the server (if actually needed) and its the process of sending that is going wrong. It sounds like OE doesn't think it has successfully sent the email, probably because either it isn't being sent a 250 success message, or it is being sent but OE is failing to recognise it.
 
It might be possible that OE can't move the sent email from the Outbox into the Sent Mail box and is reporting that it can't be sent. I've seen Entourage report that it's not sent emails because of this, even though they had been sent.

Can you manually move emails into the Sent box? (OE users might be able to enlighten me whether this is normally possible)

If not, it could be an IMAP account that's got screwed permissions on the server (check with ISP if it is) or perhaps Outlook with a dodgy mail database.
 
Is it because you're sending a mail with Outlook closed? I get a similar, but not the same, problem at work.

Sometimes I right click on a file and do Send to mail recipient. But because Outlook isn't open when I do this, it goes into the outbox instead. I then have to open Outlook and click send/recieve to synchronize everything.
 
outlook uses a series of files to keep track of what has been sent out / received etc.....they are something.DBX - so sentitems.dbx (or something similar) is the file that it uses to tell if something has been sent or not - similarly inbox.dbx keeps track of you guessed it....it's unlikely that it's a problem at the ISP end.......otherwise 10's or possibly 100's pf thousands of people would have the same problem....so the mail has been sent - but your PC isn't picking that up from the information in the sentitems file......

my hunch would be that the file is corrupted.....I would probably reinstall OE - and hopefully your isp will have a webmail facility where you can delete any mails you don't want to download again, before you run it for the first time - also it's possible to import these files - so you could import your inbox.dbx file and start with a fresh sentitems.dbx.......
 
Thanks to all who have posted - I've tried a few of the ideas posted on here but unfortunately with no success.

I would like to continue using OE as I've used it for years and back up all my .dbx files everytime I get a few thousand emails in my inbox/sent items as I use this for work purposes as well as personal. This is the first problem I've had, so if it's an easy process and anyone can advise how I reinstall it (while keeping my contacts in the address book), I'd be grateful.

Alternatively, I will try one of these recommended programs such as Opera or Thunderbird. But I hate web based email! Are both these web based email like hotmail?

Also, it is essential that I am able to import my inbox and sent items (plus a load of other folders I've created for work purposes), as well as the address book with all my contacts. Can anyone advise if either of these will allow me to do this?

Really need to get this sorted today!
 
Thunderbird is a mail client, like OE. Opera is a web browser, with a mail client built in, I believe.

I can't give any further advice on OE, because I know next to nothing about it, mainly because I've refused to ever use or support it. Sorry.
 
Outlook Express issues

What firky said.

Outlook and Outlook Express are, well, virus-magnets. Plus they're poopy for a zillion other reasons I don't have time to go into.

The answer to your question can be put in two words: Thunderbird (free download from www.mozilla.com).

OK, make that ONE word.

Though the timid are stuck with Windows (despite Linux screaming at them for a try), you should avoid anything else from Microsoft, even if it's built-in. This includes Internet Exploder ('scuse me. Explorer) as a browser and Outlook/Outlook Express as e-mail clients. You're ASKING for trouble using these.

Many folks are alarmed when I suggest this to them, but turn off "Automatic Updates" and decline any "Service Packs" from Microsoft while you're at it. The latter are mostly "fixes" for the abominable Inernet Explorer, anyway. If you're not using it, you don't need 'em. I've NEVER, NEVER, EVER applied them, and have suffered NO consequences--probably because I'm using Firefox and Thunderbird eh?

:D
 
Crispy said:
:) I like your tagline Klaatu
Click to expand...

Firesign Theatre fan, are we then?

Antelope Freeway. One-sixteenth mile.

Actually, I'm off exit 71 or something at Eight Mile Road in Detroit. A road made famous by a movie (see: Eminem. Or don't.)

Drop in sometime. Bring rolling papers. I'm always low.

:D
 
Crispy said:
:) I like your tagline Klaatu
Click to expand...

OK, maybe I got "tagline" mixed up with "Location." So beat me with a wet noodle. Klaatu had no last name, so it was "Just Klaatu." When you can make the Earth stand still, you don't need no steenking last name.

:eek:
 
Web-based mail

OK, a little clarification of some confusion I've detected here.

Web-mail (AKA: POP mail) is mail that you retrieve by visiting a web-site (hotmail, yahoo, msn, gmail, AOL). A major pain in the neck, except you can retrieve your e-mail from anywhere--any PC you sit down at (friend's house, school, Internet café in Nairobi).

Opera and Firefox are "Internet browser" programs, that simply allow you to access the Internet.

Thunderbird is an e-mail "client" program that runs on your PC and which you configure with your ISP's e-mail "server" address (mail.comcast.net, in my case, for example). When I start up Thunderbird, it goes to my ISP's "server" to retrieve my e-mail, and (optionally) downloads it to my PC.

Good News (tm): There are "portable" versions of Firefox and Thunderbird (free from www.mozilla.com) that you can install on a portable "thumb" drive that you can carry in your pocket or purse (or around your neck on a lanyard) and that will allow you to browse or fetch e-mail WITHOUT installing any software on the "host" PC. Imagine having all your favorite bookmarks on any PC you sit at!

:eek:
 
funkster said:
Thanks to all who have posted - I've tried a few of the ideas posted on here but unfortunately with no success.

I would like to continue using OE as I've used it for years and back up all my .dbx files everytime I get a few thousand emails in my inbox/sent items as I use this for work purposes as well as personal. This is the first problem I've had, so if it's an easy process and anyone can advise how I reinstall it (while keeping my contacts in the address book), I'd be grateful.

Alternatively, I will try one of these recommended programs such as Opera or Thunderbird. But I hate web based email! Are both these web based email like hotmail?

Also, it is essential that I am able to import my inbox and sent items (plus a load of other folders I've created for work purposes), as well as the address book with all my contacts. Can anyone advise if either of these will allow me to do this?

Really need to get this sorted today!
Click to expand...

Hi funkster,

I recommend you try Thunderbird, as others have suggested already.

Install it (this won't effect OE already being installed), and in answer to something that I think you're asking, - I think it does ask you, if you want your OE stuff imported when you're finishing installing thunderbird. Also, (hold on a minute) - rigjht, I just checked - after installing thunderbird, there is an Option to Import your stuff in "Tools", "Import"...

http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/thunderbird/
 
Funkster, I just remembered.... PlusNet have been having problems with their mail since around the time you started this thread. This could be related to the original problem perhaps?
 
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