| Go back to the Index Page | Bo's Browser Wars | MSIE News Front | Updated 06/04/05 |

Welcome to Bohunky0's MSIE Help & How To Page VII

Page Index
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1. Browser Hijacking, it ain't funny any more
2. Stop Image Resizing
3. Where is that webpage, image or banner add coming from?
4. Start MSIE 6.0 in Kiosk Mode
5. Disable Add-On Toolbars and Buttons
6. The Case of the Dissappearing Favorites Folder:

7. Problems with MSN Messenger?

8. Can't log onto secure websites? Try these tips

9. And the Favorites Just Keep Coming and Coming but Won't Leave
   Got some strange links in MSIE 5 or 6 that you cannot delete no matter what? Hint, think WSH!

10. There is no option for saving a webpage as an Archive file (MHT) under Save As...

11. Cannot Print with Internet Explorer 6.0

12. Common Outlook and Outlook Express problems and solutions:

13. Tabs on Task Manager Not Showing

14. Emailing Pictures is a Snap in Windows

15. Problems with the history folder

16. You Get a Outlook Express Error Message:
     Err Msg: "This Program Has Performed an Illegal Operation and Will Be Shut Down"
    Or
    This program has performed an illegal operation and will be shut down. If the problem persists, contact the program vendor.

17. Removing MSN Messenger From Outlook Express 

18. WheresJames Outlook Express Archiver - Freeware

19. Get back the disconnect option

20. Remove the Internet Explorer Content Advisor Password

21. What the heck is this file on my Desktop named, "~"?

22. IncrediMail to Outlook Express, the conversion factor

23. You get the following error message and then MSIE shuts down:
    AppName: iexplore.exe
    AppVer: 6.0.2800.1106
    ModName: ntdll.dll
    ModVer: 4.0.1381.298
    Offset: 000327a6

24. Browser Hijacking, Run MRU List, and Typed URL's, the rest of the story

25. Configure Internet Explorer to work as an FTP client

26. Disable Error Reporting to Microsoft

27. Outlook Express And Security Zones

28. Cannot Logon Hotmail Using a POP3 Email Client Such as Outlook Express or Outlook

29. Cannot Save Files as Archive, MHT Format

30. Send Your Mail Later With Outlook Express

31. Saving Your Outlook Express Mail Rules

32. Print Outlook Express Address Book

33. Print Your Favorites list With URL's

34. OE very slow when starting, and Internet Explorer forms slow

35. Hotmail lists "Your e-mail message has been idle and this link has become inactive."

36. Outlook Express Freezes When Clicking on a URL Link

37. We've Talked About this Before but Browser Hijacking is on the Increase and Some of the Attacks are Getting Very Sophisticated

38. Get rid of IM and no slow OE startup

Get rid of IM and no slow OE startup 

If you have OE 6 go to tools | windows messenger | options | preferences 

and in the general area uncheck "run this program when windows starts" and "allow this program to run in the background." After doing this IM does not load on startup and OE loads as usual.

We've Talked About this Before but Browser Hijacking is on the Increase and Some of the Attacks are Getting Very Sophisticated

One size doesn't fit all 
It's a sad truth that malicious individuals can hijack a Web browser in a variety of ways. And since there is no standard hijacking technique, there is no standard repair technique. If your browser is hijacked, a significant chance exists that the repairs that worked in the past will not work for you in the present. I will therefore cover several repair techniques.

Begin with a thorough scan
When faced with an IE hijacking, you should first scan the computer for viruses, Trojans, adware, and spyware. It's highly likely that one of these items is the hijacker. Until you ensure that your computer is free from these parasites, you’ll only be treating the symptoms rather than the actual problem. Some known parasites can not be detected by certain anti-parasite applications but most are. Our current favorite is Spybot Search and Destroy. You'll find more on this on our Featured Freeware site. SS&D is more for the experienced user but it covers a wide rang of issues. For the more novice among you, try Lavasoft's AddAware which can also be found on our Featured Freeware site. Which ever one you choose, be sure to download, install and then update the product (Also free over the internet). Then run a full system scan and choose to fix any problems that might be found.

Unfortunately, I have yet to discover a single program that effectively scans for every potential form of spyware, adware, virus, and Trojan. I therefore recommend using several different programs. I know it's time consuming to download all these utilities and perform a separate full-system scan with each, but this is a critical step in the troubleshooting process.

Scan for viruses first. My antivirus program of choice is Norton Antivirus by Symantec. There are some very good freeware products and the best of breed and the one we use on our test machine, is AntiVir® Personal Edition  Our tests show that it is every bit as good as Norton and McAfee. 

Now that the system is virus free, it's time to scan for adware with a utility such as PestPatrol (which also removes spyware) or my personal favorite, which is SpyBot-Search & Destroy or our second choice Ad-aware from Lavasoft. Another good tool is, BPS SpyWare/Adware Remover from Bullet Proof Soft. Unfortunately BPS SpyWare/Adware Remover is not freeware but is pay for play but it deserves an honorable mention here. We do appreciate most Freeware but we are not fanatical about it.

After you have scanned the system for virus, adware, and spyware, reboot and try to change IE's home page. If you're still unable to do so, then it's likely the hijacker has modified the Windows registry or configured a malicious group policy.

Before we begin
Warning: The following section involves editing your system registry. Using the Windows Registry Editor incorrectly can cause serious problems requiring the reinstallation of your operating system and may lead to the loss of data. BLCOW does not and will not support problems that arise from editing your registry. Use the Registry Editor and the following directions at your own risk.

For more on the System Registry, see Bo's Tweaky Clean Windows.

Clean the registry
When a program hijacks IE by modifying the registry on a Windows NT/2000/XP system, the change often impacts only the current user. This is because many users don't have local administrative privileges and can only modify the HKEY_CURRENT_USER portion of the registry, not the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE portion. If the user has local administrative privileges or the machine is running Windows 9x/Me (which won't protect the registry), the change could be applied to all of the users on the system, depending on hijacker's level of sophistication.

With this in mind, log on as the person who's having the problem and open the Registry Editor. Then, navigate through the registry tree to:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Control Panel

Check for the existence of keys named ResetWebSettings or HomePage. If such keys exist, delete them.

Next, navigate to:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main

Verify that the information stored in the Default_Page_URL key and Start Page key is correct. If these keys contain values that reflect an undesirable startup page, double-click on the key to open its dialog box and then replace the existing value with an appropriate one.

There are two more registry entries you should check, but you'll need to ensure you have the proper permissions before doing so. As I mentioned before, if you're using Windows 9x/Me, any user can modify the registry, but if you're using Windows NT/2000/XP you'll need local administrative privileges.

Navigate to the following registry key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main

As before, check the Default_Page_URL and the Start Page keys for inappropriate values and change the values if necessary. Next, navigate to:
HKEY_USERS\Default\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main

Once again, check the Default_Page_URL and the Start Page keys for inappropriate values, and change them as necessary.

To determine if this is the case, search the hard drive for files with a POL extension. If such files exist, they may or may not be malicious. I recommend booting the system into MS-DOS mode and renaming the policy file with an extension of PCY instead of POL. This will disable the policy without deleting it.

Now, boot Windows normally and play around to see what effect, if any, disabling the policy has. If you're suddenly able to edit IE's home page, then it’s probably safe to assume that the policy was malicious and didn’t belong on the system. If this is the case, go ahead and delete the policy file.

On the other hand, if you're still unable to edit IE's home page and unable to perform some normal tasks, the policy is probably legitimate and you should reenable it. You can do this by booting the system into MS-DOS mode again and renaming the policy file so that it once again has the POL extension.

Hijack This!
Hijack This is a utility which scans the Windows registry and hard drive for IE settings that have been modified. If modifications are found, each modification is listed, and you may then choose which modifications to keep and which to remove. You can download Hijack This here

Once HijackThis is open, click the Scan button to start a new scan. Once the scan is complete, a list of modifications will be displayed,

{See image to the right}

When the scan is complete, you can select the suspicious entries and either click the Fix Checked button to remove them or click the Info On Selected Item button to learn more about each one—you'll need to highlight each entry individually,

I found using HijackThis to be extremely effective, but it’s not for the novice. I strongly recommend backing up your Windows installation before running HijackThis because it's easy to accidentally damage Internet Explorer. For example, ViRobot Expert, an  antivirus product, integrates itself into Internet Explorer and Outlook. If you had ViRobot Expert installed and then used HijackThis to remove all IE modifications, you would be removing ViRobot Expert's IE component, thus weakening your security. Be sure that your anti-virus scanner doesn't embed itself into IE or if it does, do not remove it's parameters.

StartupList: 
Another handy HijackThis tool
Integrated into HijackThis, StartupList generates a list of every application that starts automatically when Windows boots. This list is more in-depth than the one provided by Msconfig, but doesn't provide a GUI or a means to control whether programs start or not.

To run StartupList, click the Config button from the HijackThis main window. Then click the Misc Tools button. Click the Generate StartupList log button, then click Yes. The list is saved as a text file with the name startuplist.txt in the directory where HijackThis is located. HijackThis automatically opens the text file with Notepad. Most will find there is more control over things by using the Microsoft Configuration Utility bundled with all recent Windows OS's. To open MsConfig, do the following:

1. Press the Windows Key + R to bring up the Run Dialog

2. Type 
   MSCONFIG 
   and then click OK

3. Switch to the Startup Tab

4. Uncheck any suspicious entries.

Preventing reinfection
If all goes well, by now you've been able to reclaim your Web browser. If not, you may have to reinstall Windows. Simply reinstalling Internet Explorer or upgrading it to a newer version doesn’t usually get rid of the problem (believe me, I’ve tried). Once you do get Internet Explorer back under your control, there are several basic steps that you can take toward preventing this problem from occurring in the future. However, we have become increasing alarmed at the newest flaws that are appearing in MSIE even after the update, In Windows XP, to Service Pack 2. Please take a look at our article, 
"Alternative Browser's To MSIE due to IE flaws" 

If you're using an always-on connection, such as through a DSL or cable modem, use a good personal firewall. Use reputable antivirus software and keep it current. Do not run, save, or download programs that you don’t trust.

Regularly delete all temporary Internet files and cookies from your browser’s cache. It’s possible that IE cached the malicious code, so you’ll want to make certain that it’s gone for good from your system. Make sure that you have all of the latest security patches in place, especially for Windows, IE, and Outlook.

Still another way to prevent the problem from happening again is to use a freeware utility called Browser Hijack Blaster. This program constantly monitors Internet Explorer for modifications. If a modification is attempted, Browser Hijack Blaster alerts you to the impending modification and asks if you want to allow it or prevent it from happening. Browser Hijack Blaster is compatible with Windows 9x/Me/NT/2000/XP. This product is also highlighted on our Featured Freeware site.

Outlook Express Freezes When Clicking on a URL Link

Sure Bobbie, here is what you need to do:

1. Click Start, point to Programs, and then click Internet Explorer.
2. On the File menu, click Import and Export.
3. In the Import/Export Wizard, click Next.
4. Click Export Favorites, and then click Next.
5. Click Favorites, and then click Next.
6. Click Export to a File or Address, type c:\bookmark.htm in the Export to a File or Address box, and then click Next. Or
   The default for WXP is My Documents\bookmark.html
7. Click Finish, and then click OK.
8. Quit Internet Explorer.
9. Double-click My Computer, double-click drive C, or My Documents\, and then double-click the Bookmark.htm file.
10. On the File menu, click Print, click to select the Print table of links check box, and then click OK.
    
    NOTE: If you do not want the printed list to contain the Uniform Resource Locator (URL) for each link, click to clear the Print table of links check box.
11. Quit Internet Explorer

Print Outlook Express Address Book

If you store all your important phone numbers and such in your Outlook Express address book, you may want to have access to it when you are sitting at your computer. If this is the case, you do have the option of printing the contents of your Outlook Express address book. You can print the entire address book or only information for selected contacts.

1. Open Outlook Express.
2. From the Tools menu, click Address Book.
3. From the File menu, click Print. If you want to print selected entries, use the CTRL button and click the contacts you want to print. Then you can click File | Print.
4. Select the print style you want, and click the Print button.

There are three different print styles you can choose from when printing your address book: memo, business card, and phone list. The memo print style will print more information as opposed to the business card style. The phone list style will simply print contact names and phone numbers.

Saving Your Outlook Express Mail Rules

Outlook Express mail rules are a great way of keeping your e-mails organized. You may find that you spend a considerable amount of time creating mail rules so Outlook Express is set up to handle your messages exactly the way you want it to. Seeing how you may have dedicated so much of your time to this, you will probably want to back up your mail rules in the event that you have to rebuild your system or transfer the settings to another computer.

Fortunately, Outlook Express allows you to back up all the mail rules you have created. To do so, open the Windows registry (See Bo's Tweaky Clean Windows) by clicking Start, clicking Run, and typing in regedit. Click OK. Navigate to the Outlook Express settings in the registry

(HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Identities\your identity string\Software\Microsoft\Outlook Express\5.0.

Expand Rules and click Mail key. From the File menu, click Export. Specify the location to where you want to keep the copy of your mail rules. Type in a name for the file (it will have a "reg" extension) and click Save.

When it comes time to restore the entry, simply go to where you place the *.REG* file and double click on it. Bad Big, Bada Boom, rules saved and restoered.

Send Your Mail Later With Outlook Express

Normally when you compose an e-mail, you send it immediately. You press the Send button and off it goes. However, there may be times when you want to compose an e-mail but do not want to send it to the recipient right away.

If you are using Outlook Express, you have the option of sending an e-mail later. Once you have your e-mail composed, click the File menu. You will notice there is an option called Send Later. If you select this option, the e-mail message will be placed in your outbox but will not be sent until the next time you press the Send/Recv button.

Cannot Save Files as Archive, MHT Format

This can, sometimes, be caused by a corrupted or unregistered " Inetcomm.dll" file. The first thing to do is attempt to re-register that file.

You can use the Regsvr32 tool (Regsvr32.exe) to register and unregister object linking and embedding (OLE) controls such as dynamic-link library (DLL) or ActiveX Controls (OCX) files that are self-registerable. This may be necessary to troubleshoot some issues with Windows, Microsoft Internet Explorer, or other programs.

Here is how:

1. Press Windows Key + R to bring up the run dialog box
2. In the Open line, type the following:
   
   Regsvr32 Inetcomm.dll
   
3. Click OK
   You shouldn't need to type in the complete path to the file as it is stored on the Windows Path parameter lines. In either System32 or System or both.
4. When you use Regsvr32.exe, it attempts to load the component and call its DLLSelfRegister function. If this attempt is successful, Regsvr32.exe displays a dialog indicating success. If the attempt is unsuccessful, Regsvr32.exe returns an error message, which may include a Win32 error code.

1. In control Panel, double click Add or Remove programs
2. On the General tab
1. Highlight any file in the program list and press the "M" key on your keyboard. This takes you to all programs beginning with the letter "M".
2. Scroll down until you reach, "Microsoft Internet Explorer and Internet Tools".
3. Highlight it by click on it
4. Press the Add/Remove button (trust Me)
5. In the resultant dialog  choose the "Repair Explorer" radio button.
6. Click OK and follow any and all onscreen prompts and be sure to reboot when the tool finishes.

1. In Control Panel
2. Double click Folder Options
3. On the View tab, scroll down the list to:
1. Show Hidden Files and Folder is selected
2. Hide extensions for unknown file types is unchecked.

Cannot Logon Hotmail Using a POP3 Email Client Such as Outlook Express or Outlook
Presents a parabolic loop username & password never pars the server logon key at Hotmail's website

Reader Ravi writes: "I use IE5 with Outlook Express for my email client. I have a Hotmail account and set the default mail to hotmail. however, when I try to get my mail it asks me to enter my hotmail account username and password again, when I enter them it just keeps asking me to enter them over and over again."

The answer we provided didn't work for Ravi, but he did find an answer at a newsgroup and sent it along to us and asked that we post it here. Thanks Ravi and here is his answer to the logon problem:

1. In control Panel:

   1. Double click on Internet Options

   2. Switch to the Security Tab

   3. Click the Custom Levels button

   4. Scroll down the list to "User Authentication"

      • Logon

        • Select anything but the Anonymous logon radio button

   5. Click OK

2. Click Apply

3. Click OK

We have duplicated the problem and found the solution does work. It appears to be a security change with the Microsoft Passport accounts settings. Though we do not use Hotmail we do use Passport .NET and find it strange that a new account setting was not given to Microsoft customers. Oh well, such are the wonders of Microsoft.

Outlook Express And Security Zones

One of the most common ways in which viruses are spread is via e-mail. Outlook Express 6 therefore, has some security features built in to protect against viruses. Security zones in Outlook Express determine whether active content can be run from within an HTML message. You can configure the security zone for Outlook Express using the following steps:

1. Click Start and select Outlook Express.
2. Within Outlook Express click the Tools menu and click Options.
3. From the Options window, select the Security tab.
4. Under Virus Protection, select Restricted sites zone. This option should be selected by default in Outlook Express 6. Previous versions of Outlook Express used the Internet zone, which is less secure because it allows most active content to run.

Disable Error Reporting to Microsoft

Reader Ken writes: 

Sometimes I get a popup window from explorer asking if I want to send error report back to Microsoft and if I click yes it sends a message back. Can I disable this popup with internet explorer because it sometimes freezes my computer. Thank you...Ken

Answer: Sure can Ken. Here is how:

To disable Internet Explorer Error Reporting, use one of the following methods, depending on your computer.

Internet Explorer 6 for Windows XP

1. Click Start, click Run, and then type sysdm.cpl in the Open box.
   Alternatively, Press Windows ÿ Key + Pause/Break
2. Click Advanced, and then click Error Reporting.
3. Click Disable error reporting to disable both user and kernel-mode error reporting, or click to clear the Programs check box.
4. Click OK two times.

Note Administrators can disable error reporting in Windows XP Professional by setting Report Errors to Disabled in Group Policy Editor (Gpedit.msc) in the Computer Configuration\Administrative Templates\System\Error Reporting folder.

Other versions of Windows:
If you have Windows 98, Windows 98 Second Edition, Windows Millennium Edition, Windows NT 4, Windows 2000, you will need to edit the System Registry. Before doing anything to the registry be sure to back it up or at least the key you are going to make changes to. Please see, "Bo's Tweaky Clean Windows", for more on how to use the registry editor and how to back up and restore it if something should go amiss.

WARNING: Using Registry Editor incorrectly can cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Blaisdell's Little Corner of the Web, Bohunky0, nor any of it's affiliates can guarantee that problems resulting from the incorrect use of Registry Editor can be solved. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.

If you are an Administrator and want to redirect crashes to an internal reporting committee:
It may be useful to disable Internet Explorer Error Reporting so that when Internet Explorer crashes, the default operating system error handler is called instead. It may also be useful to redirect the crashes so instead of establishing a connection to Microsoft, they connect to an internal server to report crashes. To redirect Internet Explorer Error Reporting to report crashes to an internal server, use the following registry key:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Office\10.0\Common\DWFileTreeRoot

The value is a String, and should be in the following form:

"\\server name\share name"

Each user needs write access to the share or it will not work. To set up the server so that it is capable of collecting the dumps, see the following Microsoft Office XP Resource Kit Web site for details about how to configure the server:

http://www.microsoft.com/office/ork/xp/two/adma05.htm

To disable Internet Explorer Error Reporting so that the default operating system error handler is shown if a crash occurs, set the following registry key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main

IEWatsonEnabled = (DWORD) 0
DWNeverUpload = (DWORD) 1
DWNoExternalURL = (DWORD) 1
DWNoFileCollection = (DWORD) 1
DWNoSecondLevelCollection = (DWORD) 1

A value of 0 disables Internet Explorer Error Reporting, and a value of 1 enables it (removing the key also enables Internet Explorer Error Reporting).

Administrators/s NOTE; Concerning Office:
If you do change Internet Explorer Error Reporting to report to an internal server, you should refer to the Office XP Resource Kit and the documentation for the "Corporate Error Reporting Tool" to view and diagnose which crashes should be reported to Microsoft to find a possible fix.

Configure Internet Explorer to work as an FTP client

Learn how to tweak Internet Explorer to work as a fully functional FTP client.

Interacting with FTP sites from Internet Explorer can result in a number of confusing and frustrating errors. As a result, users often end up using a separate software program to access FTP, even though it would be much simpler to be able to handle tasks from within IE itself.

Here is a solution:

There are several tweaks you can make to Internet Explorer that will make it more FTP-friendly. First, you can set up IE so that it can browse FTP directories, just as if they were folders in Windows Explorer:

1. Click Tools | Internet Options.
2. Click the Advanced tab.
3. Under Browsing, check the box labeled Enable Folder View For FTP Sites.

Next, if you're on a computer that's behind a firewall, you'll need to set up IE to use passive FTP:

1. Click Tools | Internet Options.
2. Click the Advanced tab.
3. Under Browsing, check the box labeled Use Passive FTP.

If you need to upload files to an FTP folder, you must use a special URL in the following format:

This will result in the user being prompted for a password. Once the user supplies the password, a directory comes up, and the user can drag and drop files to and from the FTP window.

• List of FTP commands for the Microsoft command-line FTP client

Browser Hijacking, Run MRU List, and Typed URL's, the rest of the story
Reader Richard Writes: 

There are options within IE and in Windows XP as well that can be used to remedy this situation. the question is however, how did this happen to begin with if you did not change any settings. There is a new version of SPAM running the net which is called Browser Hijacking. Also certain scripting language can, and often does, change some of your Windows settings. More on Browser Hijacking further down in this email. But for now, lets see if we can change the settings in Windows and in IE back to their normal parameters and make them stick.

• If you have Mcafee 6.0
• The History in the Addressbar of MSIE 6.0 (Commonly known as Typed URL's)
  • To do this in the system registry:
• The Run MRU List
• Browser Hijacking & Tools
• Restrict Web Sites from Installing Software

If you have McAfee Virus scanner Installed, see this first, or else skip this and go to the next instruction
NOTE: Some versions of McAfee virus scan will disable the history or typed url's. If you are running McAfee VirusScan 6, follow the this procedure:

1. Open VirusScan console
2. Select "Pick a task..."
1. Select "Change my VirusScan settings"
1. Select "Configure VShield background scanning"
2. Select "Customize your VShield settings"
3. Select the "Internet Filter" icon from the icons down the left hand side On the "Detection" tab, in the 'Applet filters' section, remove the tick next to "ActiveX Controls".

Once this is performed, if you do have McAfee, then follow the next step. If you do not have McAfee, just follow the step below.

First the History in the Addressbar which Is actually called, "Typed URL's:

1. Close all open instances of Microsoft Internet Explorer (MSIE)
2. In Control Panel
1. Double click on Internet Options
2. Switch to the Content tab
3. Click on the button, "Autocomplete".
4. Under use Autocomplete for: checkmark, "Web Addresses".
5. Click the Advanced tab, click to clear the Use inline AutoComplete check box in the Browsing section (if this check box has been selected).
6. Click OK
7. Click Apply
8. Click OK

Typed URL's is a funny animal in that it will only take affect after the first few url's. This may, or may not be instantaneous it depends to a large degree on your web viewing habits but it will take affect within the next few times you log off and log on. Be patient, you should start seeing typed url's stick very soon. If you do not, then follow the step below for a System Registry Edit.

To do this in the system registry:
Use this system only if the effect doesn't change in the instructions above.

Now, for the Run MRU list being cleared at shutown or startup:

You get the following error message and then MSIE shuts down:
AppName: iexplore.exe
AppVer: 6.0.2800.1106
ModName: ntdll.dll
ModVer: 4.0.1381.298
Offset: 000327a6

Reader Mark writes:
I have 6.0 and it keeps giving me an error message and then shuts down. AppName:iexplorer.exe     ModName:ntdll.dll

For the simple cure, do the following more complex options follow:

1. Close all open instances of MSIE
2. In Control Panel, double click on Internet Options
3. Switch to the Advanced Tab
4. Uncheck the line that reads, 'Allow third party extension's
5. Click Apply
6. Click OK
7. Start MSIE (Microsoft Internet Explorer) and see if the problem is resolved. If it isn't, please read on.

Re-Register the file itself:
ntdll.dll is a Microsoft(R) Windows(R) Operating System file that resides in the %windows%\System folder. It is possible that third a party program has changed this file but as you do not mention your operating system, I can not be sure. The appropriate version number for Windows XP at least is 4.10.1998.

If you are running Windows Me or Windows XP then this is proper as they both have proprietary protections in place to avoid the old problems, inherent to Windows 9.x kernels, of replacing a third party Windows compliant file in order to run the third party program or software. The newer versions of Windows such as the afore mentioned XP both Pro and Home, W2K, and NT, do not allow the third party software to install their own versions of an important operating system file.

On closer inspection of your case however, it appears that the older Iexplorer.exe file which was version 5.5 is not reading the newer version file which is of course 6.0. The NTDLL.DLL file may be corrupt or out of a certain date sequence. As the file does exist on your tree path, you can attempt to re-register the file and see if that works. Here is how:

1. Close all open instances of MSIE (Microsoft Internet Explorer).
2. Press the Windows Key + R to bring up the RUN dialog
3. In the Open command line type the following or copy and paste it there:
   
   Regsvr32 NTDLL.DLL
   
4. Then click ok

5. When you use Regsvr32.exe, it attempts to load the component and call its DLLSelfRegister function. If this attempt is successful, Regsvr32.exe displays a dialog indicating success. If the attempt is unsuccessful, Regsvr32.exe returns an error message, which may include a Win32 error code.

   For a list of Win32 error codes, refer to the following Microsoft Web site:
   http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/en-us/netdir/adsi/win32_error_codes.asp

6. If the dll file is registered successfully you will receive the above named confirmation. At this point in time, you will need to reboot the system in order for this change to take affect.

7. Once the system is back up, try your MSIE again to see if that was indeed the problem.

Control BHO's:
If this did not resolve the issue or if after a certain amount of time the error returns then it is possible that you have received a third party BHO (Browser Helper Objects). Please see my Featured Freware page for more information and how to get rid of them, including some pretty good BHO blockers or removers.

Don't forget Spyware:
Another thing that no internet junkie should be without is a good spyware eradicator. If you are an experienced computer user then you should download and install Spybot Search and Destroy, if you are a novice, the get a copy of AddAware by Lavasoft. We have links to these programs under our Featured Freeware Disk Security section.

Which ever one you choose I strongly urge you to install, then immediately check for updates through the chosen program's update feature. Both of these products update free over a net connection. Once this is done, run a full system scan and if you have never used a spyware eradicator before, you will be alarmed at the amount of junk on your system. SS&D offers much more control and checks for a lot more stuff than does AdAware but care should be taken as not all items should be removed. There may be some registry entries which are simply system file pointers that bare a resemblance to spyware, trackware or browser hijacking.

IncrediMail to Outlook Express, the conversion factor

Reader Karen writes: I have been using IncrediMail as my e-mail client for some time now, and am completely sick of it. I would like to switch to Outlook Express, but the problem is that I don't want to lose all of the messages that are stored in the program. I can't find any proper way to export them and was wondering if you knew how to do it.

We applaud your efforts to try other software. We use OE all of the time here at BLCOW and find it simple and easy to use despite all of the hype about security that you hear OE can be made very safe with just a few adjustments.

As soon as you want to switch from IncrediMail to another email program, you discover a good reason to switch that is at the same time a reason not to switch: IncrediMail does not offer you to export mail to a common format that would allow you to import your precious messages to the new email client. Fortunately, there is IncrediConvert. To export mail from IncrediMail to another email program with IncrediConvert:

• ›› Step by Step Screenshot Walkthrough from About.com
• Launch IncrediConvert.
• IncrediConvert automatically selects your default IncrediMail Identity and all folders except Deleted Items.
  • To convert mail from another identity, select its path under IncrediMail\­Data\­Identities in the folder tree on the left.
• Click the Export toolbar button.
• Highlight Desktop under Select output folder..
• Click Create new folder.
• Type "exported mail".
• Hit Return.
• Click OK.
• Click Open folder.
• For every folder inside exported mail:
  • Open the folder by double-clicking it.
  • Press Ctrl-A to select all .eml files.
  • Drag and drop them to the folder in Outlook Express that you want to import them to.
    (Make sure you drop the .eml files on the folder in Outlook Express (with Outlook Express open), not the folder in Windows Explorer where Outlook Express keeps mail on your hard disk.)

If you want to export your messages to another program than Outlook Express, use the import functionality of that program to import from Outlook Express.

What the heck is this file on my Desktop named, "~"?

Reader Tom writes: Every once in a while, I get this weird file on my desktop. The name of it is simply the tilde character (~). What in the world is this?

Yeah Tom, I have had the same thing happen to me on our work machine, or should I say our machine that works...some times.

The file is, get this, a backup of your Windows Address Book. Weird, eh? It's there because of an old patch for Outlook Express. The patch was released because there was a vulnerability that could allow an attacker to run malicious code on your computer. Sound familiar? It is after all, the Microsoft mantra. Here's the catch - there was a bug in the patch (what do you mean your not surprised?). Whenever you make a change to your address book, Windows will make a backup in the directory where you start Outlook Express, which is most likely your desktop. Instead of this backup being called what is normally is, you end up with a tilde file on your desktop that likely has confused you to no end. Right?

This page contains more information on the file, and tells you what you can do with it. Microsoft also has some information {MSKB Article} on how you can resolve the problem. Apparently this glitch can also stem from using Internet Explorer 6 SP1. Let the good times roll! Their site does give you a work-a-round or, what they like to call a Hotfix. Bill's propensity for whimsical names is getting to be a real drag eh? At the Redmond campus, they do not call this a goof up, they call it an innovation. Next time you hear that from Microsoft, just think, "Goofups"!

The Hotfix includes a System Registry Edit. Not sure what that is or how to do it? See, "Bo's Tweaky Clean Windows".

This strikes me as odd because Microsoft wants to know your life history in order to get a fix that a patch should have been supplied for. Heck, this Outlook Express patch came out back in April of 2003 and Microsoft assured folks that they were going to supply a patch which would fix this problem. I am writing this as of June 2004. Did I sleep through the patch release?

A good Work-a-Round for you to try:
If you do not want to go through the Hotfix jungle, I know I don't, then you can simply rename the file to something like

addressbook.wab and then transfer the file to a floppy diskette for safe keeping. If you do not want to see it on the desktop anymore, then simply right click the outlook Express icon and in the resultant context menu choose Properties and make sure that the Read Only attribute is unchecked and in the Startup section type in where you want the file to be stored. C:\ works well. Why do this? Well, it puts it out of the desktop environment and into the backwater of your PC..you know, "Out of sight out of mind"?

Remove the Internet Explorer Content Advisor Password

Users wanting to disable the Internet Explorer Content Advisor will sometimes find they have forgotten the required password. Fortunately, this annoying little problem can be solved quickly with a Windows Registry edit.

WARNING: Using Registry Editor incorrectly can cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Blaisdell's Little Corner of the Web, Bohunky0, nor any of it's affiliates can guarantee that problems resulting from the incorrect use of Registry Editor can be solved. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.

For information about how to edit the registry, view the "Changing Keys and Values" Help topic in Registry Editor (Regedit.exe) or the "Add and Delete Information in the Registry" and "Edit Registry Data" Help topics in Regedt32.exe. Note that you should back up the registry before you edit it. If you are running Windows NT or Windows 2000, you should also update your Emergency Repair Disk (ERD). For more, see "Bo's Tweaky Clean Windows"

The Problem

The Content Advisor in Internet Explorer is a fine example of good intentions sometimes leading to undesirable consequences. As users surf the Web under the watchful Content Advisor's eye, there will likely come a point where the restrictions imposed will become undesirable, even if only temporarily. However, users wanting to disable the Content Advisor will sometimes find themselves barred from making changes because they have forgotten the required password. Fortunately, this annoying little problem can be solved quickly with a Windows Registry edit.

The Solution 
Edit the correct Windows Registry key Removing the Internet Explorer Content Advisor Password from its Windows Registry key will disable all of the restrictions. If you have ever edited the Windows Registry, the procedure will seem quite familiar. However, if you are new to the experience, don't worry as Registry edits go, this one is fairly painless. (Always back up the Windows Registry before you begin editing.)

Here is the basic procedure:

1. Open regedit.exe (usually performed via the Run command).
2. Navigate to this key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Ratings

3. Right-click the key and delete it.
4. Open Internet Explorer and navigate to Tools | Internet Options | Content.
5. Disable Content Advisor. (Enter a new, more easily remembered password if you want.)

This simple Windows Registry hack will disable the Internet Explorer Content advisor and return Internet Explorer to its default state.

Get back the disconnect option:

Reader Steve writes:
After closing internet explorer in windows xp home I used to get a window offering me the option to diconnect, now I don't and I have to manually disconnect from the status icon in the system tray, any ideas?

Answer: 

• The Registry
• Windows XP & MSIE 6.0 SP1a
• Windows Me
• MSIE 5.0 & SP1, Windows 98 SE
• MSIE 4.0 & Windows 98
• MSIE 3
• MSIE 2

1. Click Start, point to Connect To, and then click Show all connections.
2. Right-click your Internet connection, and then click Properties.
3. On the Advanced tab, click to clear the Allow other network users to control or disable the shared Internet connection check box.
4. Click OK to close the Internet connection Properties dialog box.

Windows Millennium Edition

1. Click Start, point to Settings, click Control Panel, and then double-click Internet.
2. Click the Connections tab, click your Dial-Up Networking connection, and then click Settings.
3. Under Dial-up Settings, click Properties.
4. Click the Dialing tab.
5. Click the Disconnect when connection may no longer be needed check box to select it.
6. Click OK, click OK, and then click OK again.

Internet Explorer 5, 5.01, 5.01 Service Pack 1, 5.5, Windows 98 Second Edition

1. Click Start, point to Settings, click Control Panel, and then double-click Internet Options.
2. Click the Connections tab, click your Dial-Up Networking connection, and then click Settings.
3. Under Dial-up Settings, click Advanced.
4. Click the Disconnect when connection may no longer be needed check box to select it.
5. Click OK, click OK, and then click OK again.

Internet Explorer 4.0, 4.01, 4.01 Service Pack 1, Windows 98

1. Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
2. Double-click Internet.
3. Click the Connection tab, and then click Settings.
4. Click the "Disconnect if idle for nn minutes" check box to select it.
5. Set the number of minutes you want Internet Explorer to remain idle before it disconnects from your ISP.
6. Click OK, and then click OK again.

Internet Explorer 3.0, 3.01, and 3.02

1. Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
2. Double-click Internet.
3. Click the Connection tab, click the "Disconnect if idle for n minutes" check box to select it, and then click OK. Note that n is an number of minutes you can adjust up or down.

Internet Explorer 2.0

1. Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
2. Double-click Internet.
3. Click the AutoDial tab, click the Auto Disconnect check box to select it, and then click OK.
   
   NOTE: The AutoDial check box must be selected for the Auto Disconnect check box to be available.

The Registry:

This behavior can occur if the Loadwc.exe file is absent or damaged, or if the BrowserWebCheck string value is absent in the registry.

WARNING: If you use Registry Editor incorrectly, you may cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. BLCOW cannot guarantee that you can solve problems that result from using Registry Editor incorrectly. Use Registry Editor at your own risk. Not to sure how to use the system registry? Check out Bo's Tweaky Clean Windows

Method 1

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run

Method 2

171227 How to Use Subscriptions in Microsoft Internet Explorer

WheresJames Outlook Express Archiver 
v1.34 [1086K] Win98/2k/XP FREE

http://go.lockergnome.com/321

{E-mail archive tool} Outlook Express Archiver allows you to easily export and archive your Outlook Express mail and newsgroups messages in plain HTML format. A simple step-by-step wizard guides you through the process and allows you to select the folders to be included. Mail and attachments are exported to HTML format and can then be viewed with any Web browser without the need to have Outlook Express installed. This is especially useful if you back up your old mail to a CD and want to browse the CD without having to use Outlook Express. Your archived mail is organized in folders, just like it was in OE, and you can even choose from different templates (or create your own) to customize the HTML design. Using Outlook Express Archiver does not delete any of your original e-mails in Outlook Express.

Removing MSN Messenger From Outlook Express 
See also: Halt Messenger Services at Startup:

Windows Messenger (Instant Messenger, that is) is tightly integrated into Windows XP as well as many other programs such as Internet Explorer and Outlook Express. If you're an instant messenger guru or don't mind the program always being there, this may be fine. However, many find this integration with other programs more of an annoyance than anything. Fortunately, you can make a few configuration changes to disable, remove, or completely get rid of the chat program altogether. For example, you can remove MSN messenger from Outlook Express using the following steps (you may also find that Outlook Express starts faster after doing so).

Open the registry editor and navigate to the following system key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Outlook Express.

Right click the Outlook Express folder, click New, click DWORD value, and name the new registry key Hide Messenger.

Right click the Hide Messenger key you just created and click Modify.

In the Value data box, type 2 and click OK.

Messenger Services at Startup:
Starting Windows with the Messenger Service is, well at least to some of us, a huge pain in the back side. Here is a solution to get it to stop.

However, if you don't have Service Pack 1 installed, you can do the following, depending on whether you are running the Home or Pro version.

Pro version:
1. Click Start | Run, type gpedit.msc, then press Enter.
2. Double-click the following items to expand them: Local Computer Policy, Computer Configuration, Administrative Templates, Windows Components, Windows Messenger 3. Double-click "Do not allow Windows Messenger to run" and click Enable.
4. Click OK, then quit the Group Policy snap-in.

For users running the Home edition:
1. Start Windows Messenger
2. Click Options on the Tools menu.
3. Click the Preferences tab, click to clear the "Run this program when Windows starts" check box, and then click OK.

You Get a Outlook Express Error Message:
 Err Msg: "This Program Has Performed an Illegal Operation and Will Be Shut Down"
Or
This program has performed an illegal operation and will be shut down. If the problem persists, contact the program vendor.

Reader Debbie writes:

My problem: After I connect to the Internet (dialup) and launch Outlook Express or any other mail program, my mail downloads normally, however, when I attempt to open new messages, I received the following error message:

"This program has performed an illegal operation. If this problem continues, contact the program vendor."

This also happens when I click "new message." I can, however, right click on the message and print it.

Can you help? Thanks so much.

Problems with the history folder / Hyperlinks don't change color

• Extract a complete record of your history folder - works well 
  http://www.netlaputa.ne.jp/~mozart/soft/hist2html.html

• Cannot view Internet Explorer history by date
  http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=819257

• "Open in New Window" Restriction Does Not Work in History Pane [Q294291]
  http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/q294/2/91.asp

•  History Folder Does Not Contain Web Pages [Q193278]
  http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/q193/2/78.asp

•  Index.dat File in the History Folder May Become Very Large [Q280055]
  http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/q280/0/55.asp

•  Menu Bar in History Pane No Longer Appears [Q296336]
  http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/q296/3/36.asp

•  History Items Remain After Being Deleted from Cache [Q218966]
  http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/q218/9/66.asp

•  "Days to Keep Pages in History" Setting Displays Only Two Digits [Q257026]
  http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/q257/0/26.asp

•  "Open in New Window" Restriction Does Not Work in History Pane [Q294291]
  http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/q294/2/91.asp

 If none of the above apply, or hyperlinks don't change color after being visited you may just have a problem with the history folder itself.  Corruption of the folder or its contents can cause display issues and sundry crashes or freezes when trying to access history information from within IE.

Emailing Pictures is a Snap in Windows

Reader Hank writes:

I use Outlook, and my digital pictures are too big to send by e-mail (more than a megabyte each). How can I easily reduce their file size for e-mailing without having to learn Photoshop or some other complex program?

To easily reduce the file size of your picture to send via e-mail, do the following:

1. Open your specific picture in Microsoft Paint (standard in most, if not all, Windows OSs): 
File | Open | (picture's filename).

2. Use this pull-down menu: Image | Stretch/Skew.

3. Reduce Stretch percentages by same amount (to keep formatting the same), say 50 percent in both horizontally and vertically. You can experiment before saving to get the right balance between file size and picture readability by using Undo.

4. Once you have an acceptable photo size for e-mailing, save the file: File | Save As | (filename and file type as JPEG File Interchange Format: jpg; jpeg). (Note: If you want to keep your original file intact, choose Save As and type in a different name.)

Now you are ready to e-mail your photo.

Tabs on Task Manager Not Showing:

Reader Dave writes:

1. Click Start, and then click Run. (Windows Key +R)
2. Type taskmgr.exe.
3. Hold down CTRL+ALT+SHIFT at the same time, and while holding them down press ENTER.

Common Outlook and Outlook Express problems and solutions:

1. Blocked attachments. 
   MS has now set OE to block all attachments. 
   See these articles for explanations: 

   • Cannot Open E-Mail Attachments in Outlook Express After You Install SP1 http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=329570 

   • OLEXP Using Virus Protection Features in Outlook Express 6 (Q291387) http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/Q291/3/87.ASP

2. Outlook Express crashes when composing messages 
   MS introduced a bug in the latest security patch (810847). 
   Go to Windows Update and get the latest IE security patch and that should fix it. See http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=813489

3. All messages are lost. 
   There are two contributing factors to this problem. To fix this issue 

   1. Turn off background compaction under Tools | Options | Maintenance for each Identity you have, and then compact manually and frequently using File | Folder | Compact all. This will make OE more stable. 

   2. Turn off email scanning, autoupdate, and internet filter with your antivirus software. 
      Many antivirus products interfere with the operations of OE resulting in loss of messages. Turning off these options does not affect the ability of your antivirus software to block infections. If you do lose your messages, you can try using my DBXtract program to attempt to recover the lost messages. Note that dbx files are hidden in Windows 2000 and Windows XP. 
      http://www.oehelp.com/DBXtract/ 
      Alternatively one can also use DBXpress, which is faster and more accurate than DBXtract, and it also has the capability of reading directly from the disk and bypassing the file system. 
      http://www.oehelp.com/DBXpress/ 

   3. If you have upgraded your version of IE and OE or your OS version, and all your messages are lost, then see this article (note that the technique in the article does not only apply to the issue addressed in the article title): OLEXP: Mail Folders, Address Book, and E-mail Messages Are Missing After You Upgrade to Microsoft Windows XP 
      http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;313055 
      If File | Import | Messages does not work, ignore the error message, which is erroneous in itself, and try one of the following techniques to get your messages back: 

      1. Right click on each dbx file or a selection of them and go to Properties and clear the read only attribute of the files. 

      2. Then try File | Import | Messages again. 

      3. Import the dbx files individually. See the last paragraph on this page for how to do that: http://www.oehelp.com/backup.aspx 

      4. As a last resort use DBXtract 
         http://www.oehelp.com/DBXtract/

4. How does one reinstall IE and OE? 
   This article seems to work for other OSs than just XP: How to Reinstall or Repair Internet Explorer and Outlook Express 
   http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=KB;EN-US;Q318378 
   See point 11 below first.

5. How does one backup and restore or transfer OE messages and settings: 
   Note that there is also a link in this article to MVP David Guess's free OEBackup program (www.oehelp.com/OEBackup/) 
   http://insideoe.tomsterdam.com/backup/index.htm 

6. Links in email don't work: 
   see the links on this page 
   How to Configure Outlook Express to Open Links in E-mail Messages in a New Browser Window

   • Links in Outlook Express Stop Working
   • Configure OE to Open Links in a New Browser Window

7. Outlook Express is slow. See the various performance issues and how to address them on this page: http://insideoe.tomsterdam.com/problems/performance.htm

8. Outlook Express won't start. 
   This is usually due to a conflict between what is recorded in the registry and what is in the message store. Often, one can fix this problem by deleting folders.dbx. If that doesn't work, then try moving all the dbx files to another directory and see if that fixes it. Alternatively, see these articles. http://insideoe.tomsterdam.com/problems/performance.htm#nostart http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/q245/4/19.asp 

9. Address book information: 
   The Windows Address Book 
   http://insideoe.tomsterdam.com/files/wab.htm 

10. Links are broken in email messages: 
    This is fixed with the Mondo Patch for OE6 SP1 (which is the millimeter the MVPs got the behemoth to move): October 2002, Cumulative Update for Outlook Express 6.0 SP1 (Q331923) http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/downloads/recommended/q331923/default.asp 

11. Installation issues: 
    Most of the problems with a faulty installation are due to other programs running during the install and interfering with the updating of necessary files. Antivirus software is notorious for this. To minimize such interference, in Win98, WinMe, and WinXP go to Start | Run and type msconfig and disable all startup items and non Microsoft services. Then reboot. Then proceed with the installation. Startup items can then be re-enabled. Since Win2000 does not have msconfig, one has to manually go to this registry key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run 
    **You can export this key and then delete all values under it. 
    **Then disable all antivirus services under Computer Management | Services and then reboot. 
    **Then install. 
    **After the installation you can import the key back into the registry to restore the values and re-enable the services.

12. Microsoft does not email security patches to you. 
    If you get an email that appears to come from Microsoft with a security update attached, do not open the attachment. It is a virus. No matter how official the email looks, it is a hoax. 
    See this article: 
    http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/news/patch_hoax.asp 

13. Screening unwanted email and Spam 
    Everybody gets unwanted email these days. Much of this email is either trying to sell you something you probably don't want or else is trying to infect you with a virus via an email attachment. 
    What can you do? 

    • Never open an attachment. 
      First save an attachment to disk and then scan it with your antivirus software to ensure it is not infected (make sure your antivirus software definitions are up to date). If the attachment is from someone you don't know, don't even bother opening it. Its not worth it. 

    • Screen email. 
      Disable the Preview Pane (you can put a button on the toolbar to turn this on and off). 
      Then go to View | Columns and enable most of the headers. 
      That way you can scan the headers and pick out the various obvious unwanted mail. Once you find messages that you don't want to open, select the headers of those messages without opening the messages and perform a Shift-Delete to permanently remove them from the folder. Once they are removed, they will no longer be accessible, so don't do this on messages you might wish to keep. 

    • On messages left that might be worth opening, go to Tools | Options | Read and check the box that says "read all messages in plain text" (available only with IE6 SP1 or WinXP SP1 and higher). Reading in plain text prevents any returns to the spammer's server, so your email address cannot be validated in that fashion. In addition, it prevents malformed or malicious HTML code from executing. If you find the message is worth viewing as HTML, then you can go back to Tools | Options | Read and uncheck the option to read in plain text only and then reopen the message to view it as HTML 
      Note that you can put this button on a toolbar with OETool 
      www.oehelp.com/OETool/. 

    • If you get unwanted email repeatedly from the same source, you can set up message rules to block out some of these messages. 
      See the help file in OE and also 
      http://insideoe.tomsterdam.com/tips/rules.htm . 

    • If you find a message that is spam and that offends you or is deceptive, go to Message | Forward as attachment and send it to uce@ftc.gov . The US Federal Trade Comission is launching a major crackdown on deceptive and offensive spam. 
      Visit their site at www.ftc.gov/spam for more info.

Slowdown problems and solutions:

• OE very slow when starting, but everything else normal

• OE very slow when starting, and Internet Explorer forms slow

• OE gradually slows down

• The Outlook Express registry key
• The Address Book registry key
• The Internet Account Manager registry key
• The Identities registry key

1. OE very slow when starting, but everything else normal

   The usual cause is a missing or corrupt "Imagehlp.dll" in C:\Windows\System. Without this file, OE will be very slow to open, although usually nothing else is affected. If you uninstall a version of McAfee VirusScan and then install a later version without first restarting your computer, the McAfee install routine will delete "Imagehlp.dll" by mistake. You can either extract this file from your Win98 CDROM (using Start| Run, SFC.EXE, Extract a single file), or from your IE5/6 setup files using a command line at the setup folder like this:

   extract win98_32.cab /a Imagehlp.dll

   On some systems, it is found in win98_26.cab. For IE5 users on Win95/NT, it is found in setup295.cab.

   Another cause of slow starts is opening OE at its home page, rather than the Inbox. Because that page is an HTML file, it is usually slower to display than is the Inbox. Click Tools| Options and place a check mark for "When starting, go directly to my Inbox folder."

   On the other hand, this might also cause the problem if the Inbox is very large. The Inbox is a very active folder, and I strongly recommend that you not use it to store messages. Create subfolders and move messages into them as soon as possible so that the Inbox stays small.

   Leaving the Preview Pane open in combination with opening directly to the Inbox can result in a slower startup. You can turn the Preview Pane off under View| Layout, or add the Preview button to the OE toolbar to toggle the pane on and off with a single click.

   Sometimes removing or disabling Windows (or MSN) Messenger causes OE to open slowly. This will shown by an entry in the system error log: The server {FB7199AB-79BF-11D2-8D94-0000F875C541} did not register with DCOM within the required timeout. To fix this, open Regedit and navigate to this key:

   HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT
       \CLSID
           \{FB7199AB-79BF-11d2-8D94-0000F875C541}
               \InProcServer32

   In the right-hand pane, double-click on the (Default) value and delete whatever is entered there, leaving it blank. Click OK. Now perform exactly the same step with the key directly underneath, namely

   HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT
       \CLSID
           \{FB7199AB-79BF-11d2-8D94-0000F875C541}
               \LocalServer32

   Once both (Default) values are empty, OE will open normally.

OE very slow when starting, and Internet Explorer forms slow

This is an indication of missing or corrupt settings or files for the Protected Storage Service. This is a Windows service that allows you to save passwords for your Identities. This MS Knowledge Base article describ