outlook express hangs when attaching any file

[Guest]

When I attach a file of any size in Outlook Express it now takes 5 minutes.

The program hangs until the file is finally attached.

The same thing happens in Thunderbird, so it looks like something is wrong
in XP, not the email program.

It's not spyware or virus.

Since I just made a lot of changes in the system, going back with restore
points won't be much better than reinstalling everything (which I would like
to avoid).

Maybe if I knew what XP uses to attach a file to an email program, it could
be fixed.

So far, I can't figure that out, nor find anything on the subject in
internet searches.

 

[Silvabod]

Average size of attachment is ????

 

[Guest]

Size ranges from about 1kb to 5 mb.

The average may be about 500 kb.

This was never a problem before.

Since it hangs with all size files, how could the size of the file be
relevant?

 

[Guest]

The problem was ADOBE ACROBAT READER 8.0, not XP.

It's not the first time Acrobat Reader has caused me a slow down problem,
but it's the first time it has interfered with attaching files to email.

I did not have it loading at startup, which it does by default, and I don't
thnk it was running in the background as it often does after it has been used
and closed.

Some how its confused settings were interfering with attaching any file of
any type of any size to email.

I uninstalled Acrobat Reader and have now changed to the also free Foxit
Reader -http://www.foxitsoftware.com/pdf/rd_intro.php - which apparently does
not cause this sort of nuisance behaviour.

That was the last straw. If I had to buy an an Adobe product, I think I
would choose alternatives if available.

Some programming managers just can't restrain from making their programs
intrusive and annoying. Apparently that's who is in charge at Adobe.