Windows Mail displays white space instead of message body

[kennethmac2000]

Hi there,

I have happily been using Windows Mail in Vista (SP2) for a number of weeks
now, but suddenly it has started behaving rather strangely, in that it has
stopped displaying the message body of ANY e-mail (from 2 different IMAP
accounts and 1 POP account).

I have tried all the obvious things:

1) Logging out/in and rebooting.
2) Compacting/repairing the Windows Mail database using WMUtil.
3) Trashing my Windows Mail profile and starting from scratch - but even
with a completely fresh profile the default "Welcome to Windows Mail" e-mail
that gets put in your inbox wouldn't display.

Just to clarify, the message headers display fine, but the message body does
not - not even if you double-click a message to open it in its own window,
and not even if you Reply or Forward to the message.

As I said this is a problem affecting all e-mail across 3 different e-mail
accounts (and even the default "Welcome to Windows Mail" message in a fresh
WM profile).

Any idea at all what is wrong here?

 

[Gary VanderMolen]

Which antivirus are you running? Some of them cause problems with
Windows Mail over time.

If WMUtil was not effective in fixing the problem, about the only thing left
is to upgrade to Windows Live Mail:
http://download.live.com/wlmail

 

[kennethmac2000]

I'm running no anti-virus actually.

But since this problem doesn't affect other user accounts on the PC, it must
be something to do with my account (perhaps/probably the Registry?).

Changing to a different application doesn't sound to me like it is really
getting to the root of the problem, which I would quite like to do, and I
thought maybe someone on this forum might at least be able to point me in the
right direction on this one? For example, thinking about both the filesystem
and the Registry, how can I totally reset everything related to Windows Mail?

Kenneth

 

[PA Bear [MS MVP]]

[Perhaps yours is the only User Account infected with hijackware (so far)?!]

 

[Gary VanderMolen]

There is a very laborious way of resetting Windows Mail. Follow this
procedure:
http://www.vistax64.com/tutorials/62560-windows-mail-problems.html

Scroll down to the section "PROBLEM TWO: How to Backup and Reset
Windows Mail ".

Frankly, it is much simpler to upgrade to Windows Live Mail,
and at least you would have a more modern mail program that is
actually supported by Microsoft.

 

[kennethmac2000]

Is there any way I can discern whether this is the case?

[Perhaps yours is the only User Account infected with hijackware (so far)?!]

I'm running no anti-virus actually.

But since this problem doesn't affect other user accounts on the PC, it
must
be something to do with my account (perhaps/probably the Registry?).

Changing to a different application doesn't sound to me like it is really
getting to the root of the problem, which I would quite like to do, and I
thought maybe someone on this forum might at least be able to point me in
the right direction on this one? For example, thinking about both the
filesystem and the Registry, how can I totally reset everything related to
Windows Mail?

Kenneth

 

[kennethmac2000]

Thanks for that pointer - I tried all the steps listed but, even with a
completely new Windows Mail profile and settings, the problem still exists.

Given that, as I mentioned earlier, this problem only affects my user
account on the PC, I can only assume that the problem lies elsewhere in my
Windows Vista user account.

Does Windows Mail call out to some other library/service to display the
actual body of e-mail messages? Could this be what is causing the problem?

Do you have any good tips for debugging Registry issues more generally
within a particular user account?

 

[Bob Eyster]

My opinion; I don't call WL mail an upgrade, to me it's a down-grade.

Have you tried changing to color of your text? Maybe some how it got changed
to white.

 

[VistaRookie]

Locate your message store. Open a few emails found there
with a text editor (Notepad will work). See if the text shows
up within the emails. Won't solve your problem but at least
will verify the emails (text) actually exist.

To locate your message store:
WM->Tools->Options->Advanced Tab->Maintenance->Store Folder

 

[Gary VanderMolen]

Sorry to hear that the reset of Windows Mail failed to clear the problem.
I'm not familiar with how Windows Mail is coded, or what all registry
keys could affect this.
Again, in my opinion you're trying to resurrect a patient who is in a coma,
who should be taken off life support.

Gary VanderMolen, MS-MVP (Mail)

 

[PA Bear [MS MVP]]

1. See if you can download/run the MSRT manually:
http://www.microsoft.com/security/malwareremove/default.mspx

NB: Run the FULL scan, not the QUICK scan! You may need to download the
MSRT on a non-infected machine, then transfer MRT.EXE to the infected
machine and rename it to SCAN.EXE before running it.

2. Run a /thorough/ check for hijackware, including posting the requested
logs in an appropriate forum, not here.

Checking for/Help with Hijackware
http://aumha.net/viewtopic.php?f=30&t=4075
http://mvps.org/winhelp2002/unwanted.htm
http://inetexplorer.mvps.org/data/prevention.htm
http://inetexplorer.mvps.org/tshoot.html
http://www.mvps.org/sramesh2k/Malware_Defence.htm
http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/page2.html#Removing_Malware

**Chances are you will need to seek expert assistance in
http://spywarehammer.com/simplemachinesforum/index.php?board=10.0,
http://www.spywarewarrior.com/viewforum.php?f=5,
http://www.dslreports.com/forum/cleanup,
http://www.bluetack.co.uk/forums/index.php,
http://aumha.net/viewforum.php?f=30 or other appropriate forums as well.**

If these procedures look too complex - and there is no shame in admitting
this isn't your cup of tea - take the machine to a local, reputable and
independent (i.e., not BigBoxStoreUSA) computer repair shop.
--
~Robear Dyer (PA Bear)
MS MVP-IE, Mail, Security, Windows Desktop Experience - since 2002

Is there any way I can discern whether this is the case?

[Perhaps yours is the only User Account infected with hijackware (so
far)?!]

I'm running no anti-virus actually.

But since this problem doesn't affect other user accounts on the PC, it
must
be something to do with my account (perhaps/probably the Registry?).

Changing to a different application doesn't sound to me like it is
really
getting to the root of the problem, which I would quite like to do, and
I
thought maybe someone on this forum might at least be able to point me
in
the right direction on this one? For example, thinking about both the
filesystem and the Registry, how can I totally reset everything related
to
Windows Mail?

Kenneth

:

Which antivirus are you running? Some of them cause problems with
Windows Mail over time.

If WMUtil was not effective in fixing the problem, about the only thing
left
is to upgrade to Windows Live Mail:
http://download.live.com/wlmail

--
Gary VanderMolen, MS-MVP (Mail)


message Hi there,

I have happily been using Windows Mail in Vista (SP2) for a number of
weeks now, but suddenly it has started behaving rather strangely, in
that
it has stopped displaying the message body of ANY e-mail (from 2
different IMAP accounts and 1 POP account).

I have tried all the obvious things:

1) Logging out/in and rebooting.
2) Compacting/repairing the Windows Mail database using WMUtil.
3) Trashing my Windows Mail profile and starting from scratch - but
even
with a completely fresh profile the default "Welcome to Windows Mail"
e-mail that gets put in your inbox wouldn't display.

Just to clarify, the message headers display fine, but the message
body
does not - not even if you double-click a message to open it in its
own
window, and not even if you Reply or Forward to the message.

As I said this is a problem affecting all e-mail across 3 different
e-mail
accounts (and even the default "Welcome to Windows Mail" message in a
fresh WM profile).

Any idea at all what is wrong here?

 

[kennethmac2000]

Yeah, tried this early on and it isn't the problem I'm afraid.

 

[kennethmac2000]

Well, it's just that Windows Mail is included in a stock install of Vista,
which WLM isn't, and so, for various reasons, that makes it attractive in my
environment.

I would also quite like to get to the bottom of this problem just as it is
quite an interesting problem to try to solve.

 

[kennethmac2000]

Yes, so I did this, and interestingly all the message content is there. So
evidently Windows Mail just isn't rendering it for some reason.

What Windows Mail is showing though - for almost every single message
(across 3 different e-mail accounts) as far as I can see - is attachments
with filenames beginning 'ATT' which contain the text of the e-mail body.
(Sometimes there is just a .txt version; sometimes there is both a .txt and a
..htm version.)

Perhaps it always shows messages like this though - I don't really know.

Any further thoughts?

 

[PA Bear [MS MVP]]

Now you tell us!?

Is your anti-virus application configured to scan incoming/outgoing mail?
Speaking of which, what anti-virus application or security suite is
installed and is your subscription current? What anti-spyware applications
(other than Defender)? What third-party firewall (if any)?

Has a Norton or McAfee application ever been installed on this machine
(e.g., a free-trial version that came preinstalled when you bought it)?

Did you recently install IE8?

Are the Windows Mail options "Read all messages in plain text" or "Do not
allow attachments..." enabled?

 

[kennethmac2000]

There is no anti-virus software installed. There is no anti-spyware software
installed other than Defender. There is no firewall other than the Windows
one. This is a very pared down Vista environment.

A trial version of McAfee came installed on this (HP) PC, but I uninstalled
it almost as soon as I turned the PC on. (This was a few weeks ago.)

IE8 was installed through Windows Update, but again this was a few weeks
ago, and my problem with Windows Mail only started a few days ago.

- "Read all messages in plain text" is *not* checked (although checking it
doesn't make any difference to my problem).
- "Do not allow attachments..." *is* checked (but again unchecking it
doesn't solve the issue).

This information allow you to hone in on the problem any more?

Thanks for your help in any case. =)

 

[kennethmac2000]

Hey Pa Bear,

Thanks for these suggestions - I will look into them shortly.

Is this also an answer to the reply I posted at 7/20/2009 3:40 AM PST?
(Perhaps there was nothing useful to say to it directly?)

1. See if you can download/run the MSRT manually:
http://www.microsoft.com/security/malwareremove/default.mspx

NB: Run the FULL scan, not the QUICK scan! You may need to download the
MSRT on a non-infected machine, then transfer MRT.EXE to the infected
machine and rename it to SCAN.EXE before running it.

2. Run a /thorough/ check for hijackware, including posting the requested
logs in an appropriate forum, not here.

Checking for/Help with Hijackware
http://aumha.net/viewtopic.php?f=30&t=4075
http://mvps.org/winhelp2002/unwanted.htm
http://inetexplorer.mvps.org/data/prevention.htm
http://inetexplorer.mvps.org/tshoot.html
http://www.mvps.org/sramesh2k/Malware_Defence.htm
http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/page2.html#Removing_Malware

**Chances are you will need to seek expert assistance in
http://spywarehammer.com/simplemachinesforum/index.php?board=10.0,
http://www.spywarewarrior.com/viewforum.php?f=5,
http://www.dslreports.com/forum/cleanup,
http://www.bluetack.co.uk/forums/index.php,
http://aumha.net/viewforum.php?f=30 or other appropriate forums as well.**

If these procedures look too complex - and there is no shame in admitting
this isn't your cup of tea - take the machine to a local, reputable and
independent (i.e., not BigBoxStoreUSA) computer repair shop.
--
~Robear Dyer (PA Bear)
MS MVP-IE, Mail, Security, Windows Desktop Experience - since 2002

Is there any way I can discern whether this is the case?

[Perhaps yours is the only User Account infected with hijackware (so
far)?!]

kennethmac2000 wrote:
I'm running no anti-virus actually.

But since this problem doesn't affect other user accounts on the PC, it
must
be something to do with my account (perhaps/probably the Registry?).

Changing to a different application doesn't sound to me like it is
really
getting to the root of the problem, which I would quite like to do, and
I
thought maybe someone on this forum might at least be able to point me
in
the right direction on this one? For example, thinking about both the
filesystem and the Registry, how can I totally reset everything related
to
Windows Mail?

Kenneth

:

Which antivirus are you running? Some of them cause problems with
Windows Mail over time.

If WMUtil was not effective in fixing the problem, about the only thing
left
is to upgrade to Windows Live Mail:
http://download.live.com/wlmail

--
Gary VanderMolen, MS-MVP (Mail)


message Hi there,

I have happily been using Windows Mail in Vista (SP2) for a number of
weeks now, but suddenly it has started behaving rather strangely, in
that
it has stopped displaying the message body of ANY e-mail (from 2
different IMAP accounts and 1 POP account).

I have tried all the obvious things:

1) Logging out/in and rebooting.
2) Compacting/repairing the Windows Mail database using WMUtil.
3) Trashing my Windows Mail profile and starting from scratch - but
even
with a completely fresh profile the default "Welcome to Windows Mail"
e-mail that gets put in your inbox wouldn't display.

Just to clarify, the message headers display fine, but the message
body
does not - not even if you double-click a message to open it in its
own
window, and not even if you Reply or Forward to the message.

As I said this is a problem affecting all e-mail across 3 different
e-mail
accounts (and even the default "Welcome to Windows Mail" message in a
fresh WM profile).

Any idea at all what is wrong here?

 

[PA Bear [MS MVP]]

There is no anti-virus software installed.

Protect Your PC!
http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/computer/default.mspx

My recommendations are as follows:

Backup your personal data, then do a format & clean install of Windows.
Please note that a Repair Install (AKA in-place upgrade) will NOT fix this!

After the clean install, you'll have the equivalent of a "new computer" so
take care of everything on the following page before otherwise connecting
the machine to the internet or a network and before using a USB key that
isn't brand-new or hasn't been freshly formatted:

5 steps to help protect your new computer before you go online
http://www.microsoft.com/protect/computer/advanced/xppc.mspx

Also see:

Steps To Help Prevent Spyware
http://www.microsoft.com/protect/computer/spyware/prevent.mspx

Rogue Security Software - Microsoft Security:
http://www.microsoft.com/protect/computer/viruses/rogue.mspx

NB: When you reinstall Windows, the McAfee free trial may be reinstalled,
too. It is NOT valid! Before installing an anti-virus application of your
choosing, you will need to see Steps #1 and #2 here:

McAfee Consumer Products Removal Tool three-step fix
http://service.mcafee.com/FAQDocument.aspx?id=TS100507

 

[kennethmac2000]

Hi again,

Further to your message above, I have now done a full scan with MSRT and it
reports that no malicious software was found.

Is there some clue in what I have previously said that makes you fairly sure
this problem is nonetheless caused by hijackware?

1. See if you can download/run the MSRT manually:
http://www.microsoft.com/security/malwareremove/default.mspx

NB: Run the FULL scan, not the QUICK scan! You may need to download the
MSRT on a non-infected machine, then transfer MRT.EXE to the infected
machine and rename it to SCAN.EXE before running it.

2. Run a /thorough/ check for hijackware, including posting the requested
logs in an appropriate forum, not here.

Checking for/Help with Hijackware
http://aumha.net/viewtopic.php?f=30&t=4075
http://mvps.org/winhelp2002/unwanted.htm
http://inetexplorer.mvps.org/data/prevention.htm
http://inetexplorer.mvps.org/tshoot.html
http://www.mvps.org/sramesh2k/Malware_Defence.htm
http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/page2.html#Removing_Malware

**Chances are you will need to seek expert assistance in
http://spywarehammer.com/simplemachinesforum/index.php?board=10.0,
http://www.spywarewarrior.com/viewforum.php?f=5,
http://www.dslreports.com/forum/cleanup,
http://www.bluetack.co.uk/forums/index.php,
http://aumha.net/viewforum.php?f=30 or other appropriate forums as well.**

If these procedures look too complex - and there is no shame in admitting
this isn't your cup of tea - take the machine to a local, reputable and
independent (i.e., not BigBoxStoreUSA) computer repair shop.
--
~Robear Dyer (PA Bear)
MS MVP-IE, Mail, Security, Windows Desktop Experience - since 2002

Is there any way I can discern whether this is the case?

[Perhaps yours is the only User Account infected with hijackware (so
far)?!]

kennethmac2000 wrote:
I'm running no anti-virus actually.

But since this problem doesn't affect other user accounts on the PC, it
must
be something to do with my account (perhaps/probably the Registry?).

Changing to a different application doesn't sound to me like it is
really
getting to the root of the problem, which I would quite like to do, and
I
thought maybe someone on this forum might at least be able to point me
in
the right direction on this one? For example, thinking about both the
filesystem and the Registry, how can I totally reset everything related
to
Windows Mail?

Kenneth

:

Which antivirus are you running? Some of them cause problems with
Windows Mail over time.

If WMUtil was not effective in fixing the problem, about the only thing
left
is to upgrade to Windows Live Mail:
http://download.live.com/wlmail

--
Gary VanderMolen, MS-MVP (Mail)


message Hi there,

I have happily been using Windows Mail in Vista (SP2) for a number of
weeks now, but suddenly it has started behaving rather strangely, in
that
it has stopped displaying the message body of ANY e-mail (from 2
different IMAP accounts and 1 POP account).

I have tried all the obvious things:

1) Logging out/in and rebooting.
2) Compacting/repairing the Windows Mail database using WMUtil.
3) Trashing my Windows Mail profile and starting from scratch - but
even
with a completely fresh profile the default "Welcome to Windows Mail"
e-mail that gets put in your inbox wouldn't display.

Just to clarify, the message headers display fine, but the message
body
does not - not even if you double-click a message to open it in its
own
window, and not even if you Reply or Forward to the message.

As I said this is a problem affecting all e-mail across 3 different
e-mail
accounts (and even the default "Welcome to Windows Mail" message in a
fresh WM profile).

Any idea at all what is wrong here?

 

[PA Bear [MS MVP]]

Since you have no anti-virus application installed, logic suggests that you
must at least rule out the possibility of an infection being the cause of
the problems. Continue to Step #2.

Hi again,

Further to your message above, I have now done a full scan with MSRT and
it
reports that no malicious software was found.

Is there some clue in what I have previously said that makes you fairly
sure
this problem is nonetheless caused by hijackware?

1. See if you can download/run the MSRT manually:
http://www.microsoft.com/security/malwareremove/default.mspx

NB: Run the FULL scan, not the QUICK scan! You may need to download the
MSRT on a non-infected machine, then transfer MRT.EXE to the infected
machine and rename it to SCAN.EXE before running it.

2. Run a /thorough/ check for hijackware, including posting the requested
logs in an appropriate forum, not here.

Checking for/Help with Hijackware
http://aumha.net/viewtopic.php?f=30&t=4075
http://mvps.org/winhelp2002/unwanted.htm
http://inetexplorer.mvps.org/data/prevention.htm
http://inetexplorer.mvps.org/tshoot.html
http://www.mvps.org/sramesh2k/Malware_Defence.htm
http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/page2.html#Removing_Malware

**Chances are you will need to seek expert assistance in
http://spywarehammer.com/simplemachinesforum/index.php?board=10.0,
http://www.spywarewarrior.com/viewforum.php?f=5,
http://www.dslreports.com/forum/cleanup,
http://www.bluetack.co.uk/forums/index.php,
http://aumha.net/viewforum.php?f=30 or other appropriate forums as
well.**

If these procedures look too complex - and there is no shame in admitting
this isn't your cup of tea - take the machine to a local, reputable and
independent (i.e., not BigBoxStoreUSA) computer repair shop.
--
~Robear Dyer (PA Bear)
MS MVP-IE, Mail, Security, Windows Desktop Experience - since 2002

Is there any way I can discern whether this is the case?

:

[Perhaps yours is the only User Account infected with hijackware (so
far)?!]

kennethmac2000 wrote:
I'm running no anti-virus actually.

But since this problem doesn't affect other user accounts on the PC,
it
must
be something to do with my account (perhaps/probably the Registry?).

Changing to a different application doesn't sound to me like it is
really
getting to the root of the problem, which I would quite like to do,
and
I
thought maybe someone on this forum might at least be able to point me
in
the right direction on this one? For example, thinking about both the
filesystem and the Registry, how can I totally reset everything
related
to
Windows Mail?

Kenneth

:

Which antivirus are you running? Some of them cause problems with
Windows Mail over time.

If WMUtil was not effective in fixing the problem, about the only
thing
left
is to upgrade to Windows Live Mail:
http://download.live.com/wlmail

--
Gary VanderMolen, MS-MVP (Mail)


message Hi there,

I have happily been using Windows Mail in Vista (SP2) for a number
of
weeks now, but suddenly it has started behaving rather strangely, in
that
it has stopped displaying the message body of ANY e-mail (from 2
different IMAP accounts and 1 POP account).

I have tried all the obvious things:

1) Logging out/in and rebooting.
2) Compacting/repairing the Windows Mail database using WMUtil.
3) Trashing my Windows Mail profile and starting from scratch - but
even
with a completely fresh profile the default "Welcome to Windows
Mail"
e-mail that gets put in your inbox wouldn't display.

Just to clarify, the message headers display fine, but the message
body
does not - not even if you double-click a message to open it in its
own
window, and not even if you Reply or Forward to the message.

As I said this is a problem affecting all e-mail across 3 different
e-mail
accounts (and even the default "Welcome to Windows Mail" message in
a
fresh WM profile).

Any idea at all what is wrong here?