WMIDs -- Windows Mail Identies -- New program to replace the OE Identities feature removed from Wind

[Steve Cochran]

Microsoft removed the very useful Identities feature from OE when it changed
it to Windows Mail.

I've written a program that mimics this feature Windows Mail. This allows
the user to impersonate different users and maintain segregated settings and
message stores for each Identity within a given Windows user logon space.

This Identities capability can allow for a single user to have multiple
settings, or multiple users can maintain separate settings and message
stores within a single user space. (Note, however, that in such a
circumstance, the other users can access each others' messages via Windows
Explorer, so there is no security / privacy. That can only be achieved by
different user logons.)

For a screen shot and a description of its features, see
http://www.oehelp.com/WMIDs/Default.aspx

cheers,

Stephen L. Cochran, Ph.D.

MS-MVP

 

[MICHAEL]

Microsoft removed the very useful Identities feature from OE when it changed it to Windows
Mail.

I've written a program that mimics this feature Windows Mail. This allows the user to
impersonate different users and maintain segregated settings and message stores for each
Identity within a given Windows user logon space.

Your commitment to helping folks with OE and WinMail is amazing.

I'm sure *many* have benefited from your participation in these groups.

I've never used OE or WinMail for email, but I am still thankful there is
someone like you that cares enough to try and make a difference.


Take care,

Michael

 

[Frankster]

Note, however, that in such a circumstance, the other users can access

each others' messages via Windows > Explorer, so there is no security /
privacy. That can only be achieved by different user logons.

Exactly. Which is probably why MS eliminated "Identities" to begin with.
False sense of security that never did exist.

-Frank

 

[Steve Cochran]

Wow. Thanks. That was very nice.

steve

Your commitment to helping folks with OE and WinMail is amazing.

I'm sure *many* have benefited from your participation in these groups.

I've never used OE or WinMail for email, but I am still thankful there is
someone like you that cares enough to try and make a difference.


Take care,

Michael

 

[Steve Cochran]

Yeah, but others have said they want to segregate their store between
business and personal. And others are hubby and wifey with no secrets from
each other, so they log on to the same user space, but they want to keep
their mail accounts and messages separate, but not secure from each other.

It also useful for those whose message stores have gotten corrupted, as they
can fix that issue by setting up a new Identity, as was often the need in
OE.

But I made that point very clear, so there would not be any false sense of
security.

cheers,

steve

 

[Frankster]

Yes, I agree, generally. And I wish to echo the other posters appreciation
of your contributions. Thanks!

Yeah, there are conveniences attached to identities... I guess. But most of
this can be done via "rules" and sorting of multiple email accounts.
Anyway....

-Frank

 

[Steve Cochran]

To be honest with you. I never used the feature in OE. <VBG>

It does have its uses, I guess for some.

steve

 

[DGuess]

The answers I got were they wanted one message store location, a changed
message store database and should users want separate Identities, use a
Windows log on account to separate them.

The current message stores are even less secure than before. Each message is
stored individually as a .eml text file where before it was stored in one
file in 512kb parts all over the file. To get to those messages, the user
had to import them into OE where as now, they can just open them and with
the subject line showing in Vista's Explorer, it's even easier to see which
message is which unlike the way it is with XP and Windows Live Mail desktop,
Explorer currently doesn't show the subject line but shows it as a hex
value. Still the same .eml text file. Just a little harder tofind particular
mail. (which I have already sorted out that and made it easy to read).

If it were for the corruption problem in the dbx files, they would have been
a bit more secure than the current model.

So saying Identities was probably the reason isn't even close.

 

[Frankster]

You miss the point. MS did not even try to make separate mail accounts
secure from the the [person - singular] on that logon. Therefore there is no
reason to try to protect the db files from the logged on user. If you want
security, create another logon WITHOUT Administrator privileges, just like
the rest of the security minded computer community does. Including other OSs
like Unix.

-Frank

 

[Gary VanderMolen]

Exactly. Which is probably why MS eliminated "Identities" to begin with.
False sense of security that never did exist.

Except that the average user is not all that handy with Windows Explorer,
and probably wouldn't know where to start looking for the messages.

 

[DGuess]

You miss the point. MS did not even try to make separate mail accounts
secure from the the [person - singular] on that logon. Therefore there is
no reason to try to protect the db files from the logged on user. If you
want security, create another logon WITHOUT Administrator privileges, just
like the rest of the security minded computer community does. Including
other OSs like Unix.

You missed it a long time ago then, it was designed for home users. Gee, how
secure can that be? The lady's 3 year old kid knows more about computers
than she does (Professor does Windows or whatever commercial in the US).

They just made it a little more difficult where the average user can't just
open the dbx file in wordpad and read the mail.

Security was an afterthought.

 

[Steve Cochran]

You miss the point. MS did not even try to make separate mail accounts
secure from the the [person - singular] on that logon. Therefore there is
no reason to try to protect the db files from the logged on user. If you
want security, create another logon WITHOUT Administrator privileges,
just like the rest of the security minded computer community does.
Including other OSs like Unix.

You missed it a long time ago then, it was designed for home users. Gee,
how secure can that be? The lady's 3 year old kid knows more about
computers than she does (Professor does Windows or whatever commercial in
the US).

They just made it a little more difficult where the average user can't
just open the dbx file in wordpad and read the mail.

Security was an afterthought.

Actually the guy who wrote it thought it was secure and didn't think about
how one could manually import someone else's dbx files.

Here's the URL back. www.oehelp.com/WMIDs/ You guys snipped too much. <G>

steve

 

[DGuess]

Actually the guy who wrote it thought it was secure and didn't think about
how one could manually import someone else's dbx files.

Here's the URL back. www.oehelp.com/WMIDs/ You guys snipped too much.
<G>

steve

Remember people opening the dbx file in Notepad or Wordpad and seeing all
the old data (deleted files, programs, etc) from the drive. Freaked them
out to no end.

 

[Steve Cochran]

I remember MP demonstrating DBXtract when I first released it and it pulled
out a porn message some professor had thought he'd deleted. <G>

Used to have credit card info in the dbx files and that would freak people.

steve

 

[Guest]

I need to know if your program fixes the problem I'm having. I imported my 3
identities when I installed Vista, but then all my husband's email downloaded
into the inbox with mine. I tried deleting his identity from my computer (he
has his own computer) by deleting the folders with his name on it and
deleting the "imported identity" but this morning I opened my mail and there
was another email for him!

Will your program allow my "identity" to get just my email? Is there some
setting I'm missing in Windows mail to make this happen?

 

[Steve Cochran]

You don't need my program for this.

It probably imported his mail account. Go to Tools | Accounts | Mail and
see what accounts are there and if you see his, then just delete it and that
should fix it.

steve