Messages re disabled Outlook Express

[Bob S]

I have WinXP SP3 with all critical updates.

Yesterday, after I installed the three most recent updates
that I hadn't installed earlier (malicious software removal
tool, MS Silverlight and a security update whose name or
function I can't recall), I started getting a new message
when I rebooted: it says something about Outlook Express
having the capacity to compact files and do I want to do it
now.

I've never used Outlook Express, and it is not checked in
the Window Components Wizard within the Add/Remove Programs
thingey.

This morning, when I launched The Bat -- the only email
client I've ever used on this 3 ½ year old computer -- a
message poped up stating that .eml files were no longer
associated with The Bat. I then looked in Folder Options,
and saw that .eml files were now associated with Outlook
Express. I changed the association back to The Bat.

Any idea what could have caused (or, perhaps, still be
causing -- time will tell) these changes, and what, if
anything, to do about it? Maybe changing the file
association back to The Bat will take care of the messages,
but even if it does, I don't like the idea that such changes
could have happened in the first place, and I'd like to get
to the bottom of it.

Thanks.

 

[Bruce Hagen]

I have WinXP SP3 with all critical updates.

Yesterday, after I installed the three most recent updates
that I hadn't installed earlier (malicious software removal
tool, MS Silverlight and a security update whose name or
function I can't recall), I started getting a new message
when I rebooted: it says something about Outlook Express
having the capacity to compact files and do I want to do it
now.

I've never used Outlook Express, and it is not checked in
the Window Components Wizard within the Add/Remove Programs
thingey.

This morning, when I launched The Bat -- the only email
client I've ever used on this 3 � year old computer -- a
message poped up stating that .eml files were no longer
associated with The Bat. I then looked in Folder Options,
and saw that .eml files were now associated with Outlook
Express. I changed the association back to The Bat.

Any idea what could have caused (or, perhaps, still be
causing -- time will tell) these changes, and what, if
anything, to do about it? Maybe changing the file
association back to The Bat will take care of the messages,
but even if it does, I don't like the idea that such changes
could have happened in the first place, and I'd like to get
to the bottom of it.

Thanks.

Something is interfering with OE and causing the compact prompt to show up
and ultimately making OE default.

Is Windows Search or Nero Scout installed on this machine?

 

[Bob S]

Something is interfering with OE and causing the compact
prompt to show up and ultimately making OE default.

Is Windows Search or Nero Scout installed on this machine?

I do have Windows Search.

That is, if I understand what Windows Search is. (I'm fairly
conversant with computers in *some* respects, but not at all
in others.)

I generally install all Windows critical updates, but not
others. I noticed some time within the last year that among
the Windows updates that I had routinely installed appeared
to be a complete overhaul of the native Windows search
program. I hadn't thought of it as a free-standing program
called "Windows Search," but now that you refer to it, I
suppose that's what it is.

(To be sure, I don't recall whether the new Windows Search
was included in the critical updates, or if I simply picked
it out of the optional updates; whichever, it was from the
Windows Update site.)

In any case, if the issue is some sort of malfunction with
Windows Search, I have no problem whatever simply
uninstalling it. I don't like it anyway, and much prefer the
way the native search program used to work. (I should
explain that I have a pretty good 3rd party search program
{it had better be good, given how expensive it was}, which I
use 99% of the time. There were one or two very simple
things that the old native Windows search program did well
for the remaining 1% of the time, and the new Windows Search
is actually more cumbersome for those purposes.)

Should I simply uninstall the Windows Search update?

Also, just out of curiosity I'm wondering: why would
something interfere with Outlook Express, when the latter
has never been enabled? Without understanding how computers
work, I would have thought that there would be nothing to
interfere with in the case of a program that hadn't been
enabled in the first place.

Thanks very much for your help.

 

[Bruce Hagen]

I do have Windows Search.


Thanks very much for your help.

No need to remove anything. You have to tell Windows Search to stop
indexing OE. That is causing the prompt to show up.

In the Windows Control Panel | Indexing Options | Modify. Clear the check
box for Outlook Express.

 

[Don Phillipson]

I have WinXP SP3 with all critical updates. .. . .
This morning, when I launched The Bat -- the only email
client I've ever used on this 3 ½ year old computer -- a
message poped up stating that .eml files were no longer
associated with The Bat. I then looked in Folder Options,
and saw that .eml files were now associated with Outlook
Express. I changed the association back to The Bat.

Any idea what could have caused (or, perhaps, still be
causing -- time will tell) these changes, and what, if
anything, to do about it?

Reset TB as your preferred email tool via
/ Control Programs / Internet Options / Programs.
Your update or upgrade probably reset these associations
to Microsoft default options (hence the OE standard
notice about compacting files.)

 

[Bob S]

No need to remove anything. You have to tell Windows
Search to stop indexing OE. That is causing the prompt
to show up.

In the Windows Control Panel | Indexing Options |
Modify. Clear the check box for Outlook Express.

Yes, indeed. that box was check. It's unchecked now.

Thanks again for your help.

 

[Bob S]

Reset TB as your preferred email tool via
/ Control Programs / Internet Options / Programs.
Your update or upgrade probably reset these associations
to Microsoft default options (hence the OE standard
notice about compacting files.)

Hi Don.

I looked just now, and TB was still set as the default email
app. I also looked in Internet Options as Bruce suggested,
and the box to index OE was checked. I unchecked it and hope
that that's that.

But thanks for the suggestion.

 

[Bruce Hagen]

Yes, indeed. that box was check. It's unchecked now.

Thanks again for your help.

You're welcome. It's a known issue and that should rectify it.

 

[Bob S]

[snip]

Whoops. I guess I should have rebooted before I posted my
last message. It turns out that when I booted up this
morning, the same message appeared. I looked in the Control
Panel, and the box was still unchecked, so this is not an
issue of its having become checked again.

I also looked in the Windows Components Wizard again, and
Outlook Express remains unchecked there. FWIW, I also
noticed that Indexing Service likewise is unchecked there,
although the Windows Search icon appears in the systray.

Is there anything else I can try to get rid of the message?

Thanks.

 

[Bruce Hagen]

[snip]

Whoops. I guess I should have rebooted before I posted my
last message. It turns out that when I booted up this
morning, the same message appeared. I looked in the Control
Panel, and the box was still unchecked, so this is not an
issue of its having become checked again.

I also looked in the Windows Components Wizard again, and
Outlook Express remains unchecked there. FWIW, I also
noticed that Indexing Service likewise is unchecked there,
although the Windows Search icon appears in the systray.

Is there anything else I can try to get rid of the message?

Thanks.

Did you let it compact once? If not, do so and the counter will be set
back to zero. If you have compacted, here is my canned reply from way back
when.

*****************************

The problem is with the registry counter that gives you the prompt after
100 closings of OE. It is being increased quicker than it should be and
even if you are not using OE.

There is a growing number of programs and actions that may be causing this
after installing SP3. Do you have any of the following?

IBM Rapid Access keyboard (driver) RAKDLL.DLL
Windows {Desktop} Search
Mailwasher
Nero plug-in(s)

Opening EML files while OE is closed will also contribute to the registry
count.

Various anti-virus, anti-spyware and third party firewalls, especially if
they were running when you installed SP3.

Archived thread discussing this issue in June 2008:
http://groups.google.com/group/micr...ss.general/browse_frm/thread/fcd35fbfa457fd6f

In the case of Windows Search, (the #1 offender), you have to tell it to
stop indexing OE.

In the Windows Control Panel | Indexing Options | Modify. Clear the check
box for Outlook Express.

In the case of Nero Scout, see Item 2.3 on page 8 here.
ftp://ftp6.nero.com/user_guides/nero8/scout/NeroScout_Enu.pdf

In the option to exclude selected file types from indexing, be sure to add
these file types:

..eml, .dbx & .nws

 

[Bob S]

Did you let it compact once? If not, do so and the
counter will be set back to zero. If you have compacted
here is my canned reply from way back when.

[snipped]

I had not, but now I have and it appears to have done the
trick. At least, no messages after rebooting three times.

I've saved your canned response for future reference.

Thanks large.

 

[Bruce Hagen]

Did you let it compact once? If not, do so and the
counter will be set back to zero. If you have compacted
here is my canned reply from way back when.

[snipped]

I had not, but now I have and it appears to have done the
trick. At least, no messages after rebooting three times.

I've saved your canned response for future reference.

Thanks large.

You're welcome.