Windows Update kills Windows Mail on Windows 7

[Gary VanderMolen [MVP]]

If you have installed Windows Mail on a Windows 7 computer,
yesterday's update contains a KB978542 patch which changes msoe.dll so
it won't run on Windows 7. I had warned about these types of issues
when Win7 was first released. Microsoft claims it was done for security
reasons, see
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/ms10-030.mspx

To get it working again, replace the new non-working copy of msoe.dll
in Windows 7 with a copy of the new patched version of msoe.dll from a
Vista machine.

Note: I ran into permissions issues when trying to delete the non-working
msoe.dll, so rather than fighting that, I renamed the Win7 Windows Mail
directory to "Windows Mail-X", then I copied and pasted the Windows Mail
directory from the Vista machine. I suspect that Windows Mail will become
less and less compatible with Win7 as time goes along.

 

[Dave]

I've heard that it only affects 64 bit W7 machines, like mine was.
I don't have a 64 bit Vista to copy the file from, ATM.

 

[Gary VanderMolen [MVP]]

Not true. It affected my 32-bit Win7.

 

[Steve Cochran]

It does not kill WinMail in Win7. msoe.dll in Win7 is a functional application (from winmail.exe) that is invisible in Win7. If you update the dll, then you will get another invisible application running when you click on Winmail.exe. If you want a visible application, then you will have to replace the updated dll with one that renders Winmail visible.

steve

If you have installed Windows Mail on a Windows 7 computer,
yesterday's update contains a KB978542 patch which changes msoe.dll so
it won't run on Windows 7. I had warned about these types of issues
when Win7 was first released. Microsoft claims it was done for security
reasons, see
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/ms10-030.mspx

To get it working again, replace the new non-working copy of msoe.dll
in Windows 7 with a copy of the new patched version of msoe.dll from a
Vista machine.

Note: I ran into permissions issues when trying to delete the non-working
msoe.dll, so rather than fighting that, I renamed the Win7 Windows Mail
directory to "Windows Mail-X", then I copied and pasted the Windows Mail
directory from the Vista machine. I suspect that Windows Mail will become
less and less compatible with Win7 as time goes along.

 

[...winston]

Just so folks are clear, Windows Mail executable isn't what's patched by the KB. It appears inetcomm.dll is also updated, thus if
not copying(recopying) the entire Vista Windows Mail directory to a Windows 7 unit both dll's should to ensure the integrity of the
patch.

 

[...winston]

The files are probably extractable from the Vista x64 msu file which is available as a link in the Security Bulletin, though I
suspect finding the correct one(s) after extracting the msu and cab files could become a bit messy due to multiple
folders/subfolders/manifests etc if not familiar with extraction. The subfolders contain the dlls.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/928636
<qp>
If you are not extracting a hotfix package, create a folder that is named C:\MSUFolder, and then save the MSU file to this folder.
At a command prompt, type the following commands. Press ENTER after each command.
c:
cd c:\MSUFolder
expand -F:* Saved_MSU_File_Name.msu c:\MSUFolder
expand -F:* Saved_MSU_File_Name.cab c:\MSUFolder
<qp>

Iirc, both sets of commands need to be done(the first to extract the contents of the Msu file, the latter for the subfolders
containing the updated dlls)

 

[Gary VanderMolen [MVP]]

Your definition of "kill" may be a little different than mine, but I
consider an "invisible" app to be effectively 'killed'.
I already gave the fix in my original post.

--
Gary VanderMolen, Microsoft MVP (Mail)
Microsoft MVP program: http://mvp.support.microsoft.com


It does not kill WinMail in Win7. msoe.dll in Win7 is a functional application (from winmail.exe) that is invisible in Win7. If you update the dll, then you will get another invisible application running when you click on Winmail.exe. If you want a visible application, then you will have to replace the updated dll with one that renders Winmail visible.

steve

If you have installed Windows Mail on a Windows 7 computer,
yesterday's update contains a KB978542 patch which changes msoe.dll so
it won't run on Windows 7. I had warned about these types of issues
when Win7 was first released. Microsoft claims it was done for security
reasons, see
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/ms10-030.mspx

To get it working again, replace the new non-working copy of msoe.dll
in Windows 7 with a copy of the new patched version of msoe.dll from a
Vista machine.

Note: I ran into permissions issues when trying to delete the non-working
msoe.dll, so rather than fighting that, I renamed the Win7 Windows Mail
directory to "Windows Mail-X", then I copied and pasted the Windows Mail
directory from the Vista machine. I suspect that Windows Mail will become
less and less compatible with Win7 as time goes along.

 

[Dave]

Thanks Winston.
I had seen that on Sevenforums, and got the files extracted, but I don't
know what to do with them. I tried copying a couple of them, but I
couldn't get WM to work.
I'll have to keep playing with them.


--
Dave N.
MS-MVP (Mail)
Windows 7 Ultimate
http://download.live.com/wlmail

 

[Gary VanderMolen [MVP]]

?
Inetcomm.dll is not in my Windows Mail directory. I did find a copy in
the System32 directory. I believe it is the patched (newest) version.
My Windows Mail appears to be working fine in Win7 without doing
anything with inetcomm.dll. Admittedly, I only use WM for newsgroups,
so there may be added considerations for mail functionality.

 

[Dave]

FWIW, someone has posted the msoe files for both 32 and 64 bit on
Sevenforums...
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/5481-windows-mail-13.html

The patched 64 bit one seems to work ok for me.


--
Dave N.
MS-MVP (Mail)
Windows 7 Ultimate
http://download.live.com/wlmail

 

[Gary VanderMolen [MVP]]

I can now confirm that the patched Vista version (32-bit) of
msoe.dll works successfully for me in Windows 7.

 

[Steve Cochran]

I have a degree in Biology and I write software. Talking about software as if its alive is not valid and indicates a lack of sophistication. Also, it really confuses the issue of what is actually happening rather than being accurate.

Replacing the dll with the original Vista dll will leave one subject to the vulnerability that the patch was supposed to fix. It is preferable to replace the dll with a Vista one that has been patched.

steve

Your definition of "kill" may be a little different than mine, but I
consider an "invisible" app to be effectively 'killed'.
I already gave the fix in my original post.

--
Gary VanderMolen, Microsoft MVP (Mail)
Microsoft MVP program: http://mvp.support.microsoft.com


It does not kill WinMail in Win7. msoe.dll in Win7 is a functional application (from winmail.exe) that is invisible in Win7. If you update the dll, then you will get another invisible application running when you click on Winmail.exe. If you want a visible application, then you will have to replace the updated dll with one that renders Winmail visible.

steve

If you have installed Windows Mail on a Windows 7 computer,
yesterday's update contains a KB978542 patch which changes msoe.dll so
it won't run on Windows 7. I had warned about these types of issues
when Win7 was first released. Microsoft claims it was done for security
reasons, see
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/ms10-030.mspx

To get it working again, replace the new non-working copy of msoe.dll
in Windows 7 with a copy of the new patched version of msoe.dll from a
Vista machine.

Note: I ran into permissions issues when trying to delete the non-working
msoe.dll, so rather than fighting that, I renamed the Win7 Windows Mail
directory to "Windows Mail-X", then I copied and pasted the Windows Mail
directory from the Vista machine. I suspect that Windows Mail will become
less and less compatible with Win7 as time goes along.

 

[Gary VanderMolen [MVP]]

Lighten up, Steve.
Attributing human characteristics to inanimate objects is a common figure of speech. There's even a word for it: anthropomorphism.

--
Gary VanderMolen, Microsoft MVP (Mail)
Microsoft MVP program: http://mvp.support.microsoft.com


I have a degree in Biology and I write software. Talking about software as if its alive is not valid and indicates a lack of sophistication. Also, it really confuses the issue of what is actually happening rather than being accurate.

Replacing the dll with the original Vista dll will leave one subject to the vulnerability that the patch was supposed to fix. It is preferable to replace the dll with a Vista one that has been patched.

steve

Your definition of "kill" may be a little different than mine, but I
consider an "invisible" app to be effectively 'killed'.
I already gave the fix in my original post.

--
Gary VanderMolen, Microsoft MVP (Mail)
Microsoft MVP program: http://mvp.support.microsoft.com


It does not kill WinMail in Win7. msoe.dll in Win7 is a functional application (from winmail.exe) that is invisible in Win7. If you update the dll, then you will get another invisible application running when you click on Winmail.exe. If you want a visible application, then you will have to replace the updated dll with one that renders Winmail visible.

steve

If you have installed Windows Mail on a Windows 7 computer,
yesterday's update contains a KB978542 patch which changes msoe.dll so
it won't run on Windows 7. I had warned about these types of issues
when Win7 was first released. Microsoft claims it was done for security
reasons, see
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/ms10-030.mspx

To get it working again, replace the new non-working copy of msoe.dll
in Windows 7 with a copy of the new patched version of msoe.dll from a
Vista machine.

Note: I ran into permissions issues when trying to delete the non-working
msoe.dll, so rather than fighting that, I renamed the Win7 Windows Mail
directory to "Windows Mail-X", then I copied and pasted the Windows Mail
directory from the Vista machine. I suspect that Windows Mail will become
less and less compatible with Win7 as time goes along.

 

[Roland Schweiger]

"Dave"

I've heard that it only affects 64 bit W7 machines, like mine was.
I don't have a 64 bit Vista to copy the file from, ATM.

It also affects 32bit machines, and it is independant of any language
versien,
for example, i ran into the same problem on a 32bit German Version of
Windows7.

Anthough i still have the old msoe.dll files (32 and 64), meanwhile i did
switch to Windows Live Mail,
as in long term, we will not really be able to use Windows Mail as i think
that such problems will persist.

However i was also one of those people who had WindowsMail running for half
a year on Win7 machines and basically it always worked.

greetings

Roland Schweiger

 

[Gary VanderMolen [MVP]]

I agree with that assessment. Using Windows Mail on a Windows 7
computer will become more and more problematical as time goes on.

 

[Jim Pickering]

Note: I ran into permissions issues when trying to delete the non-working
msoe.dll, so rather than fighting that, I renamed the Win7 Windows Mail
directory to "Windows Mail-X", then I copied and pasted the Windows Mail
directory from the Vista machine.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Just for your own edification and for those with a similar problem, this
sounds like you have an OEM machine where the bits were laid down using
"Trusted Installer." To cure that problem you can more easily take full
control of the folder and its contents in this manner:

1. Navigate to the location of the folder and right click, selecting
Properties.
2. On Security tab, click Advanced, then click on Owner tab and then click
on Edit.
3. Make sure that "Current Owner" and "Change Owner to" are the same. If
not, click on your account and the click Apply to change the Current Owner
to your User Account. Then click OK.

You should now be able to change the permissions to Allow Full Control and a
restart would not hurt.

Jim Pickering

 

[...winston]

I didn't say inetcomm.dll it was in the Windows Mail directory.
Nor did I state it was necessary for Windows Mail to function.

 

[...winston]

Which file version ?
Post patch on a Vista Sp2 (x86)
msoe.dll and inetcomm.dll are 6.0.6002.18197

The first goes in the Windows Mail folder, the latter in System32

 

[Dave]

I ended up installing Vista x64 in a VirtualBox VM, updating it, and copying
the whole WM folder over to Win 7.
WM works fine now, but the next time it's broken, I think I'll forget about
it. I only use WM to verify settings, etc. while assisting users. Plus, I
like the challenge... ;-)


--
Dave N.
MS-MVP (Mail)
Windows 7 Ultimate
http://download.live.com/wlmail

 

[Steve Cochran]

Did you not see this:



???

steve

I ended up installing Vista x64 in a VirtualBox VM, updating it, and copying
the whole WM folder over to Win 7.
WM works fine now, but the next time it's broken, I think I'll forget about
it. I only use WM to verify settings, etc. while assisting users. Plus, I
like the challenge... ;-)


--
Dave N.
MS-MVP (Mail)
Windows 7 Ultimate
http://download.live.com/wlmail