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XP Pro Microsoft Updates reverting messages folder back to default

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atandhmb

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May 1, 2009, 11:46:25 AM5/1/09
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This computer for several years has only used Outlook Express as mail handler.
Today (happened before), following Microsoft updates:
On opening OE I got following message:
 
"OE is not currently your default mail client. Would you like to make it your default mail client?
(tick)       Always perform this check when starting Outlook Express"
 
In the past I have ticked this and opted for OE. This time I opted and didn't tick.
(Note: I opened "Set Program Access and Defaults". This was set at Custom. Among other things I changed the mail client from "Use my current email program" to "Outlook Express". The change was accepted OK and change activity was shown on screen, but when I opened "Set Program Access and Defaults" again it had reverted back to "Use my current email program. Seems strange that it doesn't accept OE. Perhaps this is because I have set as "Custom")
 
1    Message folder reverted to C:\Docs & Settings\Admin\............................\Microsoft\Outlook Express. In addition today's Inbox filled with new message. My OE doesn't download on opening so even that was ignored.
2    Address Book also changed to MS default.
3    Regedit won't run (to change Address Book back). Nor will Command.
Although I have fixed the Message folder, I have not yet fixed the Address Book because of the Regedit problem.
The change to defaults of the Message Folder and Address Book has happened following the last 3 MS updates, although this is the first time Regedit (and others) refused to run.
There have not been any changes to this computer for some time apart from MS Updates.
Help please

PA Bear [MS MVP]

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May 1, 2009, 12:34:00 PM5/1/09
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You post from a machine running WinXP SP2.  Is this the problem machine?
 
Is MS Office installed?  Is MS Outlook (also) installed?  If so, what version (e.g., Office/Outlook 2007 SP2) and do you use any Outlook functionality (e.g., Calendar)?
 
What updates were installed today (e.g., Office 2007 SP2; Office 2003 SP3; Outlook Junk Mail Filter; IE8)?
 
Reference:
 
Microsoft Outlook updates change the default mail handler to Microsoft Outlook
http://www.oehelp.com/OETips.aspx#13
 
IN RE Set Program Access and Defaults: Only concern yourself with the configuration that's checked/selected (e.g., Custom).  Once you've selected, e.g., OE and exited, your selection becomes your "current email program" when you double-check this setting again later (IIRC).
 
IN RE your #1: Your original identity may have been damaged.  See caveats below.  (Have all of your older messages gone missing?)
 
IN RE your #2: If you have more than 999 contacts, Address Book will appear to be empty/devoid of content.  (Known-bug that will not be fixed.)
 
If sharing (Address Book) with Outlook is enabled, this could explain the extra contacts.
 
IN RE your #3: The inability to access Regedit could be the result of a hijackware infection, which might also explain some or all of the above.
 
 
General OE Caveats:
 
- Don't use Inbox or Sent Items to archive messages.  Move them to local folders created for this purpose.
 
- Empty Deleted Items folder daily.
 
- Frequently perform a manual compact of all OE folders while "working offline".  More at http://www.insideoe.com/files/maintain.htm
 
- Do not cancel Automatic Compacting, should it occur, and do not attempt to close OE via Task Manager or shutdown your machine if Automatic Compacting is taking place.
 
- Disable email scanning by your anti-virus application.  It can cause corruption (i.e., loss of messages) and provides no additional protection:
 
    Why you don't need your anti-virus to scan your email 
    http://thundercloud.net/infoave/tutorials/email-scanning/index.htm
--
~Robear Dyer (PA Bear)
MS MVP-IE, Mail, Security, Windows Client - since 2002
 

atandhmb

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May 1, 2009, 2:55:07 PM5/1/09
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This is the problem m/c.
MS Office (hardly ever used) is installed. I have just checked and Outlook is installed (presumably part of Office), although I must confess that I did not know that until I checked just now. It has never EVER been used by me, although the prospect is interesting as I understand the mail system can be networked. (my wife has to use this m/c rather than her own for email only in OE).
MS Office Pro 2003.
NO use of Outlook
Don't know the Updates - I let it instal all critical ones.Just checked - 2 updates as under:

Office 2003 Update for Microsoft Outlook 2003 Junk Email Filter (KB969376) 01 May 2009 Automatic Updates. This is shown as a green tick in status column.

Office 2003 Update for Microsoft Outlook 2003 Junk Email Filter (KB969376) 30 April 2009 Automatic Updates. This is shown as a small white cross in a red circular box, with a question mark alongside, so perhaps that is the culprit.

I hold my OE messages in a folder in a dedicated partition, and when this happened it was no problem for me to get back to this folder through tools\options\mtce\store folder. I have done this often and I am comfortable with this aspect. Likewise when the Address Book was changed, I expected just to go to Regedit and put in the correct Address folder. However as I stated, I cannot get Regedit (or Cmd) to run. Still not resolved.

Thanks for you interest. It would seem that I should remove the 2 updates shown above. How do I do that, as the updates are not shown separately in CP, Add/Remove Progs.

Sorry if I have not answered all the questions as I am still busy trying to get Regedit to work.

Thanks again

"PA Bear [MS MVP]" <PABe...@gmail.com> wrote in message news:etwx%23wnyJ...@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...

JORGE VARGAS

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May 1, 2009, 2:58:38 PM5/1/09
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JORGE VARGAS

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May 1, 2009, 2:59:37 PM5/1/09
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hi

PA Bear [MS MVP]

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May 1, 2009, 4:53:52 PM5/1/09
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Most of this OE behavior is well-known.
 
You needn't remove KB969376 (the May version superseded the April version) but you should be able to uninstall it via Add/Remove Programs).  Since you don't use Outlook (OL) or Calendar, why not Remove it from your install of Office 2003 SP3?
 
NB: Even if you Remove OL, Microsoft Update/Automatic Updates will continue to offer OL updates.  Installing any of them may cause OL to be made the default Mail Client again.  There are two ways to avoid this:
 
1. Change your AU setting to the Notify Only option.  When AU offers an Outlook update, decline and "hide" it.
 
How to configure and use Automatic Updates in WinXP:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/306525 
 
2. Change your default update source from Microsoft Update to Windows Update: Go to Microsoft Update website | Click on Change Settings in left pane | Scroll to bottom of page | To Stop Using Microsoft Update | Disable Microsoft Update software and let me use Windows Update only (check).
 
With Windows Update as your default, you will need to check-in at Office Update periodically to keep your Office applications fully patched: http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/downloads/maincatalog.aspx  When you do so, decline to install any OL updates.

"What are the differences between Windows Updates, Automatic Updates, and Microsoft Updates?
While Windows Update provides you with updates specifically for Windows, Microsoft Update expands the service to download and install updates for other Microsoft software, such as Microsoft Office and Windows Live. Automatic updating is a feature that allows you to set your PC to automatically download and install updates using either service, making it easy and convenient for you to keep your Windows PC current." (Source: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/downloads/windowsupdate/FAQ.mspx)
 
Again, your Regedit issue may not be related to having installed OL updates.  All the same, you should investigate its cause ASAP.
--
~PA Bear

This is the problem m/c.
MS Office (hardly ever used) is installed. I have just checked and Outlook is installed (presumably part of Office), although I must confess that I did not know that until I checked just now. It has never EVER been used by me, although the prospect is interesting as I understand the mail system can be networked. (my wife has to use this m/c rather than her own for email only in OE).
MS Office Pro 2003.
NO use of Outlook
Don't know the Updates - I let it instal all critical ones.Just checked - 2 updates as under:

Office 2003 Update for Microsoft Outlook 2003 Junk Email Filter (KB969376) 01 May 2009 Automatic Updates. This is shown as a green tick in status column.

Office 2003 Update for Microsoft Outlook 2003 Junk Email Filter (KB969376) 30 April 2009 Automatic Updates. This is shown as a small white cross in a red circular box, with a question mark alongside, so perhaps that is the culprit.

I hold my OE messages in a folder in a dedicated partition, and when this happened it was no problem for me to get back to this folder through tools\options\mtce\store folder. I have done this often and I am comfortable with this aspect. Likewise when the Address Book was changed, I expected just to go to Regedit and put in the correct Address folder. However as I stated, I cannot get Regedit (or Cmd) to run. Still not resolved.

Thanks for you interest. It would seem that I should remove the 2 updates shown above. How do I do that, as the updates are not shown separately in CP, Add/Remove Progs.

Sorry if I have not answered all the questions as I am still busy trying to get Regedit to work.

Thanks again

atandhmb

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May 4, 2009, 7:21:42 AM5/4/09
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Many thanks again. I will now give Outlook my attention.
Your opinion please. I mentioned that my wife has to use this (my) computer for her emails, even although she has her own computer. Do you see any problems in transferring from OE to Outlook please.
In general, I keep a very tight reign on my mail system. When this happened (now 3 times), I have never lost any messages or addresses. I have just changes the location of my message folder back to what it should be thru "Tools|Options|Mtce|Store Folder" and then imported the new emails in the Inbox of the Outlook system.
Then, in the past I have used Regedit to change the location of my address book back to what it should be.
Summarising: I have to sort out the Regedit problem which I have raised elsewhere.
Unless you advise to contrary, I think I will now change from OE to Outlook.
Kind Regards
PS    Just got round the Regedit problem temporarily by transferring my Address Book to the default Address Book location
"PA Bear [MS MVP]" <PABe...@gmail.com> wrote in message news:%23syTw9p...@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...

PA Bear [MS MVP]

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May 4, 2009, 11:17:30 AM5/4/09
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[This is a long one!]
 
A1. Ideally, you and the missus would each have your own User Account (on your computer) and each of you would access your own mail accounts in your own instance of OE (or OL).  While you can access your account in OE and she can access hers in OL, for example, only one (1) Mail Client can be the default on the computer itself (but there is a workaround, if need be).
 
If one or both of you would prefer to access your mail in OL, so be it: You can export your OE data to OL via File | Export | ...
 
Understand that you can disable access to OE, if need be, but you cannot remove/uninstall it.
 
A2. Installing updates for OL should not cause changes in the location of your OE message store or Address Book.  (You don't tell us what/where the locations are changed to, adding to the mystery.)  The fact that it happens suggests corruption in your store (especially likely if your identity is the default Main Identity).  See the possibly related A3 below but I'd recommend replacing your current identity anyway & ASAP:
 
Create a new identity via File | Identities | Add new identity 
 
(1) Configure your mail & news accounts in the new identity, (2) compact all folders in the old identity, and (3) import messages from the old identity into the new one (cf. http://www.insideoe.com/faqs/how.htm#importOE5).  After confirming all is well, (4) delete the old identity via File | Identities | Manage Identities.
 
To avoid such corruption in future:
 
- Don't use Inbox or Sent Items to archive messages.  Move them to local folders created for this purpose.
 
- Empty Deleted Items folder daily.
 
- Frequently perform a manual compact of all OE folders while "working offline".  More at http://www.insideoe.com/files/maintain.htm
 
- Do not cancel Automatic Compacting, should it occur, and do not attempt to close OE via Task Manager or shutdown your machine if Automatic Compacting is taking place.
 
- Disable email scanning by your anti-virus application.  It can cause such corruption and worse (i.e., loss of messages), and it provides no additional protection:
 
    Why you don't need your anti-virus to scan your email 
    http://thundercloud.net/infoave/tutorials/email-scanning/index.htm
 
A3. Your inability to access Regedit (and Task Manager?) may be the effects of a hijackware infection!
 
NB: If you had no anti-virus application installed or the subscription had expired when the machine first got infected and/or your subscription has since expired and/or the machine's not been kept fully-patched at Windows Update, don't waste your time with any of the below: Format & reinstall Windows.  A Repair Install will NOT help!
 
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 the Windows Live Safety Center's 'Protection' scan: http://onecare.live.com/site/en-us/center/howsafe.htm (Do NOT run the Full Service scan or any other scans!)
 
3. Run a thorough check for hijackware, including posting the requested logs in an appropriate forum, not here.
 
 
 
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

"atandhmb" wrote:
Many thanks again. I will now give Outlook my attention.
 
[1] Your opinion please. I mentioned that my wife has to use this (my) computer for her emails, even although she has her own computer. Do you see any problems in transferring from OE to Outlook please.
 
[2] In general, I keep a very tight reign on my mail system. When this happened (now 3 times), I have never lost any messages or addresses. I have just changes the location of my message folder back to what it should be thru "Tools|Options|Mtce|Store Folder" and then imported the new emails in the Inbox of the Outlook system.
 
Then, in the past I have used Regedit to change the location of my address book back to what it should be.
 
[3] Summarising: I have to sort out the Regedit problem which I have raised elsewhere.
 
Unless you advise to contrary, I think I will now change from OE to Outlook.
Kind Regards
 
PS    Just got round the Regedit problem temporarily by transferring my Address Book to the default Address Book location
"PA Bear [MS MVP]" wrote:
Most of this OE behavior is well-known.
 
You needn't remove KB969376 (the May version superseded the April version) but you should be able to uninstall it via Add/Remove Programs).  Since you don't use Outlook (OL) or Calendar, why not Remove it from your install of Office 2003 SP3?
 
NB: Even if you Remove OL, Microsoft Update/Automatic Updates will continue to offer OL updates.  Installing any of them may cause OL to be made the default Mail Client again.  There are two ways to avoid this:
 
1. Change your AU setting to the Notify Only option.  When AU offers an Outlook update, decline and "hide" it.
 
How to configure and use Automatic Updates in WinXP:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/306525 
 
2. Change your default update source from Microsoft Update to Windows Update: Go to Microsoft Update website | Click on Change Settings in left pane | Scroll to bottom of page | To Stop Using Microsoft Update | Disable Microsoft Update software and let me use Windows Update only (check).
 
With Windows Update as your default, you will need to check-in at Office Update periodically to keep your Office applications fully patched: http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/downloads/maincatalog.aspx  When you do so, decline to install any OL updates.

"What are the differences between Windows Updates, Automatic Updates, and Microsoft Updates?
While Windows Update provides you with updates specifically for Windows, Microsoft Update expands the service to download and install updates for other Microsoft software, such as Microsoft Office and Windows Live. Automatic updating is a feature that allows you to set your PC to automatically download and install updates using either service, making it easy and convenient for you to keep your Windows PC current." (Source: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/downloads/windowsupdate/FAQ.mspx)
 
Again, your Regedit issue may not be related to having installed OL updates.  All the same, you should investigate its cause ASAP.
--
~PA Bear

atandhmb

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May 4, 2009, 3:07:35 PM5/4/09
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Well: I will have a go at what you have suggested.
One thing I am reasonably clear about now is this:
Although I raised this as a mail problem at the start, it is clear that is minor and caused because of the OE/Outlook switch.
I do not have a single problem with messages lost, corrupted or anything else apart from the location being changed, which I can resolve in seconds.
I didn't mention where I stored the messages because it wasn't relevant. For years now (probably due to your help, I can't remember) I have kept messages and addresses away from MS default (long) addresses.
I have a complete partition, within which I have a Messages folder and another folder for Address Book which is referenced from the Registry.
I compact regularly and play absolutely safe, i.e. before compacting I copy all the messages into another folder entitled "(date) messages BEFORE compacting. I then compact, following which I copy the messages folder into another folder titled as "(date) messages AFTER compacting"
Believe it or not I also duplicate these two copy files on a SEPERATE hard disk on the same computer so that a hard disk hardware failure will not get me.
As I stated elsewhere, the Address Book problem has been sorted by dropping the folder contents into the MS default address, pending resolution of the Regedit problem.
Thanks to your considerable time on this and your comments, I accept absolutely that there is suspect software in my computer.
For many years I have used ZoneAlarm and AVG and this is the first time I have had this problem.
I may say that (mainly for MCE) I have 6 computers at home, 5 x XP PRO and 1 x Vista) all hard-wired networked as I don't trust WIFI.
With help from professionals like yourself I will get there.
Again, I do appreciate the time you have given to this.
PS    Just completed Ccleaner but it didn't help. I will work through the suggestions you show below.
 
"PA Bear [MS MVP]" <PABe...@gmail.com> wrote in message news:OdoAF2Mz...@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...

PA Bear [MS MVP]

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May 4, 2009, 3:28:28 PM5/4/09
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IMHO, your related thread in WinXP General confirms my suspicions about hijackware: http://groups.google.com/group/microsoft.public.windowsxp.general/browse_frm/thread/dc1e9a3c458f8ea1/ab1b03f4db953138
 
Again, you shouldn't have to jump through any of those hoops after installing an OL update (other than perhaps having to make OE your default Mail Client again).
 
And in any event, I'd still move to a new, user-created identity, especially if your current identity is Main Identity or you've renamed Main Identity.
 
Best of luck!
--
~PA Bear
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