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#1
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What's erasing my OE 6.0 mail & newsgroup accounts?
OS= W2K (SP4)
On two random occasions now I have had my mail & newsgroup accounts erased - clean. I use only two accounts - mail with POP & SMTP server names for my ISP account - and this newsgroup account. I suspected that an application like a hard drive defragger or register cleaner might be at fault. I tested them with no results. I have had no leads on Internet or the Microsoft Knowledge Base searches. I have good anti-virus & malware protection. I've never had this issue - ever. I'd greatly appreciate a pointer. Thanks - Blithe |
#2
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What's erasing my OE 6.0 mail & newsgroup accounts?
"Erased clean" as in the accounts are no longer present in Tools | Accounts
or as in "all of my messages were deleted from OE"? -- ~Robear Dyer (PA Bear) MS MVP-IE, Mail, Security, Windows Desktop Experience - since 2002 AumHa VSOP & Admin http://aumha.net DTS-L http://dts-l.net/ Blithe wrote: OS= W2K (SP4) On two random occasions now I have had my mail & newsgroup accounts erased - clean. I use only two accounts - mail with POP & SMTP server names for my ISP account - and this newsgroup account. I suspected that an application like a hard drive defragger or register cleaner might be at fault. I tested them with no results. I have had no leads on Internet or the Microsoft Knowledge Base searches. I have good anti-virus & malware protection. I've never had this issue - ever. I'd greatly appreciate a pointer. Thanks - Blithe |
#3
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What's erasing my OE 6.0 mail & newsgroup accounts?
Yes, Bear, "as in the accounts are no longer present in Tools | Accounts " -
everything else, folders and messages, was & still is intact and functioning. When the 1st episode came to my attention, the OE account installation Wizard popped up (I don't know what triggered it) & I just closed the window thinking it just a random aberrration. It was not until I got OE server errors that I checked the Tools - Accounts & discovered both Mail & News tabs for 'Internet Accounts' window were blank - no accounts being listed. Blithe "PA Bear [MS MVP]" wrote in message ... "Erased clean" as in the accounts are no longer present in Tools | Accounts or as in "all of my messages were deleted from OE"? -- ~Robear Dyer (PA Bear) MS MVP-IE, Mail, Security, Windows Desktop Experience - since 2002 AumHa VSOP & Admin http://aumha.net DTS-L http://dts-l.net/ Blithe wrote: OS= W2K (SP4) On two random occasions now I have had my mail & newsgroup accounts erased - clean. I use only two accounts - mail with POP & SMTP server names for my ISP account - and this newsgroup account. I suspected that an application like a hard drive defragger or register cleaner might be at fault. I tested them with no results. I have had no leads on Internet or the Microsoft Knowledge Base searches. I have good anti-virus & malware protection. I've never had this issue - ever. I'd greatly appreciate a pointer. Thanks - Blithe |
#4
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What's erasing my OE 6.0 mail & newsgroup accounts?
Your current Identity may be damaged, especially if its the default-named
Main Identity. Try one or more of your mail accounts in a new Named Identity... File | Identities | Add new identity Assuming all is well, (1) compact all folders in the old identity, (2) import any remaining messages from the old identity into the new one, and then (3) delete the old one (File | Identities | Manage Identities). To avoid such corruption in futu - Don't use Inbox or Sent Items to archive messages. Move them to local folders created for this purpose. - Empty Deleted Items folder daily. - Disable Background Compacting and frequently perform a manual compact of all OE folders while "working offline". More at http://www.insideoe.com/files/maintain.htm - Disable email scanning by your anti-virus application. It can cause corruption (i.e., loss of messages), it provides no additional protection, and even Symantec says it's not necessary: QP Disabling Email Scanning does not leave you unprotected against viruses that are distributed as email attachments. Norton AntiVirus Auto-Protect scans incoming files as they are saved to your hard drive, including email and email attachments. Email Scanning is just another layer on top of this. To make sure that Auto-Protect is providing the maximum protection, keep Auto-Protect enabled and run LiveUpdate regularly to ensure that you have the most recent virus definitions. /QP http://service1.symantec.com/SUPPORT...02111812533106 -- ~Robear Dyer (PA Bear) MS MVP-IE, Mail, Security, Windows Desktop Experience - since 2002 AumHa VSOP & Admin http://aumha.net DTS-L http://dts-l.net/ Blithe wrote: Yes, Bear, "as in the accounts are no longer present in Tools | Accounts " - everything else, folders and messages, was & still is intact and functioning. When the 1st episode came to my attention, the OE account installation Wizard popped up (I don't know what triggered it) & I just closed the window thinking it just a random aberrration. It was not until I got OE server errors that I checked the Tools - Accounts & discovered both Mail & News tabs for 'Internet Accounts' window were blank - no accounts being listed. Blithe "PA Bear [MS MVP]" wrote in message ... "Erased clean" as in the accounts are no longer present in Tools | Accounts or as in "all of my messages were deleted from OE"? -- ~Robear Dyer (PA Bear) MS MVP-IE, Mail, Security, Windows Desktop Experience - since 2002 AumHa VSOP & Admin http://aumha.net DTS-L http://dts-l.net/ Blithe wrote: OS= W2K (SP4) On two random occasions now I have had my mail & newsgroup accounts erased - clean. I use only two accounts - mail with POP & SMTP server names for my ISP account - and this newsgroup account. I suspected that an application like a hard drive defragger or register cleaner might be at fault. I tested them with no results. I have had no leads on Internet or the Microsoft Knowledge Base searches. I have good anti-virus & malware protection. I've never had this issue - ever. I'd greatly appreciate a pointer. Thanks - Blithe |
#5
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What's erasing my OE 6.0 mail & newsgroup accounts?
Thanks in advance, Bear. I will follow your detailed instructions forthwith
& let you know results when done. This is not the 1st time I have had corruption/identity issues with OE - my usually very reliable & preferred email software. However, it is almost a singular event - so it's difficult to recognize the symptoms - much less know the remedy even if the symptoms appear familiar. Blithe "PA Bear [MS MVP]" wrote in message ... Your current Identity may be damaged, especially if its the default-named Main Identity. Try one or more of your mail accounts in a new Named Identity... File | Identities | Add new identity Assuming all is well, (1) compact all folders in the old identity, (2) import any remaining messages from the old identity into the new one, and then (3) delete the old one (File | Identities | Manage Identities). To avoid such corruption in futu - Don't use Inbox or Sent Items to archive messages. Move them to local folders created for this purpose. - Empty Deleted Items folder daily. - Disable Background Compacting and frequently perform a manual compact of all OE folders while "working offline". More at http://www.insideoe.com/files/maintain.htm - Disable email scanning by your anti-virus application. It can cause corruption (i.e., loss of messages), it provides no additional protection, and even Symantec says it's not necessary: QP Disabling Email Scanning does not leave you unprotected against viruses that are distributed as email attachments. Norton AntiVirus Auto-Protect scans incoming files as they are saved to your hard drive, including email and email attachments. Email Scanning is just another layer on top of this. To make sure that Auto-Protect is providing the maximum protection, keep Auto-Protect enabled and run LiveUpdate regularly to ensure that you have the most recent virus definitions. /QP http://service1.symantec.com/SUPPORT...02111812533106 -- ~Robear Dyer (PA Bear) MS MVP-IE, Mail, Security, Windows Desktop Experience - since 2002 AumHa VSOP & Admin http://aumha.net DTS-L http://dts-l.net/ Blithe wrote: Yes, Bear, "as in the accounts are no longer present in Tools | Accounts " - everything else, folders and messages, was & still is intact and functioning. When the 1st episode came to my attention, the OE account installation Wizard popped up (I don't know what triggered it) & I just closed the window thinking it just a random aberrration. It was not until I got OE server errors that I checked the Tools - Accounts & discovered both Mail & News tabs for 'Internet Accounts' window were blank - no accounts being listed. Blithe "PA Bear [MS MVP]" wrote in message ... "Erased clean" as in the accounts are no longer present in Tools | Accounts or as in "all of my messages were deleted from OE"? -- ~Robear Dyer (PA Bear) MS MVP-IE, Mail, Security, Windows Desktop Experience - since 2002 AumHa VSOP & Admin http://aumha.net DTS-L http://dts-l.net/ Blithe wrote: OS= W2K (SP4) On two random occasions now I have had my mail & newsgroup accounts erased - clean. I use only two accounts - mail with POP & SMTP server names for my ISP account - and this newsgroup account. I suspected that an application like a hard drive defragger or register cleaner might be at fault. I tested them with no results. I have had no leads on Internet or the Microsoft Knowledge Base searches. I have good anti-virus & malware protection. I've never had this issue - ever. I'd greatly appreciate a pointer. Thanks - Blithe |
#6
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What's erasing my OE 6.0 mail & newsgroup accounts?
Adhere to the Caveats I posted and all should be well.
Blithe wrote: Thanks in advance, Bear. I will follow your detailed instructions forthwith & let you know results when done. This is not the 1st time I have had corruption/identity issues with OE - my usually very reliable & preferred email software. However, it is almost a singular event - so it's difficult to recognize the symptoms - much less know the remedy even if the symptoms appear familiar. Blithe "PA Bear [MS MVP]" wrote in message ... Your current Identity may be damaged, especially if its the default-named Main Identity. Try one or more of your mail accounts in a new Named Identity... File | Identities | Add new identity Assuming all is well, (1) compact all folders in the old identity, (2) import any remaining messages from the old identity into the new one, and then (3) delete the old one (File | Identities | Manage Identities). To avoid such corruption in futu - Don't use Inbox or Sent Items to archive messages. Move them to local folders created for this purpose. - Empty Deleted Items folder daily. - Disable Background Compacting and frequently perform a manual compact of all OE folders while "working offline". More at http://www.insideoe.com/files/maintain.htm - Disable email scanning by your anti-virus application. It can cause corruption (i.e., loss of messages), it provides no additional protection, and even Symantec says it's not necessary: QP Disabling Email Scanning does not leave you unprotected against viruses that are distributed as email attachments. Norton AntiVirus Auto-Protect scans incoming files as they are saved to your hard drive, including and email attachments. Email Scanning is just another layer on top of this. To make sure that Auto-Protect is providing the maximum protection, keep Auto-Protect enabled and run LiveUpdate regularly to ensure that you have the most recent virus definitions. /QP http://service1.symantec.com/SUPPORT...02111812533106 -- ~Robear Dyer (PA Bear) MS MVP-IE, Mail, Security, Windows Desktop Experience - since 2002 AumHa VSOP & Admin http://aumha.net DTS-L http://dts-l.net/ Blithe wrote: Yes, Bear, "as in the accounts are no longer present in Tools | Accounts " - everything else, folders and messages, was & still is intact and functioning. When the 1st episode came to my attention, the OE account installation Wizard popped up (I don't know what triggered it) & I just closed the window thinking it just a random aberrration. It was not until I got OE server errors that I checked the Tools - Accounts & discovered both Mail & News tabs for 'Internet Accounts' window were blank - no accounts being listed. Blithe "PA Bear [MS MVP]" wrote in message ... "Erased clean" as in the accounts are no longer present in Tools | Accounts or as in "all of my messages were deleted from OE"? -- ~Robear Dyer (PA Bear) MS MVP-IE, Mail, Security, Windows Desktop Experience - since 2002 AumHa VSOP & Admin http://aumha.net DTS-L http://dts-l.net/ Blithe wrote: OS= W2K (SP4) On two random occasions now I have had my mail & newsgroup accounts erased - clean. I use only two accounts - mail with POP & SMTP server names for my ISP account - and this newsgroup account. I suspected that an application like a hard drive defragger or register cleaner might be at fault. I tested them with no results. I have had no leads on Internet or the Microsoft Knowledge Base searches. I have good anti-virus & malware protection. I've never had this issue - ever. I'd greatly appreciate a pointer. Thanks - Blithe |
#7
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What's erasing my OE 6.0 mail & newsgroup accounts?
Hello Bear - here's an update & I'm suspecting something else may be afoot.
After following your pointers (& having a devil of a time to reconstruct my OE address book to look like my last identity's current version - & still ongoing but not a central issue) I tested & all seemed OK. But then - Upon another opening of OE I got the Internet Wizard again, checked accounts, & discovered my mail account was wiped clean again. However, this time my newsgroup, this one, was still posted & functioning. All other OE folders & contents were OK. I re-established my ISP mail account servers again, tested, & once again all seemed OK under my new OE identity. I have only one remaining possibility that I can consider as a cause. I am a relatively new ISP subscriber - having switched from my old one after 4-5 years. When my mail & newsgroup accts were erased the 1st time - I had forgotten my ISP server names & got on the tech support website to access where the names were posted for my zipcode area. However, the server names did not appear to be identical or the same as those that had been erased. I re-established my ISP mail accounts with the unfamiliar server names & emailed my ISP asking for confirmation of the server names. The email reply, the following business day, quoted the correct server names for my zipcode - & they were not identical to the ones posted on the ISP's website!!! Naturally, I phoned tech service to inquire. The agent - 1. said he would investigate 2. confirmed the website's posting & not the email's were the correct server names 3. promised to get back to me 4. assured me, that in any case, the issue of having my mail account erased would have nothing to do with what server names were being used on my PC at the time. Bear - so far tech service has not gotten back to me - BUT - this is how I am configured at this time: I created a second email account for the same ISP and am using the two sets of server names that this ISP has given me - with synchronized settings as if for two separate ISP company accounts. All seems OK at this time. Any thoughts? Blithe "PA Bear [MS MVP]" wrote in message ... Adhere to the Caveats I posted and all should be well. Blithe wrote: Thanks in advance, Bear. I will follow your detailed instructions forthwith & let you know results when done. This is not the 1st time I have had corruption/identity issues with OE - my usually very reliable & preferred email software. However, it is almost a singular event - so it's difficult to recognize the symptoms - much less know the remedy even if the symptoms appear familiar. Blithe "PA Bear [MS MVP]" wrote in message ... Your current Identity may be damaged, especially if its the default-named Main Identity. Try one or more of your mail accounts in a new Named Identity... File | Identities | Add new identity Assuming all is well, (1) compact all folders in the old identity, (2) import any remaining messages from the old identity into the new one, and then (3) delete the old one (File | Identities | Manage Identities). To avoid such corruption in futu - Don't use Inbox or Sent Items to archive messages. Move them to local folders created for this purpose. - Empty Deleted Items folder daily. - Disable Background Compacting and frequently perform a manual compact of all OE folders while "working offline". More at http://www.insideoe.com/files/maintain.htm - Disable email scanning by your anti-virus application. It can cause corruption (i.e., loss of messages), it provides no additional protection, and even Symantec says it's not necessary: QP Disabling Email Scanning does not leave you unprotected against viruses that are distributed as email attachments. Norton AntiVirus Auto-Protect scans incoming files as they are saved to your hard drive, including and email attachments. Email Scanning is just another layer on top of this. To make sure that Auto-Protect is providing the maximum protection, keep Auto-Protect enabled and run LiveUpdate regularly to ensure that you have the most recent virus definitions. /QP http://service1.symantec.com/SUPPORT...02111812533106 -- ~Robear Dyer (PA Bear) MS MVP-IE, Mail, Security, Windows Desktop Experience - since 2002 AumHa VSOP & Admin http://aumha.net DTS-L http://dts-l.net/ Blithe wrote: Yes, Bear, "as in the accounts are no longer present in Tools | Accounts " - everything else, folders and messages, was & still is intact and functioning. When the 1st episode came to my attention, the OE account installation Wizard popped up (I don't know what triggered it) & I just closed the window thinking it just a random aberrration. It was not until I got OE server errors that I checked the Tools - Accounts & discovered both Mail & News tabs for 'Internet Accounts' window were blank - no accounts being listed. Blithe "PA Bear [MS MVP]" wrote in message ... "Erased clean" as in the accounts are no longer present in Tools | Accounts or as in "all of my messages were deleted from OE"? -- ~Robear Dyer (PA Bear) MS MVP-IE, Mail, Security, Windows Desktop Experience - since 2002 AumHa VSOP & Admin http://aumha.net DTS-L http://dts-l.net/ Blithe wrote: OS= W2K (SP4) On two random occasions now I have had my mail & newsgroup accounts erased - clean. I use only two accounts - mail with POP & SMTP server names for my ISP account - and this newsgroup account. I suspected that an application like a hard drive defragger or register cleaner might be at fault. I tested them with no results. I have had no leads on Internet or the Microsoft Knowledge Base searches. I have good anti-virus & malware protection. I've never had this issue - ever. I'd greatly appreciate a pointer. Thanks - Blithe |
#8
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What's erasing my OE 6.0 mail & newsgroup accounts?
"Blithe" invalid@nospam wrote in message
... OS= W2K (SP4) On two random occasions now I have had my mail & newsgroup accounts erased - clean. I use only two accounts - mail with POP & SMTP server names for my ISP account - and this newsgroup account. I suspected that an application like a hard drive defragger or register cleaner might be at fault. I tested them with no results. I have had no leads on Internet or the Microsoft Knowledge Base searches. I have good anti-virus & malware protection. I've never had this issue - ever. Think your Registry needs "cleaning"? Read http://aumha.net/viewtopic.php?t=28099 and draw your own conclusions. -- Frank Saunders MS-MVP IE,OE/WM Do not reply with email |
#9
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What's erasing my OE 6.0 mail & newsgroup accounts?
Your ISP appears to be Cox.net (somewhere in KS?) Have you installed any
Cox.net software? Who were your previous ISPs (e.g., Earthlink)? Did you install any of their software (e.g., Earthlink Toolbar and/or Protection Center)? What anti-virus application or security suite is installed, is your subscription current, and have you disabled email scanning? What anti-spyware applications (other than Defender)? What third-party firewall (if any)? Is your machine fully patched at Windows Update? Is Automatic Updates enabled and working properly to the best of your knowledge? (cf. http://support.microsoft.com/kb/327850) -- ~PA Bear Blithe wrote: Hello Bear - here's an update & I'm suspecting something else may be afoot. After following your pointers (& having a devil of a time to reconstruct my OE address book to look like my last identity's current version - & still ongoing but not a central issue) I tested & all seemed OK. But then - Upon another opening of OE I got the Internet Wizard again, checked accounts, & discovered my mail account was wiped clean again. However, this time my newsgroup, this one, was still posted & functioning. All other OE folders & contents were OK. I re-established my ISP mail account servers again, tested, & once again all seemed OK under my new OE identity. I have only one remaining possibility that I can consider as a cause. I am a relatively new ISP subscriber - having switched from my old one after 4-5 years. When my mail & newsgroup accts were erased the 1st time - I had forgotten my ISP server names & got on the tech support website to access where the names were posted for my zipcode area. However, the server names did not appear to be identical or the same as those that had been erased. I re-established my ISP mail accounts with the unfamiliar server names & emailed my ISP asking for confirmation of the server names. The email reply, the following business day, quoted the correct server names for my zipcode - & they were not identical to the ones posted on the ISP's website!!! Naturally, I phoned tech service to inquire. The agent - 1. said he would investigate 2. confirmed the website's posting & not the email's were the correct server names 3. promised to get back to me 4. assured me, that in any case, the issue of having my mail account erased would have nothing to do with what server names were being used on my PC at the time. Bear - so far tech service has not gotten back to me - BUT - this is how I am configured at this time: I created a second email account for the same ISP and am using the two sets of server names that this ISP has given me - with synchronized settings as if for two separate ISP company accounts. All seems OK at this time. Any thoughts? Adhere to the Caveats I posted and all should be well. Blithe wrote: Thanks in advance, Bear. I will follow your detailed instructions forthwith & let you know results when done. This is not the 1st time I have had corruption/identity issues with OE - my usually very reliable & preferred email software. However, it is almost a singular event - so it's difficult to recognize the symptoms - much less know the remedy even if the symptoms appear familiar. Your current Identity may be damaged, especially if its the default-named Main Identity. Try one or more of your mail accounts in a new Named Identity... File | Identities | Add new identity Assuming all is well, (1) compact all folders in the old identity, (2) import any remaining messages from the old identity into the new one, and then (3) delete the old one (File | Identities | Manage Identities). To avoid such corruption in futu - Don't use Inbox or Sent Items to archive messages. Move them to local folders created for this purpose. - Empty Deleted Items folder daily. - Disable Background Compacting and frequently perform a manual compact of all OE folders while "working offline". More at http://www.insideoe.com/files/maintain.htm - Disable email scanning by your anti-virus application. It can cause corruption (i.e., loss of messages), it provides no additional protection, and even Symantec says it's not necessary: QP Disabling Email Scanning does not leave you unprotected against viruses that are distributed as email attachments. Norton AntiVirus Auto-Protect scans incoming files as they are saved to your hard drive, including and email attachments. Email Scanning is just another layer on top of this. To make sure that Auto-Protect is providing the maximum protection, keep Auto-Protect enabled and run LiveUpdate regularly to ensure that you have the most recent virus definitions. /QP http://service1.symantec.com/SUPPORT...02111812533106 Blithe wrote: Yes, Bear, "as in the accounts are no longer present in Tools | Accounts " - everything else, folders and messages, was & still is intact and functioning. When the 1st episode came to my attention, the OE account installation Wizard popped up (I don't know what triggered it) & I just closed the window thinking it just a random aberrration. It was not until I got OE server errors that I checked the Tools - Accounts & discovered both Mail & News tabs for 'Internet Accounts' window were blank - no accounts being listed. "Erased clean" as in the accounts are no longer present in Tools | Accounts or as in "all of my messages were deleted from OE"? -- ~Robear Dyer (PA Bear) MS MVP-IE, Mail, Security, Windows Desktop Experience - since 2002 AumHa VSOP & Admin http://aumha.net DTS-L http://dts-l.net/ Blithe wrote: OS= W2K (SP4) On two random occasions now I have had my mail & newsgroup accounts erased - clean. I use only two accounts - mail with POP & SMTP server names for my ISP account - and this newsgroup account. I suspected that an application like a hard drive defragger or register cleaner might be at fault. I tested them with no results. I have had no leads on Internet or the Microsoft Knowledge Base searches. I have good anti-virus & malware protection. I've never had this issue - ever. I'd greatly appreciate a pointer. Thanks - Blithe |
#10
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What's erasing my OE 6.0 mail & newsgroup accounts?
OK - Bear - answering under each question:
"PA Bear [MS MVP]" wrote in message ... Your ISP appears to be Cox.net (somewhere in KS?) Have you installed any Cox.net software? ISP= Cox.net - Wichita, KS - no Cox software installed. Who were your previous ISPs (e.g., Earthlink)? Did you install any of their software (e.g., Earthlink Toolbar and/or Protection Center)? Prior ISP= ATT Yahoo DSL - no software installed at time of termination - years earlier I had installed an ATT connection diagnostic tool - I never subscribed to any Yahoo services - ATT tech service recently had me download software that allowed them control my PC to help diagnose an issue with an extra email address just before I terminated (last September) - it was an extra Yahoo email address that I had deleted over a year previously, that was still active in all my incoming & outgoing email headers (that I suspected was responsible for an excessive stream of constant SPAM) that both high tier ATT & Yahoo tech services were trying to resolve for almost a week without any progress having been made & which added to other customer service issues led me to terminate my ATT DSL broadband subscription. I say again - very early on I uninstalled all ATT software & strictly avoided any temptation to try whatever was 'freely' available to subscribers. What anti-virus application or security suite is installed, is your subscription current, and have you disabled email scanning? What anti-spyware applications (other than Defender)? What third-party firewall (if any)? Anti-virus =Avast 4.8 Home Edition - I just disabled in/outgoing email scanning - it had been on. Anti-spyware= XoftSpySE by Pareto software - recently installed owing to this current email account issue. No firewall software installed. Is your machine fully patched at Windows Update? Is Automatic Updates enabled and working properly to the best of your knowledge? (cf. http://support.microsoft.com/kb/327850) Bear - Yes & No - I use custom updates only & do not set updates to automatic owing to repeated failures of particular patches. I just checked WinUpdate again & tried to update patches I had 'hidden' that repeatedly had always failed. These a Rollup for SP4 KB891861 - this attempt fails in the downloading process Net.Framework 2.0 (SP1) KB947748 - Install error - X0x80070643 Security KB923810 - Install error - X0x9007F0F4 Virtual Machine 816093 - I did not try this again - prior attempts always report my W2K system does not qualify - paraphrasing the error report. My WinUpdate history exceeds 260 updates going back beyond June, 2006. To the best of my knowledge - that's it. I just turned age 77, retired early since 1982, programmed for mainframe computers, 1967 - 1980, had a $5000 Mickey Mouse Gateway2000 running Windows 3.0 starting 1990, quickly realized PC programming was way over my head & too much work, tried OS2, Win95, WinXP, Vista on a new PC with hardware issues, & have stayed with W2K - concluding by my experience that W2K has proven to be & remains the best OS for my needs & expectations. Thanks for your time & consideration. Blithe -- ~PA Bear Blithe wrote: Hello Bear - here's an update & I'm suspecting something else may be afoot. After following your pointers (& having a devil of a time to reconstruct my OE address book to look like my last identity's current version - & still ongoing but not a central issue) I tested & all seemed OK. But then - Upon another opening of OE I got the Internet Wizard again, checked accounts, & discovered my mail account was wiped clean again. However, this time my newsgroup, this one, was still posted & functioning. All other OE folders & contents were OK. I re-established my ISP mail account servers again, tested, & once again all seemed OK under my new OE identity. I have only one remaining possibility that I can consider as a cause. I am a relatively new ISP subscriber - having switched from my old one after 4-5 years. When my mail & newsgroup accts were erased the 1st time - I had forgotten my ISP server names & got on the tech support website to access where the names were posted for my zipcode area. However, the server names did not appear to be identical or the same as those that had been erased. I re-established my ISP mail accounts with the unfamiliar server names & emailed my ISP asking for confirmation of the server names. The email reply, the following business day, quoted the correct server names for my zipcode - & they were not identical to the ones posted on the ISP's website!!! Naturally, I phoned tech service to inquire. The agent - 1. said he would investigate 2. confirmed the website's posting & not the email's were the correct server names 3. promised to get back to me 4. assured me, that in any case, the issue of having my mail account erased would have nothing to do with what server names were being used on my PC at the time. Bear - so far tech service has not gotten back to me - BUT - this is how I am configured at this time: I created a second email account for the same ISP and am using the two sets of server names that this ISP has given me - with synchronized settings as if for two separate ISP company accounts. All seems OK at this time. Any thoughts? Adhere to the Caveats I posted and all should be well. Blithe wrote: Thanks in advance, Bear. I will follow your detailed instructions forthwith & let you know results when done. This is not the 1st time I have had corruption/identity issues with OE - my usually very reliable & preferred email software. However, it is almost a singular event - so it's difficult to recognize the symptoms - much less know the remedy even if the symptoms appear familiar. Your current Identity may be damaged, especially if its the default-named Main Identity. Try one or more of your mail accounts in a new Named Identity... File | Identities | Add new identity Assuming all is well, (1) compact all folders in the old identity, (2) import any remaining messages from the old identity into the new one, and then (3) delete the old one (File | Identities | Manage Identities). To avoid such corruption in futu - Don't use Inbox or Sent Items to archive messages. Move them to local folders created for this purpose. - Empty Deleted Items folder daily. - Disable Background Compacting and frequently perform a manual compact of all OE folders while "working offline". More at http://www.insideoe.com/files/maintain.htm - Disable email scanning by your anti-virus application. It can cause corruption (i.e., loss of messages), it provides no additional protection, and even Symantec says it's not necessary: QP Disabling Email Scanning does not leave you unprotected against viruses that are distributed as email attachments. Norton AntiVirus Auto-Protect scans incoming files as they are saved to your hard drive, including and email attachments. Email Scanning is just another layer on top of this. To make sure that Auto-Protect is providing the maximum protection, keep Auto-Protect enabled and run LiveUpdate regularly to ensure that you have the most recent virus definitions. /QP http://service1.symantec.com/SUPPORT...02111812533106 Blithe wrote: Yes, Bear, "as in the accounts are no longer present in Tools | Accounts " - everything else, folders and messages, was & still is intact and functioning. When the 1st episode came to my attention, the OE account installation Wizard popped up (I don't know what triggered it) & I just closed the window thinking it just a random aberrration. It was not until I got OE server errors that I checked the Tools - Accounts & discovered both Mail & News tabs for 'Internet Accounts' window were blank - no accounts being listed. "Erased clean" as in the accounts are no longer present in Tools | Accounts or as in "all of my messages were deleted from OE"? -- ~Robear Dyer (PA Bear) MS MVP-IE, Mail, Security, Windows Desktop Experience - since 2002 AumHa VSOP & Admin http://aumha.net DTS-L http://dts-l.net/ Blithe wrote: OS= W2K (SP4) On two random occasions now I have had my mail & newsgroup accounts erased - clean. I use only two accounts - mail with POP & SMTP server names for my ISP account - and this newsgroup account. I suspected that an application like a hard drive defragger or register cleaner might be at fault. I tested them with no results. I have had no leads on Internet or the Microsoft Knowledge Base searches. I have good anti-virus & malware protection. I've never had this issue - ever. I'd greatly appreciate a pointer. Thanks - Blithe |
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