Resources

I can’t stop ads for Viagra. Some look like they are actually sent “from” me.

I’m with you on this one. Spam drives me absolutely bonkers. My inbox used to be loaded with hundreds of “male enhancement,” “online pharmacy,” and “herbal remedies” messages each day! I finally have spam under control thanks to protecting my e-mail addresses (for example, don’t post your e-mail address online such as on Web sites and forums) and using anti-spam products on my computer. In your case, since you’re seeing advertisements for Viagra and your e-mail program appears to be sending out emails “from” you, I suspect that it’s not so much that you’re on a spammer’s list, but rather your computer appears to have a malicious program on it.

Computer Viruses

Computer viruses can send messages that appear to be from you. Computer viruses often take over your e-mail’s outgoing e-mail mechanism and send messages to the people in your contact list. When your friends receive the e-mail, it looks like it’s from you, complete with your name in the “from” line. The message may contain an attachment or a link. When your friends open the attachments or click the links, their computers become infected with the virus and the virus then hijacks their e-mail lists. From there, the virus sends itself to all of your friends’ contacts and spreads like crazy.

Botnets

Botnets are networks of personal computers that have been taken over by a hacker. The hacker then uses these computers as needed for whatever purpose is on the hacker’s agenda. For example, if the hacker happens to also be a spammer, he can command the infected computers to send out spam messages. These messages may have your name in the From field; it just depends on the botnet’s programming and mission.

Trojans

Another possibility is that a Trojan is on your system. Trojans usually arrive as part of another downloaded program, such as a screensaver. It sneaks on with the program, much like the soldiers arrived in the famous Trojan horse. Trojans can carry out all types of destructive deeds including generating unwanted advertisements.

Whether a virus, botnet, Trojan, or any other type of malware is to blame, the solution is the same: you need a good computer security product to get rid of this pest. Your computer may have a combination of infections, too. If you currently have a computer security product such as Norton, McAfee, or Trend Micro installed, update its antivirus definitions and run a complete system scan. Because some threats are not traditional found with antivirus programs, you’ll need an antispyware tool, too. If you have Windows XP or Vista, run the Windows Defender too (after updating it) to remove spyware threats.

Recommended Computer Security Products

ParetoLogic Antivirus Plus

PC Tools Antivirus

Lavasoft Antivirus

For more suggestions, read our antivirus 2009 reviews.

Once you’ve rid your system of this nasty malware infection, let everyone in your contact list know that emails may have been sent by a virus on your system. This way, your friends can check their systems too.

I keep getting a “not responding” message when I try to open Outlook Express. My computer takes forever to open a lot of the windows. I also get the “not responding” message sometimes when I try to log on to the Internet. Ideas?

Not Responding Messages

Both Outlook Express and Internet Explorer require large amounts of system resources and are often running all the time. When your computer generates a “not responding” message, it usually indicates that there’s not enough memory available or that a process is taking longer than expected.

Outlook Express Not Responding Error

Outlook Express comes with a “compacting” tool that can repair damage and solve miscellaneous errors such as the “not responding” error. The more you use Outlook Express, the larger and less organized its database becomes. Compacting this database makes Outlook Express run more efficiently.

Free Download - Fixes Application problems that stem from registry errors!

To compact Outlook Express, make sure it is offline so that new messages do not disrupt the process. You may need to do this in Safe Mode in order to get Outlook Express to open. If Outlook Express opens, go to File > Folder > Compact all folders. This takes quite a few minutes to complete. Do not run any other programs during this process. You may need to repeat this several times, especially if additional errors are generated. Try at least three times, even going so far as to reboot in between attempts.

If Outlook Express will not open at all, try disabling any anti-spam tools that you might have in your antivirus software package. These can sometimes interfere with Outlook Express loading. Other potential problems involve having an overloaded Inbox or Sent Items folder. Move messages from these folders into local folders. You’ll find that Outlook Express runs much more efficiently when these folders are not overloaded. In addition, you should empty your Deleted Items folder every few days.

Free Download - Fixes Application problems that stem from registry errors!

If you have your original Windows installation disc, you can run the System File Checker utility to check your operating system for damaged or missing files. If Outlook Express is damaged, this utility will replace its damaged files with clean copies from the disc. To run it, insert the disc and go to Start > Run. Type in cmd and click the OK button. Next, type in sfc /scannow and then press the Enter key.

Let the process run and follow any directions given. You’ll need to reboot the computer once the process is complete.

Internet Explorer Not Responding Error

The System File Checker may also solve your Internet Explorer not responding issue. Both Outlook Express and Internet Explorer have been revamped recently, so you may want to upgrade to the latest versions. This too, may solve your problems. Outlook Express has been replaced by Windows Live Mail and Internet Explorer is now in its eighth version, Internet Explorer 8.0.

General Not Responding Errors

Since your computer is generating not responding errors in several programs, it may have too many programs running at once. While you can limit what programs you open yourself, if your computer is running programs that you don’t know about (like spyware and viruses), then you’re obviously not aware that they are running and therefore can’t limit them. That’s where a good antivirus/antispyware program is a must. If you don’t have such a program, we can’t stress the importance of investing in one pronto! If you do currently have a program, update it and run a full system scan.

Next, let’s limit the programs that are loading each time you start Windows. You’ll do this by going to Start > Run and typing in msconfig. Press Enter and click the Startup Items tab. Remove marks by programs that you recognize and don’t need running at all times such as Acrobat Reader. Search the Internet for programs and processes that you don’t recognize before disabling those.

I am wondering if there is a way, other than leaving a copy on the server, to have an email show up on the same Outlook account on two different computers. It just seems odd that you can have it show up on your computer and phone simultaneously, but not two computers…

You’re right, you can set your server to leave the emails on for X amount of days before deletion, and that is the easiest way to do it. If you don’t want to go that route, there are a few ways to accomplish this - like most things, some are easy and may cost money, another is free, but is more cumbersome.

Third-Party Synchronization Software

Although I haven’t tried it myself, I’ve heard good things about a Web-based synchronization freeware tool called Plaxo that is said to sync all Outlook data including contacts, calendar, tasks and notes. I would make this the first stop on your quest, as it promises to be cost-effective and easy to use, while it does what you are looking for.

If that doesn’t work for you and you don’t mind spending some money, the easiest way to go is with some third-party software. There are many companies all over the web that offer this kind of program - two to try are Syncing.net and SynchPST, both of which come with a free trial so you can see how they work before you purchase the program.

Manually Sync the Computers

You can do this by creating a different PST (personal storage table) file for each computer and use the features of Microsoft’s Sync Toy so that the files will sync in only one direction - from the primary computer to the secondary computer. We’re going to walk you through this as if the desktop was the primary computer and the laptop was the secondary computer.

For the desktop, create a PST called desktop on the desktop and a PST called laptop on the laptop. You will then use Sync Toy to echo the files from the primary to the secondary computer. This will only sync the emails, not the address book, etc. The files will get bigger over time, so you will have to compartmentalize them by month or year, depending on how big they get.

One of these methods should work for you, and you should be able to access Outlook from more than one location.

I can’t get current emails, only ones that have been received time and time again, despite deleting them. I can send but not receive emails. I am using Outlook Express. Please help a pensioner with not a lot of technical knowledge?

Remove Email from your Server

When it comes to a problem like this, there is a good chance that there is an email stuck on the server that is interfering with your incoming mail, rather than a problem on your computer. Let’s start with a few troubleshooting steps to clear the server.

Removing the Stuck E-mail Message

Often, a single message in your Inbox will get stuck, causing a blockage. When this happens, you may receive several e-mail messages (often repeats), then the problematic e-mail comes along and cannot be downloaded. None of the emails in line after the problematic message can come through either. When you hit Send and Receive again, the same thing happens, you’ll receive the first few messages before the problematic one and then nothing. The solution is to delete the problematic message. However, this is difficult to do because it hasn’t been downloaded yet!

You can delete it on the server side if you have access to a Web-based version of your e-mail. For example, do you have a Web site where you can check your e-mail online through your ISP? If so, check your e-mail online and delete the troublesome message. If not, contact your ISP and explain that you think a corrupt e-mail is blocking emails from downloading to your computer. They can then delete the message for you.

Contact your ISP for your Account Settings

If the above steps don’t solve the problem, it’s a good idea to verify that your account settings and server settings are properly configured. In order to confirm your settings, you need to have some information about your account. If you have this information in your records, then you’re ready to go. If not, you can get it by contacting your Internet service provider. You will need to know:

1. The email address
2. The type of account you use: POP3, IMAP or HTTP
3. User name and password
4. The SMTP server name or address
5. The POP3 server name or address
6. If a Secure Password Authentication is required
7. The port number for SMTP - usually port 25 - and is encryption required
8. The port number for POP3 - usually port 110 - and is encryption required
9. If the outgoing server require authentication

Check OE Email Account Settings

With this information, you can check your configurations are set properly:

1. Start Outlook Express
2. Choose Tools, then Account Settings
3. Choose the Email tab, then New
4. Choose Microsoft Exchange, POP3, IMAP, or http, then Next
5. Click the box to Manually Configure Server Settings
6. From the Add New Email Account box, choose Internet Email
7. When you get a box listing your setting information, check to confirm that the information is the same as the data your ISP gave you
8. Choose More Settings and confirm that the box for My Outgoing Server (SMTP) is checked or not checked, whichever your ISP told you
9. Click Use Same Settings as My Incoming Mail Server, then OK
10. Click Test Account Settings
11. Click Next and then Finish

Repair your Internet Explorer Installation

If none of this is helpful then you might want to repair your Internet Explorer installation. Since Outlook Express is part of your IE software, this will resolve any issues here too. First, click Start, then Settings, then Control Panel. Choose Add/Remove, then scroll to your IE listing and click to highlight it. Click the Remove button, then on the next screen choose Repair.

I have Vista installed on an HP computer and I can’t seem to open most attachments. I went into Outlook Express/tools/options/security and followed the help suggestions. I am changing from Outlook to MSN but now I can’t seem to open anything. Help?

Opening Email Attachments

So, are you having trouble with attachments in your MSN account too? Or only in the Outlook Express account? The most likely explanation is that your security settings are too high to allow most or all of your attachments through.

Back Up and Review your Antivirus Program Settings

Most, if not all, email programs are equipped with security settings to stop contaminated files from gaining access to your computer system. It is common practice to transmit infected files as email attachments, so these protections are important. Before you make any changes to your Outlook Express settings you should be sure that your antivirus software is up-to-date. Lowering your email security will increase the risk of corrupt or infected files accessing your computer, so make sure that you are covered by another program.

Change Security Settings in Outlook Express

1. Open Outlook Express and choose Tools from the menu
2. Scroll to Options and click the Security tab
3. Click to remove the check from Do Not Allow Attachments to be Saved or Opened that could Potentially be a Virus
4. Click Apply, then OK

Change Security Settings in Windows Live Mail

Outlook Express’s successor, Windows Live Mail, is programmed to block some file types. Certain file extensions, such as .exe, .pif, .scr are commonly used for viruses and pose a real threat to your computer. Since Windows Live Mail is a pretty new program, it is up-to-date in its definitions, and you might think about trusting its judgment. But, if you decide to override the Windows Live Mail security settings, here’s how you can do it. Before you do, make sure your antivirus security software is up-to-date with definitions and enabled.

1. Click Start, then All Programs, then Windows Mail to open the program
2. Choose the Tools menu, then Options
3. Choose the Security tab, and then find the listing for Do Not Allow Attachments to be Saved or Opened that could potentially be a Virus
4. Click to Remove the check from the box to disable this function
5. Click OK
6. Close and quit Windows Live Mail and then reopen the program to allow the changes to take effect

Can saved e-mails on my PC on an AOL account be recovered if they disappeared when I updated my AOL to 9.1 from 9.0? I didn’t know I should have been saving my files to AOL instead of to PC. NOW I KNOW!

Windows System Restore

Hmm, I hope you can recover your files. If this has only just happened, the quickest fix is to use System Restore to roll your computer settings back to the day before you upgraded AOL and back up the ‘Saved to PC’ files. System Restore is a feature of your Windows operating system that allows users to turn back the time on their computers to remove recent changes. In this case, by turning the time on your computer back to before you upgraded AOL, you will be back to the settings from before - this goes for any and all changes you made, so be sure to re-update your security programs and Windows Updates once you’ve sorted out AOL.

AOL and ‘Saved to PC’ Storage Options

What you should know before you change your settings to save to the AOL server rather than to your PC is that AOL only keeps your emails for 30 days, so you should still ‘Save to PC,’ but make sure you routinely back up this folder, especially before you upgrade AOL. Browse the AOL mail tools and features page for more advice and tips on optimizing your account and your settings.

Roll Back Time with System Restore

To roll back your computer with System Restore:

1. Click Start, then choose All Programs
2. Choose Accessories, then System Tools
3. Choose System Restore
4. The wizard will launch - follow the on-screen instructions to choose a roll back date and reset the computer - and finish the process with the wizard

Backup AOL Saved to PC Files

Once you roll back AOL, you can use these steps to back up your ‘Saved to PC’ files, then you can upgrade to AOL 9.1 without losing your older files and mail. Use your operating system’s search function to find a directory called C:\DOCUMENTS AND SETTINGS\ALL USERS\APPLICATION DATA\AOL\C_AMERICA ONLINE 9.0. Here you can find a folder labeled Organize. This is the folder that holds the emails you ‘Saved to PC’. Open, copy and save this entire folder to a backup device, like a CD or flash drive. You can also copy this folder back to this directory after you upgrade 9.1 to get all these files in the same place.

I hope this helps, if you need more help, let us know. Good luck!