Top ten countdown in Outlook Express

Published: June 23, 2005

By Tom Koch

Why does my mail server keep changing to 127.0.0.1 or localhost?

Both 127.0.0.1 and localhost refer to your own computer rather than the mail server. This is a technique used by some anti-virus (AV) programs to intercept mail in order to scan it for viruses. Sometimes this doesn't work properly and Outlook Express is then unable to send or receive messages. The server name in Outlook Express is changed by the program, so no matter how many times you change it to the correct name, it will be changed back by the AV program. It is possible the AV vendor has an update that will correct this, but it is far simpler and more effective just to turn off the e-mail virus scan. As I have explained in a previous column, this scan is not necessary to protect your computer and often creates conflicts with Outlook Express. The AV system scan is all that is needed for full protection. After disabling the e-mail AV scan you can change the server to its correct name and it will remain.

To change the server name:

1.	Click Accounts on the Tools menu.
2.	Click the Mail tab and double-click the problem account.
3.	Click the Server tab and enter the correct name of the server. You might need to contact your Internet Service Provider (ISP) for this information. Disable the email AV scan before you correct the server name.

Why doesn't spell check work?

Outlook Express supports the standard Microsoft spell check engine that is installed by Microsoft Office, Word, FrontPage, Works Suite and some other applications as part of Microsoft proofing tools. If you do not have one of those programs, the spell check in Outlook Express will not work. If you already have the spell check engine verify that Outlook Express is configured to check spelling:

1.	Click Options on the Tools menu.
2.	Click the Spelling tab.
3.	Select the Always check spelling before sending check box. If you clear the box you can still use the spell check by pressing the F7 key.

If spell check still does not work, reinstall the newest application you have that includes the spell check engine.

Sometimes after installing an older version of the spell check engine, the spell check in Outlook Express stops working. That usually can be resolved by restoring a system file from your Windows XP CD-ROM, as described by MVP Michael Stevens. Finally the spell check can be broken by missing or damaged entries in the Windows registry. There are two keys in particular that are prone to damage, and both can affect all versions of Outlook Express 5 and 6. The solutions are fairly easy and are documented in the Knowledge Base articles Spelling checker does not run on message in Outlook Express 5 and Spell Checker or Custom Dictionary Errors in Outlook Express.

Why are messages from a particular person blank or have a "winmail.dat" or blank attachment that cannot be opened?

Both cases indicate that the sender is using Outlook, not Outlook Express, and it is configured for Microsoft Mail or Exchange instead of for Internet mail. Microsoft Mail and Exchange both support Rich Text Format (RTF) or Enriched Text Format (ETF) text, but Outlook Express supports only plain text and HTML format. The formatting code used by RTF and ETF is included in an attachment usually named "winmail.dat," which is meant to be read only by the computer and not by human eyes. To resolve this, ask the sender to resend their message using either plain text or HTML instead of "Rich Text." For more information see Cannot view embedded objects or .rtf, .etf, .dat attachments.

Why do so many of my messages have an attachment icon when they don't have attachments inside?

That usually means that Outlook Express is configured to read all messages as plain text and you are viewing a message that was sent in HTML format. The attachment in this case is not really an attachment at all, merely a visual indication that there is more to the message than you are currently seeing, in particular all the HTML that provides the formatting of the message. You can open this virtual attachment in your browser to read the message in its original format, or you can just press ALT+SHIFT+H (equivalent to clicking Message as HTML on the View menu) to view the message in HTML format in the Outlook Express window. If you prefer to read messages as they were sent instead of as plain text, click Options on the Tools menu, click the Read tab, and then clear the Read all messages in plain text check box.

Why can't I paste pictures into a message?

The Outlook Express message editor is designed for writing HTML and is not a dedicated graphics program. HTML files do not themselves contain images, only links to image files. Therefore the Outlook Express editor needs an image file, not just an image, in order to insert a picture into a message. If you regularly use copy and paste with images, you might want to add IrfanView to your toolkit. It is an extremely popular third-party image and media viewer that allows you to paste images directly and then save them to your hard disk in almost any format you desire, ready to insert into an Outlook Express message. IrfanView is freeware for non-commercial use, and is compatible with all versions of Windows.

How do I make hyperlinks in messages work again?

If clicking a hyperlink in Outlook Express appears to do nothing at all, first verify that there is a properly installed default browser. It is recommended that you make Internet Explorer the default browser at least until the problem is resolved.

For Windows XP:

1.	Click Start, point to All Programs, and then click Set Program Access and Defaults.
2.	Click Custom, and then click on the arrow button to the right of screen to reveal all available Web browser options.
3.	Under Choose a default Web browser, click Internet Explorer, and then click OK.

For other Windows versions:

•	Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
•	Double-click the Internet or Internet Options icon, and then click Programs.
•	Make sure that the Internet Explorer should check to see if it is the default check box is selected, click Apply, and then click OK.
•	Open Internet Explorer, and then click Yes when you receive the following prompt: "Internet Explorer is not currently your default browser. Do you wish to make it the default?"

If hyperlinks are still not working, it's likely one or more registered file associations are configured incorrectly. To repair the associations:

1.	Click Start, click My Computer, and then click Folder Options on the Tools menu.
2.	Click the File Types tab.
3.	Select URL:Hypertext Transfer Protocol in the list of registered file types.
4.	Click the Advanced button (Windows XP), or the Edit button (other versions).
5.	In the list of Actions, select open and then click the Edit button.
6.	The Application used to perform action box should contain this, including quotation marks: "C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer\iexplore.exe" -nohome If instead it contains a short name version of that path, or an incorrect path, change it to the above. Click OK.
7.	Repeat steps 3-7 for the file type URL:Hypertext Transfer Protocol with Privacy.
8.	Click OK to close the Folder Options window. Check the file type association settings if hyperlinks stop working.

For more detail see Internet shortcuts in Outlook Express do not start Web browser.

How can I cancel a message I already sent?

For e-mail messages the short answer is that you can't. Many people who use e-mail at their office are able to cancel sent messages at work. That is possible only because everyone in the office is using the same mail server and the same client software. To work effectively commands like these must be recognized by both the mail server and the mail client software on your recipient's computer. In such a closed and controlled environment it is relatively easy to implement a "cancel" or "supersede" command. However Internet mail is not a closed and controlled environment. The recipient of your message is probably using a different mail server and different mail software. It is therefore not possible to cancel an e-mail message after it leaves the Outbox on your computer. Your best option then is to send another e-mail explaining that the previous message was sent in error.

Canceling a news message is a different matter. There is a standardized cancel command in the Internet news protocols, however it is an optional feature, not a required one, and so some news servers do not support it. If your news server supports it, you can cancel your own messages in Outlook Express provided your cancel message is sent with the same e-mail address and uses the same language encoding as your original. To cancel your own news message:

1.	Wait until your message appears in the newsgroup to which it was sent.
2.	Select your message in the message list and click Cancel Message on the Message menu.

How do I use an out-of-office message in Outlook Express?

This is possible using a message rule in Outlook Express, but you must first determine if it is the best solution. Because Outlook Express message rules exist only on the client computer and not on the mail server itself, Outlook Express must be running and must be configured to check for new messages periodically for message rules to come into action. If you want an out-of-office message to be sent when you go to lunch or a meeting, then a message rule will work perfectly well. If however you want your away message sent because you will be on a beach in the Bahamas for the next two weeks, a message rule doesn't make much sense. Do you really want to leave your computer on with Outlook Express running during that time? The only feasible solution is to implement an automatic message from the mail server, not from Outlook Express. Many Internet Service Providers (ISPs) offer this service as part of your basic Internet subscription, so contact your ISP and ask if and how you can set this up before you hit the beach.

How do I transfer my Outlook Express to a new PC?

If you have access to a Windows XP setup CD, or if both computers are running Windows XP, you can use its Files and Settings Transfer (FAST) wizard to transfer both files and settings for Outlook Express as well as for a very large number of other applications. If you select to transfer only Outlook Express, the wizard creates a single compressed file that contains a copy of your entire Outlook Express Identity, including your mail and news folders, your account settings, your custom views, custom toolbars and all other user settings. You run the wizard on your old computer to create the file, burn the file to CD or other media, then run the wizard again on the new computer and point it to your transfer file. The rest is automatic. MVP Gary Woodruff has written an illustrated guide to using the FAST wizard with screen shots of each step. If you have never used FAST I recommend you start there.

If you do not have access to a Windows XP setup CD, you can still transfer your Outlook Express by using one of the several backup approaches. You just back up on the old computer and then restore the backup copy on the new computer.

How do I back up my Outlook Express?

To back up your mail and news accounts settings:

1.	Click Accounts on the Tools menu.
2.	Select an e-mail or news account and click the Export button.
3.	Select a location for Outlook Express to save the exported file. Its three-letter extension should be IAF.
4.	Repeat steps 2 and 3 for every e-mail and news account.

To restore your accounts:

1.	Click Accounts on the Tools menu.
2.	Click the Import button and Browse to the previously saved IAF file.

To back up your address book:

1.	On the File menu, click Export, and then click Address Book.
2.	Select Text File (Comma Separated Values) and then click the Export button.
3.	Browse to your desired location and type a name for the exported file. The file extension should remain CSV.

To restore your address book:

1.	On the File menu, click Import, and then click Other Address Book.
2.	Select Text File (Comma Separated Values) and then click the Import button.
3.	Browse to locate the previously saved CSV file.

To back up your mail folders:

1.	Click Options on the Tools menu.
2.	On the Maintenance tab, click the Store Folder button.
3.	Press the TAB key to highlight the store folder path, then press CTRL+C to copy it to the clipboard.
4.	Close Outlook Express.
5.	Click Run on the Start menu.
6.	Press CTRL+V to paste the store folder path, and then click OK.
7.	Copy all mail folder DBX files as well as the Folders.DBX file to your backup media. It is not necessary to copy newsgroup DBX files as these cannot normally be imported. It is essential that you include Folders.DBX in your backup.

To restore your mail folders:

1.	Copy the backup copies of your DBX files to a new empty folder on your hard disk.
2.	In Outlook Express click Import on the File menu, then click Messages.
3.	Select Microsoft Outlook Express 6 and click Next.
4.	Select Import mail from an OE6 store directory and click OK.
5.	Browse to the folder with your backup DBX files and click Next.

There are other more comprehensive ways to back up Outlook Express, including the Windows XP FAST wizard, the manual "clone" method described at Inside Outlook Express, as well as third-party commercial backup tools like those found at Windows MarketPlace. MVP David "Majik" Guess has also provided as freeware the OEBackup utility that is widely used by members of the Outlook Express newsgroup community.

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