Outlook Express freezes up - CPU usage at 99%

[cavoiles]

Help! Outlook Express is freezing up when I try to open it (generally) and when I do get it to open, it freezes up if I go from a mail folder to my Inbox. When I check Task Manager, it shows that msimn.exe is using 99% of the CPU.

I have all the Windows patches; I reloaded Windows last night (yuck). It's still happening. I have run a virus scan and have run Pest Patrol to see what else might be lurking - but nothing shows up. I've seen some mention that the NVidia driver could be causing this, but I don't think I have this driver. I've added no new hardware or software to the computer lately.

Suggestions? I'm definitely not a computer tech person, so I don't have a clue where to start.

Thanks,

Carol

[cscgal]

Hmm, I don't know what msimn.exe is. I use Outlook, not Outlook Express, so I guess that's the correct exe. Question for you: does Internet Explorer ever crash on you? Do you use Windows Messenger or MSN Messenger by any chance? If not, try going into the Outlook Express preferences and disable the option to "Enable Instant Messaging with Microsoft Outlook Express" or something of that sort. I have had problems with that in the past making Outlook hang.

You say you just reformatted your computer. Did this start happening right from the start? Were you able to set up your mailbox (email address, pop3/smtp server, etc) without it hanging?

It seems like it might be some software or drivers that you re-installed after you reformatted. After you reformatted, did you try out Outlook Express first thing before installing anything else? Did it work then? After what did you install when it stopped working?

Also, if you have an Nvidia video card, you have Nvidia drivers installed. You can always go to the www.nvidia.com website and download the latest drivers (sometimes this fixes freezing issues.) If you don't do this, Microsoft installs stripped down (and old) versions of the drivers itself.

[cavoiles]

I'll try to answer some of your answers. No, Explorer does not crash. I don't have Instant Messenger enabled, and haven't ever used MSN Messenger. This hanging up didn't start until about 3 weeks ago, happened only occasionally, then began to increase in frequency. Last week it happened almost every time I opened Outlook Express. I scanned for Viruses and the like, found nothing. Reinstalled XP (but nothing else) and it continued to happen. This week, it's hardly happened at all. Beats me...

I've tried to see if I have a NVidia driver/card, but I don't see one listed when I look at my system info. Some of the stuff is just described as "unknown" or something like that.

Carol

[Lukecro]

RE: Outlook Express Crash/Freeze

I was having a similiar problem. Perhaps the solution I came up with could help those posting here.

See my thread (and solution) here:

http://www.daniweb.com/techtalkforums/thread10656.html

Also, another similiar thread is running here:

http://www.daniweb.com/techtalkforums/showthread.php?p=54539#post54539

good luck,

Lukecro :cool:

[PoA]

This might help you. http://www.daniweb.com/techtalkforums/thread9883.html