Member Avatar for blackaws1

I have been have a slow startup problem with Outlook Express for tha last few days and narrowed it down to a piece of junk from Microsoft call Silverlight. Once it was removed my Outlook Express now starts with the speed it use to before I installed Siverlight. I thought this might help someone with the same problem.

Blackaws1

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A short expert note tying the thread together for future visitors.

reported a noticeable startup delay that went away after removing a recently added component, and and were right to question a direct causal link. Correlation can point toward the cause, but it is best to confirm with a few isolated tests before assuming any one component is the culprit.

Quick diagnostic checklist (in order):

  • Boot Windows into Safe Mode (or Safe Mode with Networking) and try Outlook Express. If it starts quickly there, a third‑party driver, service, or shell extension is likely involved.
  • Do a Clean Boot with msconfig (disable non‑Microsoft services and startup items), reboot, then re-enable items one at a time to find the offender.
  • Temporarily disable any antivirus or mail‑scanning add‑on. Many AV products hook mail clients and can cause delays.
  • Check the message store and index size (Tools → Options → Maintenance → Store Folder). Back up the .dbx files before modifying. Compact folders and test with a new, empty store or identity to see if corruption is the problem.
  • Inspect Event Viewer (Application/System logs) for errors that coincide with startup time.
  • Use Process Explorer/Process Monitor to capture file or registry access stalls during startup; this quickly shows which DLLs or files are being queried.
  • Run system file check with sfc /scannow if system DLLs may be damaged.
  • As a last step, consider creating a new Windows/Outlook Express identity or performing an XP repair install after backing up data.

Always back up mail store files and the registry before making changes. If a specific uninstall (for example a browser plugin) fixed the issue for someone here, use the above steps to confirm and to avoid removing things you may need.

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Member Avatar for jbennet

Thats wierd, silverlight should have nothing to do with outlook.

Member Avatar for Robdale

Hello blackaws1, thats very strange, jbennet is right it should have nothing to do with outlook express. Could you please tell us more about your problem in detail? so that we can help something out.

Member Avatar for jbennet

dont install silverlight if you dont need it anyway

its optional.

Member Avatar for blackaws1

that was one of the many problems, but all are solved now as I did a fix on XP.


Blackaws1

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