Member Avatar for ITXP

Hi there,

I have recently been asked to solve a problem that i have not come across before and was looking for any advice possible.

I have read through other related messages on your forum and i have not found this problem but have picked up some useful ideas.

When using Hotmail via www.hotmail.com everything works perfectly until i send / reply to a message.

The message is sent and the recipient does get a message however the body text is completly missing leaving a blank email.

Looking in sent items the body text is full of html code. The computer is running windows XP and Internet Explorer 6 Sp2.

I know the fault is related to the actual PC as the person is able to send email perfectly using another computer using the same hotmail account.

Using outlook express linked to his hotmail account works perfectly however I would like to solve this unuseral problem.

The computer has been rolled back 7 days using system restore to before this problem surfaced, and the same problem ocours.

I have read in a previouse thred that downloading the latest .NET framework may help with the new hotmail web site, and i will be doing that at the first possible opportunity. However does anyone else have any other ideas?

Thanks in advance for any advice...

Best Wishes

Paul Bishop

  • 7 Contributors
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  • 4 Years Discussion Span
  • Latest Post Latest Post by larry2148

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Generated

Short diagnosis and why this looks local
The fact that Outlook Express and another PC send the same Hotmail account correctly (as noted) points to a problem on that Windows profile or in Internet Explorer on that machine, not a Hotmail server bug. Microsoft’s IE troubleshooting guidance recommends checking for per‑user problems and testing with a different Windows/IE profile to isolate browser-specific causes. (See Microsoft’s IE troubleshooting guide.)
(https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/troubleshooting-guide-for-internet-explorer-when-you-access-microsoft-365-azure-or-intune-3357db11-b8a9-5f35-46a3-2ca2161fde82)

What typically causes the “body disappears / Sent shows raw HTML” pattern
Browser add‑ons, toolbars or security software can block the web editor’s client‑side script or the temporary HTML file the editor writes before sending; when that happens the message can be sent with HTML source only or arrive blank. Community reports show antivirus engines blocking the temp HTML (examples in Thunderbird threads) and IE add‑ons/toolbars are a common root cause. Resetting IE or testing in No‑Addons mode often fixes this class of issues.
(Mozilla discussion: https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/1075713)
(Microsoft on IE add‑ons / reset: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/previous-versions/troubleshoot/browsers/stability-performance/ie-opens-flashes-and-closes-immediately-when-starting)

Targeted checks (do these in order; stop when fixed)

  • Test quickly in a different Windows user account (creates a clean profile) — if it works there the problem is per‑user. (This matches ’s observation that a new profile fixed it.)
  • Run IE in “No Add‑ons” mode → if it works, enable add‑ons one‑by‑one to find the culprit. (See Microsoft guidance above.)
  • Temporarily disable web/mail‑scanning features of antivirus (or add an exception for the temp HTML file) and test — some AV products intercept temp files used by mail editors. (See the Mozilla thread.)
  • Check temp file handling: open a command prompt and run echo %TEMP% then verify that folder exists, isn’t full, and is writable; Windows temp/TMP handling can change and break apps that rely on temp HTML files. (Microsoft article on temp path behavior.)
  • Repair Windows/IE components: run the DISM + SFC sequence (DISM /Online /Cleanup-image /RestoreHealth then sfc /scannow) to fix corrupt system/IE files. (Microsoft SFC/DISM guidance.)

Workarounds and next steps
If the checks above don’t resolve it, keep using Outlook Express or another browser as a workaround; collecting a copy of the raw Sent HTML (or the temp filename it references) can help narrow whether an AV or a temp‑file permission problem is the cause. Many posters here reported success after an IE reset () or after creating a fresh user profile (), so a profile reset or clean IE state is a sensible final step.

Useful references: Microsoft IE troubleshooting (above), Microsoft temp/GetTempPath note (https://support.microsoft.com/en-au/topic/gettemppath-changes-in-windows-february-cumulative-update-preview-4cc631fb-9d97-4118-ab6d-f643cd0a7259), and Microsoft SFC guidance (https://support.microsoft.com/kb/929833).

Recommended Answers

All 12 Replies

Member Avatar for lostinthemist

Hi ... I am having the same problem with my hotmail...i will try to use my other lap top to send and recieve these emails until someone figures out what happened. This started immediately after msn did their upgrade and changed the overall layout of my hotmail page and after i was required to update messenger. Several of my friends are having the same problem. I would appreciate any help or advice anyone can give...i don't know very much about computers, so step by step instructions would be appreciated. thanks, lostinthemist

Member Avatar for lostinthemist

ummm...i had also considered sacrificing a lamb...praying to the cyber gods...and throwing the computer out the window...guess i am frustrated with msn

lost

Member Avatar for Zachery

i have no clue why it wouldnt be working :\


try clearing your cached files to start with

Member Avatar for ITXP

Thanks for letting me know that i am not the only one that this is happening to.

Just for the record I have now added the .Net framework and that has made no difference. I will be trying clearing the browesers cache asap.

If anyone spots any info elsewhere please drop it in here and i will love you all forever ;)

Member Avatar for Zachery

try using a differnt browser, such as mozilla, if it effects mozi/fb it sounds like more than just an IE problem

Member Avatar for ITXP

Thanks once again, It is not my computer that is having the problem so i am unable to install mozilla etc to check if it helps. The person who has the problem is a beginner, and i have talked them through setting up outlook to check the email

Member Avatar for ITXP

*sigh* Clearing the cache didn't change the problem, however there is one new peice of information gained this time.

When send is clicked, just before the page is replaced with the 'Your message has been sent' page the text in the message window vanishes leaving an empty window.

The person has tried saving a copy to sent items as well as saving a draft copy. With both of these methods the body text is not there and he described HTML code in its place.

He is sending me a copy of the code now using outlook express so i should have more of a clue soon

Member Avatar for sugar_sugar

I am having the same problem, I tried to creat a new profile for me on the same computer "no peoblem at all!!!"
I know its weared but creating a new profile is hard selution, please help my supervisor is having the same problem :S

Member Avatar for Harry@ASSIST

I had the same problem as Paul Bishop and in desperation tried to reset the Internet Explorer which fixed the problem. In IE7 go to Tools, Internet Options, Advanced, Reset Internet Explorer Settings. Great success! It dumps History, caches, etc. It also fixed a chronic problem of not being able to remember the password when I tried to save it.
Harry Hanbury

Member Avatar for The Dude

Welcome to the site Harry :)

Im glad you corrected your problem!!

Happy holidays!

Member Avatar for larry2148

Hey I found a solution to this problem.

Member Avatar for larry2148

I had the same problem as Paul Bishop and in desperation tried to reset the Internet Explorer which fixed the problem. In IE7 go to Tools, Internet Options, Advanced, Reset Internet Explorer Settings. Great success! It dumps History, caches, etc. It also fixed a chronic problem of not being able to remember the password when I tried to save it.
Harry Hanbury

Hey I think i just posted in the wrong area, so here is the solution again that I found:

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