Member Avatar for djm123

I thought if you click on anything in the system tray it should take you directly to that application. On my mail....IF I get NEW mail, I have to click on the system tray application and close it & re open the outlook express from the title bar area...

One would THINK that you should be able to just access it from the icon, ect in the system tray. I wonder why I have to close it, & reopen it from the title bar..Any ideas? :?:

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by goldeagle2005

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— the behaviour you describe usually means the little tray image you click is not the Outlook Express main window but a transient mail notifier or a different helper process. First goal is to identify the owner of that tray icon: hover the icon to read the tooltip or right‑click the icon for its menu, and use Sysinternals Process Explorer’s “Find Window’s Process” (drag the crosshair onto the icon) to see which process created it. Outlook Express’s program file is msimn.exe, so if the owning process is not msimn.exe the icon won’t restore OE. (documentation.help)

Quick, reliable checklist (in order):

  1. Hover the icon and note the tooltip text; try single‑click and double‑click.
  2. Close Outlook Express completely (verify msimn.exe is gone in Task Manager) and watch whether the tray icon disappears — if it stays, that icon belongs to another program.
  3. If the icon disappears with OE closed, reopen OE and use Process Explorer to drag the finder onto the icon to confirm ownership.
  4. If a third‑party notifier owns the icon (antivirus, ISP helper, mail notifier), use its menu or disable it; if OE owns it but clicking only shows a new‑mail indicator, that indicator may be transient and not intended to restore the full client. (documentation.help)

If Outlook Express is the issue: OE on older Windows doesn’t always provide a persistent “minimize to tray” control. To get a stable tray icon (so a click reliably opens OE) use a small helper that adds minimize‑to‑tray behaviour (for example, HideOE is a commonly used utility), or keep an OE shortcut in Quick Launch for one‑click access. (softpedia.com)

, and have the right instincts: check whether icons are being hidden and whether the icon actually belongs to OE. The two diagnostic facts that settle this quickly are the tooltip text shown over the tray icon and the process name that owns it (msimn.exe or something else).

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Member Avatar for J_Search

djm123,

What do you mean by:

I have to click on the system tray application and close it & re open the outlook express from the title bar area...

When you say "title bar" do you mean task bar?

And yes, you are right with your assumption about clicking system tray icons and going directly to the application. Perhaps I’m the only one, but I'm just a little confused as to what your EXACT problem is.

Can you view new mail if you just click the OE icon in the task bar? Or is your issue that OE does not open when you click the icon in the system tray?

J_

Member Avatar for MartyMcFly

I had a look around, and it sounds like an XP Bug.

Try, disabling the hide system tray icons;

Right-click the task-bar, and select properties. Clear the Check box for the option at the bottom, "Hide Inactive icons".

Also disable Automatic Login if you use it. Best way is to add a password to your account, (mostly because having a Password on your account is a very good idea!!).

Member Avatar for goldeagle2005

I don't think Outlook Express even places an icon in the system tray...
MS Outlook does, and double clicking this icon launches MS Outllok fine..

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