Member Avatar for bigmuny

I use MSN and for some reason whenever I try to check my email it takes forever and a day for it to open, everything in the email section is extremely slow to open. I have tried everything from removing the Firewall but nothing seems to work...everything else opens basically with the click of the mouse. I use always on DSL and really have no problems with anything else but this friggin email....it sometimes takes up to 5 minutes for me to check my email....now has MSN installed something that I am not aware of..is this just tech problem that comes with the service...this in inself makes me want another ISP...help if you can...

  • 5 Contributors
  • 5 Replies
  • 298 Views
  • 6 Years Discussion Span
  • Latest Post Latest Post by caperjack

Dani AI

Generated

Several posters in this thread (notably and ) describe the same behaviour: the MSN/Hotmail mailbox area takes minutes to open on an always‑on DSL connection even after a firewall was removed. That pattern usually points to one of three things — upstream/server delays, network/DNS/path problems, or something local on the PC (browser, antivirus/mail scanner, or an oversized mailbox) — and the correct fix depends on which of those is the cause.

A few technical notes useful for diagnosing older Windows 9x/Me setups: modern webmail pages are heavier and can stall old browser engines or low‑memory systems; on‑access antivirus or HTTP/email content scanning can add seconds or minutes as each page or message is inspected; DNS or routing problems produce long waits before the mail page even begins to load. ’s earlier comment about comparing access methods is on the right track — different access paths expose different failure points.

Recommended isolation sequence (short and practical):

  1. Check the same account from a different device or network (phone or another PC) to see if the problem is account/service-wide or machine-specific.
  2. Use an alternate browser or run the browser with add‑ons disabled.
  3. Test the network path with simple tools to see where latency shows up, for example:
    ping hotmail.com -n 10
tracert hotmail.com
  4. Temporarily disable real‑time antivirus/HTTP scanning for a quick test (do not leave protection off).
  5. Reduce mailbox size: archive or delete large folders, empty Junk, and disable automatic external image downloads.
  6. Clear the browser cache and close other programs to free RAM on Win9x/Me.

Interpreting results: if multiple devices are slow, the issue is likely upstream (provider/service or DNS); if only one machine is affected, the culprit is local (browser, AV, mailbox size, or the age of the OS/browser). The isolation steps above show which axis to pursue (network vs. local) and point to the appropriate remedy without guessing.

Recommended Answers

All 5 Replies

Member Avatar for Dani

Have you tried checking your mail by going to www.hotmail.com ? The Hotmail website was having some problems awhile back and I'm not sure if MSN Mail is just really Hotmail with a new skin or not.

Also, did you know that you can check @ and @hotmail.com mail through Microsoft Outlook or Outlook Express?

Are you behind a router, switch, or hub? Do you use a 3rd party firewall such as Norton or McAfee or do you use the Microsoft XP built-in firewall? Oh, wait, nevermind, this is posted in the Windows9x/Me forum ;)

Member Avatar for meme13

Same problem here...no fix so far...It's irritating!

Member Avatar for caperjack

Same problem here...no fix so far...It's irritating!

imagine almost 6 yrs to the day and msn still sucks ,
check date on original post .
you really should start your own thread and explain your problem ,don't just say same problem here , also what if anything have you tied to fix your problem

Edited by caperjack because: n/a
Member Avatar for goneta

Woo can Teach me to Open Email Address with MSN or HOTMAIL .. please HURRY

Member Avatar for caperjack

Woo can Teach me to Open Email Address with MSN or HOTMAIL .. please HURRY

1-2-3 click

Be a part of the DaniWeb community

We're a friendly, industry-focused community of developers, IT pros, digital marketers, and technology enthusiasts meeting, networking, learning, and sharing knowledge.