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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

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Dani AI

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Seeing msimn.exe peg the CPU and Outlook Express hang right when you switch to Inbox almost always points to a damaged or oversized DBX file, usually Inbox.dbx or Folders.dbx. That matches ’ pattern: OE opens, but freezes the moment Inbox is touched.

Try this, in order:

  • Close OE. In Task Manager end msimn.exe so it is fully closed.

  • If you can open OE briefly: Tools -> Options -> Maintenance -> Store Folder to copy the path. If not, the default on XP is roughly:

    %USERPROFILE%\Local Settings\Application Data\Identities\{GUID}\Microsoft\Outlook Express

    (Show hidden files in Explorer to see it.)

  • Back up the entire Outlook Express folder. Then rename Inbox.dbx to Inbox.backup and Folders.dbx to Folders.backup. Start OE; new clean files will be created. If OE now opens normally, import old mail via File -> Import -> Messages -> Outlook Express 6 -> Import mail from an OE6 store directory and point it at your backup. Skip importing the old Inbox if it was the culprit.

  • If a single bad message is the issue, disable the Preview Pane (View -> Layout -> uncheck Preview Pane), then delete the suspect top message before re-enabling it.

  • As a diagnostic, temporarily turn off your antivirus’s email scanning module (leave real-time file protection on). Some scanners hook OE and can trigger 100% CPU with large or malformed messages.

Prevention tips:

  • Keep Inbox small (treat it as an in/out tray, not storage). Create archive folders and move mail out regularly.
  • Compact regularly: File -> Folder -> Compact All Folders. Do this with plenty of free disk space and do not interrupt it.
  • If problems persist, test with a fresh Identity (File -> Identities -> Add New Identity). If the new one works, the original store is corrupt; import only the needed folders.

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Member Avatar for Dani

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.

Member Avatar for 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

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