Hi
I need some Outlook Express help.
It seems to be suffering recently (failing to send messages, freezing and generally being very slow). I have a fairly ok virus protection - so hopefully that is not the problem.
I seem to remember being able to increase the amount of memory you can allocate to Outlook - but I can’t remember where I saw that. Maybe it’s a figment of my imagination, or maybe that isn’t the problem anyway? I have a load of files so maybe that is slowing the program down?
Anyone got any basic tips to help me out of this mess?
Thanks!
Thunderbird. Sorry… easiest solution.
I second what Jaboney said. I had similar problems with Outlook Express when my mail folders reached 2GB. I found this was an issue with OE. I moved to Thunderbird and haven’t looked back (the anti-spam filters alone are worth it).
My mail folders are up to 9GB now, and Thunderbird doesn’t miss a beat.
The transition to Thunderbird is an easy one. When you install the program it will – with your permission – import not only all of your e-mail but also all of your settings from Outlook Express. You won’t need to transfer anything yourself.
Regardless of your program, if you have a zillion files in your inbox or sentbox, you might want to consider making a new folder and putting some in there. And from time to time “compact” your folders in Thunderbird (File --> Compact Folders).
Thanks Jaboney, Fortigurn and cranky laowai.
Jaboney, I almost spat my dummy when I read your reply! You know what it’s like when your computer screws around just when you least need it - I almost smashed it out of frustration. I now appreciate your advice.
So, it seems I need to try Thunderbird from what you are all saying. But, I am VERY NERVOUS about this transfer. I really can’t afford to lose my folders in the transition. Keeping track of my e-mails is critical to my work. I have a lot of folders and I can’t afford to make a mistake.
cranky laowai, are you sure that it will transfer all of my folders for me? I mean, will they end up just as they are now? I like Outlook for its layout (and because it’s all I know) but I DESPISE it for being unreliable - and I can’t keep going on like this.
Any further words of advise or caution would be much appreciated.
BTW - are there any drawbacks for using Thunderbird?
Thanks for everyone’s help.
Spat your dummy? That’s a new one on me, but sounds like fun.
I know exactly what you mean about computer foul ups at the worse possible moment: which is precisely why, after 15 consecutive crash-reboots while working on my thesis, I bought a Mac. 
Used to be the go-to guy for cleaning out viruses and worms: now, I have a tough time remembering where anything on XP is hiding. Some knowledge is just a misuse of mental storage capacity.
I don’t think you have to worry MUCH about the transfer, but to be on the safe side, burn your Outlook mail files to disk first. Then download Thunderbird. If something goes sideways, you should be fine. I managed to recover some Outlook email that way even after moving to Mac.
Drawbacks? Can’t think of any. I’ve never tried to get the most I could out of it, and now do most of my email online because I constantly need to delete stuff to make room on the hd. I’d say it’s as consistently good as any Mozilla project: if you use Firefox, use that to take the measure of Tbird.
Luck.