Outlook Express suddenly won't connect

[Plado]

Anyone know the cure or cause for when Outlook Express 5 ( I think) on a W 98 computer suddenly stops bringing up a Dial Up window when you click Send/Rec and have mail queued to send.

The settings in Internet Options for IE5 are apparently un changed as Always dial my default connection.

After the owner of the PC downloaded a suspicious email with Mime attachment and tried to open it, he's getting this failure to connect unless he dials up manually using DUN and clicking the shortcut to dial up.

Is this an Online/Offline switch problem or do you think he's got a virus corruption? Client for Microsoft Networks is all in the right places. A scan with Norton showed no viruses present.

I'd be glad of a few ideas to try out when I visit the offending PC tomorrow.
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Plado

[Play_The_0dds]

if you have removed all the virus corruption, double check with a online scan.
http://www.pandasoftware.com/actives..._principal.htm
reinstall 98 over it's self, as long as you dont format you wont have to reinstall anything, not even enter the product key, and all of your files will still be there. windows 98 seems to work better after a reinstall. when i used to load it on people's computers after i had everything the way i wanted it, i would reistall it over it's self and it just seemed alot more stable, so it really isnt a bad thing to have to do. this will fix your problem and save alot of hairpulling in the process.

[Plado]

Thank you Known Crim.
Darned good looking advice there. I'll begin by making a note of the "live" scan service. Anything that is not enforced use of Norton stuff is a bonus in my book.

I'll try to get the owner to dig out his Windows 98 installation disk. I bet he hasn't got it. It was one of those Dell computers that came with everything installed and everything else integrated on the motherboard so you have one thing go down the whole lot does. But I'll try your remedies and if I get stuck I'll come back here and call you a rotten criminal !!
Cheers
Plado

[Play_The_0dds]

you can go to the microsoft site and get a outlookexpress update and take it up to oe6 the install of the new one may fix the problem with the mail. i was thinking if any other programs were effected this would be a fix all if you had a 98 cd.

[Plado]

Oh dear KC do you want a good laugh !
I tried to install W 98 over the top of the existing one and got stuck in a nightmare scenario. I told him you had advised it and believe me he was cursing you. !!
Anhow what happened was it got stuck when it was trying to do the last ten minutes of the install and was in the beginning stages of filling up the START Programs menu.

It hung and hung for over an hour and we realized it just wasn't going to finish. I tried again and it hung again every time at that same spot.

Eventually I gave up. I was only able to get back into SAFE mode and told him he can't go on the internet or do his online banking or play live chess or do email and he's gonna have to go out and buy Windows XP and format the hard drive or buy a new computer. That made him very cross as he'd lose his borrowed copy of Sibelius Composer software.

Eventually he took the PC to a guy 20 miles away who used to fix schools computers and he discovered it was sticking because I'd neglected to switch off his Windows Anti Virus software. But even after that the poor guy had big aggro with Drivers for the US Robotics modem built in to the motherboard.

But he tells me its up and running now. All I got was a free lunch and no beer for my troubles ! Oh well you win some you lose some. Can't take a joke, he shouldn't have joined !

I've learned something now at least.
Plado