# How does the WinXP logon screen know that I have unread e-mail? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 16, 2006, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-the-winxp-logon-screen-know-that-i-have-unread-e-mail/376703 "2006-10-16T23:53:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2006, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-the-winxp-logon-screen-know-that-i-have-unread-e-mail/376703/1 "2006-10-16T23:53:51Z")
A few seconds after I push the power button, the logon screen appears. Without even logging on, under my name it reads “You have 55 unread e-mail messages” or somesuch. This is prior to my logging on, so how can the OS get access to my e-mail app to find out how many unread I have? Secondly, I _don’t_ have 55 unread e-mail messages. I have no unread e-mail messages. So the message is just plain wrong. Where does WinXP get this information? ---
**Author:** ![c\_goat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f4b2a3/32.png) [@c\_goat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/c_goat)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2006, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-the-winxp-logon-screen-know-that-i-have-unread-e-mail/376703/2 "2006-10-17T01:16:06Z")
I get that from using Mozilla Thunderbird. I’m assuming it sets some sort of system registry value or something, and the logon screen checks it. What email app do you use? Try going to your inbox (or maybe other folders) and selecting all the messages and find the “mark as read” option. ---
**Author:** ![c\_goat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f4b2a3/32.png) [@c\_goat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/c_goat)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2006, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-the-winxp-logon-screen-know-that-i-have-unread-e-mail/376703/3 "2006-10-17T01:23:17Z")
Ok, I found it. Like I thought, it was a registry key. Some application on your system must have set it (apparently in error, as you say). You can clear it out manually if you like. Start-\>Run Enter “regedit” Browse to: HKEY\_CURRENT\_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\UnreadMail Change the MessageCount value to 0 Exit Interestingly enough, on my system there’s also an Application value, which has the path to Mozilla Thunderbird. If you have one, you can tell which application did it. ---
**Author:** ![c\_goat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f4b2a3/32.png) [@c\_goat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/c_goat)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2006, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-the-winxp-logon-screen-know-that-i-have-unread-e-mail/376703/4 "2006-10-17T01:24:52Z")
Haha, slight correction, under the UnreadMail is another folder which is your email address. That’s where the MessageCount and Application things are. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2006, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-the-winxp-logon-screen-know-that-i-have-unread-e-mail/376703/5 "2006-10-17T02:21:36Z")
Conversely, if you have a .Net Passport account (usually hotmail or [msn.com](http://msn.com) email) associated with your Windows User Account (Start - Settings - Control Panel - User Accounts - .NET Passport), it will tell you how many Hotmail/MSN.com emails you have. I do believe this only applies when you have Windows Messenger set to run on startup, but I could be wrong. ---
**Author:** ![xash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/c6cbf5/32.png) [@xash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xash)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2006, 8:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-the-winxp-logon-screen-know-that-i-have-unread-e-mail/376703/6 "2006-10-17T08:35:33Z")
You can use Microsoft’s Tweak UI app to reset or disable the count: > **[HowTo Archives - HowTo-Outlook](https://www.howto-outlook.com/howto)** > > Guides for Microsoft Outlook, Exchange and Office 365. ---
**Author:** ![RumMunkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b19c9b/32.png) [@RumMunkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RumMunkey)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2006, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-the-winxp-logon-screen-know-that-i-have-unread-e-mail/376703/7 "2006-10-17T12:02:59Z")
> [@](#): > > Change the MessageCount value to 0 No, no… change it to “_69, 995, 824_”. If you’re going into the registry anyway, have a little fun with it. Geesh! ---
**Author:** ![zeno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zeno/32/15040_2.png) [@zeno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zeno)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2006, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-the-winxp-logon-screen-know-that-i-have-unread-e-mail/376703/8 "2006-10-17T15:57:41Z")
I see that message and I have no idea where the mail is! ---
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2006, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-the-winxp-logon-screen-know-that-i-have-unread-e-mail/376703/9 "2006-10-18T00:06:31Z")
I dug through the registry and it turned out to be a hotmail account that I haven’t used in months - before I even bought this laptop over the summer. I guess I signed into hotmail once using this laptop and the OS just took it upon itself to make the association between me and that email account. :dubious: