# My Outlook Express is unstable **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 21, 2005, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-outlook-express-is-unstable/291241 "2005-02-21T22:11:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![x-ray\_vision](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/x-ray_vision/32/351_2.png) [@x-ray\_vision](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/x-ray_vision)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2005, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-outlook-express-is-unstable/291241/1 "2005-02-21T22:11:15Z")
I use Verizon DSL service with MSN premium. Several months ago I started using OE to read my MSN mail. As time has gone on it has gotten worse and worse. The past few days I have to keep restarting OE, Its taking several seconds to delete each e-mail and I keep getting messages like this when starting OE: Unable to poll for new messages on your HTTP server. Account: ‘[http://oe.msn.msnmail.hotmail.com/cgi-bin/hmdata](http://oe.msn.msnmail.hotmail.com/cgi-bin/hmdata)’, Server: ‘[http://oe.msn.msnmail.hotmail.com/cgi-bin/hmdata](http://oe.msn.msnmail.hotmail.com/cgi-bin/hmdata)’, Protocol: HTTPMail, Server Response: ‘Service Unavailable.’, Port: 0, Secure(SSL): No, Error Number: 0x800CCCF0 I use automatic update for Windows XP and have an antivirus running all the time. Does anyone have any ideas on how to make things more stable? I don’t really want to switch e-mail clients unless this can’t be fixed. ---
**Author:** ![x-ray\_vision](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/x-ray_vision/32/351_2.png) [@x-ray\_vision](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/x-ray_vision)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2005, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-outlook-express-is-unstable/291241/2 "2005-02-21T22:16:42Z")
Hmm, I just tried using OE with my Gmail acct. and things are working smooth and quickly. Could it be that I have too many e-mail messages stored in my MSN account? ---
**Author:** ![USCDiver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/uscdiver/32/354_2.png) [@USCDiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/USCDiver)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2005, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-outlook-express-is-unstable/291241/3 "2005-02-21T23:23:38Z")
I’ve had problems with OE losing contact with Hotmail lately. It will say that there are no folders to synchronize for a while, then it’ll find the folders several minutes or hours later. Probably related to your problem because I get the same error message very frequently. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2005, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-outlook-express-is-unstable/291241/4 "2005-02-21T23:48:15Z")
I don’t have any solution to your problem, but if you keep having problems with Outlook Express then you might try switching to [Thunderbird](http://www.mozilla.org/products/thunderbird/), the mail client from the people who brought you the Firefox browser. I switched from Outlook to Thunderbird recently, and i don’t regret the change. The only problem with Thunderbird is if you have a web-based email account that uses proprietary protocols then you won’t be able to read it using Thunderbird. For example, Hotmail’s protocols can’t be read by regular POP mail clients; you have to use a Microsoft product like Outlook or Outlook Express. I don’t know anything about MSN mail, so i don’t know if it supports regular POP mail, and Thunderbird’s FAQ section doesn’t mention it. I know that Thunderbird does support Gmail. ---
**Author:** ![barbitu8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/839c29/32.png) [@barbitu8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/barbitu8)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2005, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-outlook-express-is-unstable/291241/5 "2005-02-22T00:10:45Z")
I don’t synchronize my Hotmail with OE. I just click on MSN Messenger to read my Hotmail accounts. When I open my OE, Hotmail automatically logs me on and gives me an alert telling me how many messages I have. If you’re having trouble accessing the Hotmail in OE, why not try unsynchronizing? ---
**Author:** ![x-ray\_vision](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/x-ray_vision/32/351_2.png) [@x-ray\_vision](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/x-ray_vision)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2005, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-outlook-express-is-unstable/291241/6 "2005-02-22T00:29:32Z")
How do I unsynchronize? ☹ ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2005, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-outlook-express-is-unstable/291241/7 "2005-02-22T00:44:42Z")
> [@x-ray vision](#): > > How do I unsynchronize? ☹ Look at [this tutorial](http://www.webappeal.com/directory/Tutorials/hotmail1.html). It seems that you should be able to go to the folders in your OE panel, right click, and then select from the context menu: Synchronization Settings \> Don’t Synchronize Doing this for each folder, including your Inbox, should fix the problem. Look [here](http://email.about.com/cs/oetipstricks/qt/et092302.htm) also for more info. ---
**Author:** ![barbitu8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/839c29/32.png) [@barbitu8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/barbitu8)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2005, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-outlook-express-is-unstable/291241/8 "2005-02-22T03:00:34Z")
Go to OE \>Tools\>Accounts\>Remove and remove your hotmail email address. If you wish to add it go to OE\>Tools\>Accounts\>Add and then add it. ---
**Author:** ![x-ray\_vision](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/x-ray_vision/32/351_2.png) [@x-ray\_vision](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/x-ray_vision)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2005, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-outlook-express-is-unstable/291241/9 "2005-02-22T17:05:35Z")
Thanks **barbitu8** and **mhendo**. I’m guessing the reason I’m having problems is because it seems MSN Premium is incompatible with OE. I found this on the Verizon web-site. > [@](#): > > Please note that because MSN Premium comes with features to help protect your e-mail that are not included with previous versions of MSN, MSN Premium does not recommend the use of Outlook or Outlook Express. I looked on the Hotmail website and it seems their MSN Hotmail Plus service is compatible with OE: > [@](#): > > Access MSN Hotmail with Microsoft > Office Outlook® or Outlook Express > Download and store MSN Hotmail messages on your PC. Read and compose messages when you’re not online. I started [another thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=5870658#post5870658) asking if anyone knew of an e-mail service that can do what I’m looking for. I might have to give MSN Hotmail Plus a try.