I still can’t get my mail from Outlook… I tried installing another email client app, and it won’t pull mail in either…
In the Outlook help docs, it suggests doing an sfc/ scannow scan.
Is this a good thing to do? Is it relatively safe? If it doesn’t solve my problem, will I have made anything worse? Would there be any danger of losing other apps, or turning my PC (W10) into a big black brick?
OOPS I meant this for IMHO, not Cafe. My blunder. Could a nice mod please move it for me?
Good thing. It just finds and fixes problems.
I haven’t supported anything Outlook for about two decades, and that was the express version. That command isn’t really an Outlook-specific fix, though. It’s a system file check. It’s unlikely to break anything, but I won’t say it’s not going to.
I’d ask for what error you are getting, but I don’t even remember how to configure Outlook to show you the errors it’s having. But without knowing what that error is, you’re just shooting in dark.
If the other email client won’t retrieve mail and it’s configured properly, then sfc is really unlikely to fix anything, either. Have you checked if the mail server is down?
[Moderating]
Moved.
Have you tried starting Outlook in Safe Mode?
How about compatibility mode?
Just FYI, you have the space in the wrong place. It’s sfc /scannow . The first is the name of the command. The part after it is a “switch” or option, and it starts with a / character to distinguish it from a filename.
Very true, but I just did some experiments and Windows 7’s Command Shell (at least) doesn’t seem to care about whitespace. What OP titled the post with works as well as the syntactically correct version you describe.
Still, better to be correct than count on a component of Windows to understand what you mean. :o
If a separate mail client is not pulling mail the issue probably isn’t Outlook. If your mail service has OWA or another webmail interface check if the mail is at least making it to your box.
You can also create a new profile in Outlook if it suddenly starts working, import the mail from your old profile.
I haven’t tried those; I definitely will!
I suspect the problem is at the Windows level, though, because I can’t “repair” the account in the Windows settings. Also, another email client app didn’t work.
Embarrassment. I darn well ought to have known that, having been a Unix sysadmin for some years. (Dashes instead of slashes, but same idea.)
I guess I’ll take my chances…
I can get my mail via browser, from gmail.com; I just can’t use a client app to slurp the messages down to my pc. Bummer, because I like to archive my stuff in Outlook .pst files.
(Darn if I know why. Nobody is EVER going to read them!)
Thank you all and all for advice (and Chronos for moving the thread. Sheesh. People as clumsy as I am ought not to be allowed admin privileges on computers!)
Webmail and email clients usually don’t use the same protocol to communicate with your email.Only if you use your webmail to access another account do they use the same protocols.
I’d very much suspect the server is down or has some weird protections turned on (like Microsoft’s email) that you need to bypass. The only system file I could think might actually be a problem is something in charge of encryption. Otherwise, different email programs should use different files.
That is, unless there’s something wrong with your Internet connection itself. But I would expect that to manifest in other ways. Still, do check your Internet options.
I can’t imagine the gmail server being down for extended periods of time. It’d be headline news, wouldn’t it?
I have AVG anti-virus, which conceivably could be interfering…but the problem wasn’t there before, so it would have to have come with an AVG update. Not impossible. I’m trying to work up my courage to turn protection off as a test. (Like making love without protection!)
I’m far from an expert…I’m only barely competent. That’s why I’m so happy to be in a forum where there are people (all y’all!) who know these things! Thank’ee!
Ah right. This is a known issue. Either you need to downgrade security on your GMail account or generate an app password for Outlook.
See https://www.howtogeek.com/174837/how-to-add-your-gmail-account-to-outlook-2013-using-imap/ and Sign in with app passwords - Gmail Help
Quartz: Thank you for the link… I’m stuck, right off the bat. When I go to Gmail, my screen looks nothing like the screen in the link! The pic they show has headings of Images, Mail, Drive, Calendar, etc. My screen has none of that, only an inbox list and a red “compose” button. A calendar would be sweet!
Sigh. I think I’m screwn.
Skip the first picture and go to the second.
Cool! Thank you!