Activate Outlook Express Troubleshooter

Deep inside Outlook Express there’s a handy little utility that can be invaluable for tracking down faults, especially when it comes to OE not sending mail. With this Propellerhead Top Tip you activate it by going to Tools > Options and select the Maintenance tab.

At the bottom, under Troubleshooting, you will see a row of boxes, check the first one, marked ‘Mail’. Now when you send an email (or fail to do so) OE creates a text log file that should show how and when the problem occurred. The file, in plain text format, is stored in the OE Message folder, which on most XP PCs should be in C:Documents and Settings<yourname>Application DataIdentities{GUID}MicrosoftOutlook Express (where GUID or Global Unique Identifier is a long string of alphanumeric characters).

Simply double click on ‘smpt.log’ and hopefully you will be well on your way to diagnosing the problem. You shouldn’t need reminding but just in case you’ve forgotten or you are new here there are lots more security tips, tweaks and utilities to try at PCTopTips