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R2
R Not
MVM
join:2000-09-18
Long Beach, CA

4 edits

R2

MVM

[WIN7] Windows Live Mail newbie ?

OK, I broke down and joined the Windows 7 brotherhood. I didn't go easily. It took a hoodlum smashing my passenger front window and grabbing my laptop case off the seat. I was only going to be inside for 10 minutes. Famous last words...

So, now I have Windows 7 and I have a LOT to learn. I purchased MS Office, but it has not arrived yet. In the meantime, I thought I would just use Outlook Express for my email. Eh, NO! OE seems to have gone the way of Microsoft Bob. At first glance, it seems that Windows Live Mail is the replacement. Well, I tried to use it, but it is driving me crazy!

I guess it is "Live" and therefore not really downloading all the messages?? For some reason it is just PAINFULLY SLOW to use. My guess is that it is contacting the email server each time I try to open a message. I find this program incredibly annoying! I can't take it! I need to process email rapidly.

OK, so what are my options? Outlook should be here in a few days. In the meantime, is there a way to make Windows Live Mail act like Outlook or OE? Is there another MS option I can use for the next few days? Should I just download Thunderbird (?).

Thanks for any advice.
__________________________

Additionally, consider me old fashioned, but the "button bar" in Windows Live Mail seems to lack one important thing - buttons! I don't consider 'text only' buttons to be, eh, buttons. A "menu bar" has words on it, but a "button bar" is supposed to have icons. I like "images with no text" - icons - for ALL buttons. That option seems to have been left off of WLM. What up?

Somnambul33t
L33t.
Premium Member
join:2002-12-05
00000

Somnambul33t

Premium Member

said by R2:

OK, I broke down and joined the Windows 7 brotherhood. I didn't go easily. It took a hoodlum smashing my passenger front window and grabbing my laptop case off the seat. I was only going to be inside for 10 minutes. Famous last words...

So, now I have Windows 7 and I have a LOT to learn. I purchased MS Office, but it has not arrived yet. In the meantime, I thought I would just use Outlook Express for my email. Eh, NO! OE seems to have gone the way of Microsoft Bob. At first glance, it seems that Windows Live Mail is the replacement. Well, I tried to use it, but it is driving me crazy!

I guess it is "Live" and therefore not really downloading all the messages?? For some reason it is just PAINFULLY SLOW to use. My guess is that it is contacting the email server each time I try to open a message. I find this program incredibly annoying! I can't take it! I need to process email rapidly.

OK, so what are my options? Outlook should be here in a few days. In the meantime, is there a way to make Windows Live Mail act like Outlook or OE? Is there another MS option I can use for the next few days? Should I just download Thunderbird (?).

Thanks for any advice.
__________________________

Additionally, consider me old fashioned, but the "button bar" in Windows Live Mail seems to lack one important thing - buttons! I don't consider 'text only' buttons to be, eh, buttons. A "menu bar" has words on it, but a "button bar" is supposed to have icons. I like "images with no text" - icons - for ALL buttons. That option seems to have been left off of WLM. What up?
Live Mail is a direct replacement for OE. i dont think it have newsgroup support though. other than that, it's more or less the same with a new GUI and functions in the same manner. it connects to your email server to download emails and then DC'ed. if you have it set to download headers only, it will have to connect to the server every time you open an email. make sure this isnt enabled.

La Luna
Fly With The Angels My Beloved Son Chris
Premium Member
join:2001-07-12
New Port Richey, FL

La Luna to R2

Premium Member

to R2
I don't care for it either, I much prefer OE which is on my XP box. It took me days to figure out that you use "Sync" to get mail.

I also miss the ability to edit HTML source like you can with OE when composing a new email.

Martinus
Premium Member
join:2001-08-06
EU

Martinus to R2

Premium Member

to R2
said by R2:

I guess it is "Live" and therefore not really downloading all the messages?? For some reason it is just PAINFULLY SLOW to use.
"Live" is just a moniker. It downloads your messages but I agree, it's slow to open and slow to sync.

R2
R Not
MVM
join:2000-09-18
Long Beach, CA

1 edit

R2

MVM

Thanks - fortunately I got my Office today! So I am up and running with Outlook 97 - and I am much happier.

Windows Live Mail is a dog and I cannot recommend it for anything! Maybe it defaults to just downloading headers and maybe that was the problem, but either way it was very annoying...

cmcasey79
join:2000-12-10
Allen Park, MI

cmcasey79

Member

said by R2:

I am up and running with Outlook 97 - and I am much happier.
I really hope you meant Outlook 2007, and not 97! You'll be sure to run into some compatibility quirks if you're using Office 97 on Win7.

R2
R Not
MVM
join:2000-09-18
Long Beach, CA

R2

MVM

Oops! Thanks. 2007.

NormanS
I gave her time to steal my mind away
MVM
join:2001-02-14
San Jose, CA
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NormanS to R2

MVM

to R2
Since you have a solution, I will just comment in general.

Windows Live Mail does not have many buttons. About the only thing a user can do is provide feedback to MS using the "Send feedback..." option from one of the few iconic buttons, the "Help" button.

WLMail does download all messages, but they replaced the "Send/Receive" option with the "Sync" option, so the user can't just "Send" only, or just "Receive" only.

WLMail will helpfully "Sign in" to a Windows Live ID, if you so configure it. The setup process for WLMail does not make it clear that this is optionally, and not necessary to start WLMail. So many users, thinking they need a Windows Live ID to run it, and not having one, wind up creating a Hotmail account needlessly to get a Windows Live ID. I've noticed that, if I don't sign in for a while, there is a bit of a delay starting (I already had a Windows Live ID, and decided to try it both ways). The only advantage to signing in with a Windows Live ID is that WLMail will synchronize to the online contacts list and online Calendar of a Windows Live account. I have not noticed it to be notably slower otherwise.

For Somnambul33t See Profile: WLMail does have a news reader component. The newsreader side of things defaults to using the "Microsoft Communities Support" feature. This may also slow things down, or cause other problems; but I've not experienced any of the issues which reportedly are problematic with that feature enabled.

Other issues are the pastel color scheme, the fact that the "Storage folders" can be moved in the account pane list (it is not sticky; moving the "Storage folders" so they precede the "Accounts" is possible, but always reverts to following the "Outbox" in the list.

Something about editing HTML in the message compose window, as well. And no global Inbox for POP3 accounts.

In general, it has many similarities to MS Outlook Express still in place, including many of the faults.

In all cases where the user experience is less than satisfactory, about all the user can do is:

• Report the dissatisfaction with the "Send feedback..." option.
• Get used to the way it works.
• Get another email client.

R2
R Not
MVM
join:2000-09-18
Long Beach, CA

R2

MVM

Thanks for taking the time to write that. I found Windows Live Mail to be neary the antithesis of the light, simple Outlook Express

I have been using Outlook 2007 and I am happy as I can be with the standard Outlook interface and functionality. I have no desire to change!