Slow Sending Emails using Broardband / Outlook Express 6.0

After a long search from the Optus Home Page I failed to find a "Server Status" page so I can't say if this is an Optus problem or not. It doesn't sound like it though.

Some thoughts on your questions;

1] Do I have corruption in the Outlook Express programming?

I would doubt it. If OE is failing then it would normally fail catastrophically, eg either not send at all or not receive at all.

2] Is it Optus having problems?

Difficult to say as they don't easily show the state of their email servers on their web site. Most ISP's would do, (my NTL, now Virgin ISP does, for instance). But somehow I don't think so. When the attachment starts to be sent, you say it just "zips" through, so I suspect there is something at your end.

I would test this. Send yourself an attachment. What you are testing is an addition at the bottom of your email, (when you receive it), stating that the message, (and attachment?) has been virus checked. If you see that, then you know the email and attachment is being virus checked before it is being sent and that could indicate the time delay. If there is no message, then we look elsewhere.

What type of attachments are these? How large? Did you know that upload speed is many times slower than download speed?

3] MS Update problem?

Again I would not have thought so. Although it worries me when new M$ Updates are offered because of past experiences and news from other victims, OE is so closely integrated into Windows that Microsoft are able to test updates much more thoroughly against it. Also I feel any problems would have been noticed immediately you next attempted to send an attachment. The last updates were the 2nd Tuesday of August, (14th August), which was more than a week ago.

4] Uninstall and Reinstall OE?

Not at this stage. You lose everything by uninstalling it, eg account setup, email folders like the Inbox, Sent items, and any personal folders you have set up, and although you can export these, it is always risky. The correct way is the way you have found, through Add/Remove Windows Components. This doesn't delete OE, it just hides it from use, but you would still lose any saved emails.

You could try another email program and run it in conjunction with OE. Many people here use Mozilla's Thunderbird, (part of the Firefox browser group), and if you did install that and tested attachments, then that might tell you whether there is a problem with OE.

Tell me more about this DSL connection. You said, "Once connected the messages just zip through". I don't use DSL so I don't know it, but do you have to connect to the ISP before sending emails? What happens if you have a current browser session open, eg an internet web site is currently displayed, then you try to send an attachment? Does anything have to 'connect' then before the email goes through?

Mark