Windows Mail displays white space instead of message body

Hi there,

I have happily been using Windows Mail in Vista (SP2) for a number of weeks
now, but suddenly it has started behaving rather strangely, in that it has
stopped displaying the message body of ANY e-mail (from 2 different IMAP
accounts and 1 POP account).

I have tried all the obvious things:

1) Logging out/in and rebooting.
2) Compacting/repairing the Windows Mail database using WMUtil.
3) Trashing my Windows Mail profile and starting from scratch - but even
with a completely fresh profile the default "Welcome to Windows Mail" e-mail
that gets put in your inbox wouldn't display.

Just to clarify, the message headers display fine, but the message body does
not - not even if you double-click a message to open it in its own window,
and not even if you Reply or Forward to the message.

As I said this is a problem affecting all e-mail across 3 different e-mail
accounts (and even the default "Welcome to Windows Mail" message in a fresh
WM profile).

Any idea at all what is wrong here?

Which antivirus are you running? Some of them cause problems with
Windows Mail over time.

If WMUtil was not effective in fixing the problem, about the only thing left
is to upgrade to Windows Live Mail:
http://download.live.com/wlmail

--
Gary VanderMolen, MS-MVP (Mail)


"kennethmac2000" <> wrote in message news:9043657A-EADA-4079-9DB7-...
> Hi there,
>
> I have happily been using Windows Mail in Vista (SP2) for a number of weeks
> now, but suddenly it has started behaving rather strangely, in that it has
> stopped displaying the message body of ANY e-mail (from 2 different IMAP
> accounts and 1 POP account).
>
> I have tried all the obvious things:
>
> 1) Logging out/in and rebooting.
> 2) Compacting/repairing the Windows Mail database using WMUtil.
> 3) Trashing my Windows Mail profile and starting from scratch - but even
> with a completely fresh profile the default "Welcome to Windows Mail" e-mail
> that gets put in your inbox wouldn't display.
>
> Just to clarify, the message headers display fine, but the message body does
> not - not even if you double-click a message to open it in its own window,
> and not even if you Reply or Forward to the message.
>
> As I said this is a problem affecting all e-mail across 3 different e-mail
> accounts (and even the default "Welcome to Windows Mail" message in a fresh
> WM profile).
>
> Any idea at all what is wrong here?

I'm running no anti-virus actually.

But since this problem doesn't affect other user accounts on the PC, it must
be something to do with my account (perhaps/probably the Registry?).

Changing to a different application doesn't sound to me like it is really
getting to the root of the problem, which I would quite like to do, and I
thought maybe someone on this forum might at least be able to point me in the
right direction on this one? For example, thinking about both the filesystem
and the Registry, how can I totally reset everything related to Windows Mail?

Kenneth

"Gary VanderMolen" wrote:

> Which antivirus are you running? Some of them cause problems with
> Windows Mail over time.
>
> If WMUtil was not effective in fixing the problem, about the only thing left
> is to upgrade to Windows Live Mail:
> http://download.live.com/wlmail
>
> --
> Gary VanderMolen, MS-MVP (Mail)
>
>
> "kennethmac2000" <> wrote in message news:9043657A-EADA-4079-9DB7-...
> > Hi there,
> >
> > I have happily been using Windows Mail in Vista (SP2) for a number of weeks
> > now, but suddenly it has started behaving rather strangely, in that it has
> > stopped displaying the message body of ANY e-mail (from 2 different IMAP
> > accounts and 1 POP account).
> >
> > I have tried all the obvious things:
> >
> > 1) Logging out/in and rebooting.
> > 2) Compacting/repairing the Windows Mail database using WMUtil.
> > 3) Trashing my Windows Mail profile and starting from scratch - but even
> > with a completely fresh profile the default "Welcome to Windows Mail" e-mail
> > that gets put in your inbox wouldn't display.
> >
> > Just to clarify, the message headers display fine, but the message body does
> > not - not even if you double-click a message to open it in its own window,
> > and not even if you Reply or Forward to the message.
> >
> > As I said this is a problem affecting all e-mail across 3 different e-mail
> > accounts (and even the default "Welcome to Windows Mail" message in a fresh
> > WM profile).
> >
> > Any idea at all what is wrong here?
>

[Perhaps yours is the only User Account infected with hijackware (so far)?!]

kennethmac2000 wrote:
> I'm running no anti-virus actually.
>
> But since this problem doesn't affect other user accounts on the PC, it
> must
> be something to do with my account (perhaps/probably the Registry?).
>
> Changing to a different application doesn't sound to me like it is really
> getting to the root of the problem, which I would quite like to do, and I
> thought maybe someone on this forum might at least be able to point me in
> the right direction on this one? For example, thinking about both the
> filesystem and the Registry, how can I totally reset everything related to
> Windows Mail?
>
> Kenneth
>
> "Gary VanderMolen" wrote:
>
>> Which antivirus are you running? Some of them cause problems with
>> Windows Mail over time.
>>
>> If WMUtil was not effective in fixing the problem, about the only thing
>> left
>> is to upgrade to Windows Live Mail:
>> http://download.live.com/wlmail
>>
>> --
>> Gary VanderMolen, MS-MVP (Mail)
>>
>>
>> "kennethmac2000" <> wrote in
>> message news:9043657A-EADA-4079-9DB7-...
>>> Hi there,
>>>
>>> I have happily been using Windows Mail in Vista (SP2) for a number of
>>> weeks now, but suddenly it has started behaving rather strangely, in
>>> that
>>> it has stopped displaying the message body of ANY e-mail (from 2
>>> different IMAP accounts and 1 POP account).
>>>
>>> I have tried all the obvious things:
>>>
>>> 1) Logging out/in and rebooting.
>>> 2) Compacting/repairing the Windows Mail database using WMUtil.
>>> 3) Trashing my Windows Mail profile and starting from scratch - but even
>>> with a completely fresh profile the default "Welcome to Windows Mail"
>>> e-mail that gets put in your inbox wouldn't display.
>>>
>>> Just to clarify, the message headers display fine, but the message body
>>> does not - not even if you double-click a message to open it in its own
>>> window, and not even if you Reply or Forward to the message.
>>>
>>> As I said this is a problem affecting all e-mail across 3 different
>>> e-mail
>>> accounts (and even the default "Welcome to Windows Mail" message in a
>>> fresh WM profile).
>>>
>>> Any idea at all what is wrong here?

There is a very laborious way of resetting Windows Mail. Follow this
procedure:
http://www.vistax64.com/tutorials/62...-problems.html

Scroll down to the section "PROBLEM TWO: How to Backup and Reset
Windows Mail ".

Frankly, it is much simpler to upgrade to Windows Live Mail,
and at least you would have a more modern mail program that is
actually supported by Microsoft.

--
Gary VanderMolen, MS-MVP (Mail)


"kennethmac2000" <> wrote in message news:ED358877-49E7-419B-A411-...
> I'm running no anti-virus actually.
>
> But since this problem doesn't affect other user accounts on the PC, it must
> be something to do with my account (perhaps/probably the Registry?).
>
> Changing to a different application doesn't sound to me like it is really
> getting to the root of the problem, which I would quite like to do, and I
> thought maybe someone on this forum might at least be able to point me in the
> right direction on this one? For example, thinking about both the filesystem
> and the Registry, how can I totally reset everything related to Windows Mail?
>
> Kenneth
>
> "Gary VanderMolen" wrote:
>
>> Which antivirus are you running? Some of them cause problems with
>> Windows Mail over time.
>>
>> If WMUtil was not effective in fixing the problem, about the only thing left
>> is to upgrade to Windows Live Mail:
>> http://download.live.com/wlmail
>>
>> --
>> Gary VanderMolen, MS-MVP (Mail)
>>
>>
>> "kennethmac2000" <> wrote in message news:9043657A-EADA-4079-9DB7-...
>> > Hi there,
>> >
>> > I have happily been using Windows Mail in Vista (SP2) for a number of weeks
>> > now, but suddenly it has started behaving rather strangely, in that it has
>> > stopped displaying the message body of ANY e-mail (from 2 different IMAP
>> > accounts and 1 POP account).
>> >
>> > I have tried all the obvious things:
>> >
>> > 1) Logging out/in and rebooting.
>> > 2) Compacting/repairing the Windows Mail database using WMUtil.
>> > 3) Trashing my Windows Mail profile and starting from scratch - but even
>> > with a completely fresh profile the default "Welcome to Windows Mail" e-mail
>> > that gets put in your inbox wouldn't display.
>> >
>> > Just to clarify, the message headers display fine, but the message body does
>> > not - not even if you double-click a message to open it in its own window,
>> > and not even if you Reply or Forward to the message.
>> >
>> > As I said this is a problem affecting all e-mail across 3 different e-mail
>> > accounts (and even the default "Welcome to Windows Mail" message in a fresh
>> > WM profile).
>> >
>> > Any idea at all what is wrong here?
>>

Is there any way I can discern whether this is the case?

"PA Bear [MS MVP]" wrote:

> [Perhaps yours is the only User Account infected with hijackware (so far)?!]
>
> kennethmac2000 wrote:
> > I'm running no anti-virus actually.
> >
> > But since this problem doesn't affect other user accounts on the PC, it
> > must
> > be something to do with my account (perhaps/probably the Registry?).
> >
> > Changing to a different application doesn't sound to me like it is really
> > getting to the root of the problem, which I would quite like to do, and I
> > thought maybe someone on this forum might at least be able to point me in
> > the right direction on this one? For example, thinking about both the
> > filesystem and the Registry, how can I totally reset everything related to
> > Windows Mail?
> >
> > Kenneth
> >
> > "Gary VanderMolen" wrote:
> >
> >> Which antivirus are you running? Some of them cause problems with
> >> Windows Mail over time.
> >>
> >> If WMUtil was not effective in fixing the problem, about the only thing
> >> left
> >> is to upgrade to Windows Live Mail:
> >> http://download.live.com/wlmail
> >>
> >> --
> >> Gary VanderMolen, MS-MVP (Mail)
> >>
> >>
> >> "kennethmac2000" <> wrote in
> >> message news:9043657A-EADA-4079-9DB7-...
> >>> Hi there,
> >>>
> >>> I have happily been using Windows Mail in Vista (SP2) for a number of
> >>> weeks now, but suddenly it has started behaving rather strangely, in
> >>> that
> >>> it has stopped displaying the message body of ANY e-mail (from 2
> >>> different IMAP accounts and 1 POP account).
> >>>
> >>> I have tried all the obvious things:
> >>>
> >>> 1) Logging out/in and rebooting.
> >>> 2) Compacting/repairing the Windows Mail database using WMUtil.
> >>> 3) Trashing my Windows Mail profile and starting from scratch - but even
> >>> with a completely fresh profile the default "Welcome to Windows Mail"
> >>> e-mail that gets put in your inbox wouldn't display.
> >>>
> >>> Just to clarify, the message headers display fine, but the message body
> >>> does not - not even if you double-click a message to open it in its own
> >>> window, and not even if you Reply or Forward to the message.
> >>>
> >>> As I said this is a problem affecting all e-mail across 3 different
> >>> e-mail
> >>> accounts (and even the default "Welcome to Windows Mail" message in a
> >>> fresh WM profile).
> >>>
> >>> Any idea at all what is wrong here?
>
>

Thanks for that pointer - I tried all the steps listed but, even with a
completely new Windows Mail profile and settings, the problem still exists.

Given that, as I mentioned earlier, this problem only affects my user
account on the PC, I can only assume that the problem lies elsewhere in my
Windows Vista user account.

Does Windows Mail call out to some other library/service to display the
actual body of e-mail messages? Could this be what is causing the problem?

Do you have any good tips for debugging Registry issues more generally
within a particular user account?

"Gary VanderMolen" wrote:

> There is a very laborious way of resetting Windows Mail. Follow this
> procedure:
> http://www.vistax64.com/tutorials/62...-problems.html
>
> Scroll down to the section "PROBLEM TWO: How to Backup and Reset
> Windows Mail ".
>
> Frankly, it is much simpler to upgrade to Windows Live Mail,
> and at least you would have a more modern mail program that is
> actually supported by Microsoft.
>
> --
> Gary VanderMolen, MS-MVP (Mail)
>
>
> "kennethmac2000" <> wrote in message news:ED358877-49E7-419B-A411-...
> > I'm running no anti-virus actually.
> >
> > But since this problem doesn't affect other user accounts on the PC, it must
> > be something to do with my account (perhaps/probably the Registry?).
> >
> > Changing to a different application doesn't sound to me like it is really
> > getting to the root of the problem, which I would quite like to do, and I
> > thought maybe someone on this forum might at least be able to point me in the
> > right direction on this one? For example, thinking about both the filesystem
> > and the Registry, how can I totally reset everything related to Windows Mail?
> >
> > Kenneth
> >
> > "Gary VanderMolen" wrote:
> >
> >> Which antivirus are you running? Some of them cause problems with
> >> Windows Mail over time.
> >>
> >> If WMUtil was not effective in fixing the problem, about the only thing left
> >> is to upgrade to Windows Live Mail:
> >> http://download.live.com/wlmail
> >>
> >> --
> >> Gary VanderMolen, MS-MVP (Mail)
> >>
> >>
> >> "kennethmac2000" <> wrote in message news:9043657A-EADA-4079-9DB7-...
> >> > Hi there,
> >> >
> >> > I have happily been using Windows Mail in Vista (SP2) for a number of weeks
> >> > now, but suddenly it has started behaving rather strangely, in that it has
> >> > stopped displaying the message body of ANY e-mail (from 2 different IMAP
> >> > accounts and 1 POP account).
> >> >
> >> > I have tried all the obvious things:
> >> >
> >> > 1) Logging out/in and rebooting.
> >> > 2) Compacting/repairing the Windows Mail database using WMUtil.
> >> > 3) Trashing my Windows Mail profile and starting from scratch - but even
> >> > with a completely fresh profile the default "Welcome to Windows Mail" e-mail
> >> > that gets put in your inbox wouldn't display.
> >> >
> >> > Just to clarify, the message headers display fine, but the message body does
> >> > not - not even if you double-click a message to open it in its own window,
> >> > and not even if you Reply or Forward to the message.
> >> >
> >> > As I said this is a problem affecting all e-mail across 3 different e-mail
> >> > accounts (and even the default "Welcome to Windows Mail" message in a fresh
> >> > WM profile).
> >> >
> >> > Any idea at all what is wrong here?
> >>
>

My opinion; I don't call WL mail an upgrade, to me it's a down-grade.

Have you tried changing to color of your text? Maybe some how it got changed
to white.


"kennethmac2000" <> wrote in message
news:ED358877-49E7-419B-A411-...
> I'm running no anti-virus actually.
>
> But since this problem doesn't affect other user accounts on the PC, it
> must
> be something to do with my account (perhaps/probably the Registry?).
>
> Changing to a different application doesn't sound to me like it is really
> getting to the root of the problem, which I would quite like to do, and I
> thought maybe someone on this forum might at least be able to point me in
> the
> right direction on this one? For example, thinking about both the
> filesystem
> and the Registry, how can I totally reset everything related to Windows
> Mail?
>
> Kenneth
>
> "Gary VanderMolen" wrote:
>
>> Which antivirus are you running? Some of them cause problems with
>> Windows Mail over time.
>>
>> If WMUtil was not effective in fixing the problem, about the only thing
>> left
>> is to upgrade to Windows Live Mail:
>> http://download.live.com/wlmail
>>
>> --
>> Gary VanderMolen, MS-MVP (Mail)
>>
>>
>> "kennethmac2000" <> wrote in
>> message news:9043657A-EADA-4079-9DB7-...
>> > Hi there,
>> >
>> > I have happily been using Windows Mail in Vista (SP2) for a number of
>> > weeks
>> > now, but suddenly it has started behaving rather strangely, in that it
>> > has
>> > stopped displaying the message body of ANY e-mail (from 2 different
>> > IMAP
>> > accounts and 1 POP account).
>> >
>> > I have tried all the obvious things:
>> >
>> > 1) Logging out/in and rebooting.
>> > 2) Compacting/repairing the Windows Mail database using WMUtil.
>> > 3) Trashing my Windows Mail profile and starting from scratch - but
>> > even
>> > with a completely fresh profile the default "Welcome to Windows Mail"
>> > e-mail
>> > that gets put in your inbox wouldn't display.
>> >
>> > Just to clarify, the message headers display fine, but the message body
>> > does
>> > not - not even if you double-click a message to open it in its own
>> > window,
>> > and not even if you Reply or Forward to the message.
>> >
>> > As I said this is a problem affecting all e-mail across 3 different
>> > e-mail
>> > accounts (and even the default "Welcome to Windows Mail" message in a
>> > fresh
>> > WM profile).
>> >
>> > Any idea at all what is wrong here?
>>

--
Bob Eyster
Windows Vista Ultimate SP2 - 32 Bit

Locate your message store. Open a few emails found there
with a text editor (Notepad will work). See if the text shows
up within the emails. Won't solve your problem but at least
will verify the emails (text) actually exist.

To locate your message store:
WM->Tools->Options->Advanced Tab->Maintenance->Store Folder

"kennethmac2000" wrote:

> Thanks for that pointer - I tried all the steps listed but, even with a
> completely new Windows Mail profile and settings, the problem still exists.
>
> Given that, as I mentioned earlier, this problem only affects my user
> account on the PC, I can only assume that the problem lies elsewhere in my
> Windows Vista user account.
>
> Does Windows Mail call out to some other library/service to display the
> actual body of e-mail messages? Could this be what is causing the problem?
>
> Do you have any good tips for debugging Registry issues more generally
> within a particular user account?
>
> "Gary VanderMolen" wrote:
>
> > There is a very laborious way of resetting Windows Mail. Follow this
> > procedure:
> > http://www.vistax64.com/tutorials/62...-problems.html
> >
> > Scroll down to the section "PROBLEM TWO: How to Backup and Reset
> > Windows Mail ".
> >
> > Frankly, it is much simpler to upgrade to Windows Live Mail,
> > and at least you would have a more modern mail program that is
> > actually supported by Microsoft.
> >
> > --
> > Gary VanderMolen, MS-MVP (Mail)
> >
> >
> > "kennethmac2000" <> wrote in message news:ED358877-49E7-419B-A411-...
> > > I'm running no anti-virus actually.
> > >
> > > But since this problem doesn't affect other user accounts on the PC, it must
> > > be something to do with my account (perhaps/probably the Registry?).
> > >
> > > Changing to a different application doesn't sound to me like it is really
> > > getting to the root of the problem, which I would quite like to do, and I
> > > thought maybe someone on this forum might at least be able to point me in the
> > > right direction on this one? For example, thinking about both the filesystem
> > > and the Registry, how can I totally reset everything related to Windows Mail?
> > >
> > > Kenneth
> > >
> > > "Gary VanderMolen" wrote:
> > >
> > >> Which antivirus are you running? Some of them cause problems with
> > >> Windows Mail over time.
> > >>
> > >> If WMUtil was not effective in fixing the problem, about the only thing left
> > >> is to upgrade to Windows Live Mail:
> > >> http://download.live.com/wlmail
> > >>
> > >> --
> > >> Gary VanderMolen, MS-MVP (Mail)
> > >>
> > >>
> > >> "kennethmac2000" <> wrote in message news:9043657A-EADA-4079-9DB7-...
> > >> > Hi there,
> > >> >
> > >> > I have happily been using Windows Mail in Vista (SP2) for a number of weeks
> > >> > now, but suddenly it has started behaving rather strangely, in that it has
> > >> > stopped displaying the message body of ANY e-mail (from 2 different IMAP
> > >> > accounts and 1 POP account).
> > >> >
> > >> > I have tried all the obvious things:
> > >> >
> > >> > 1) Logging out/in and rebooting.
> > >> > 2) Compacting/repairing the Windows Mail database using WMUtil.
> > >> > 3) Trashing my Windows Mail profile and starting from scratch - but even
> > >> > with a completely fresh profile the default "Welcome to Windows Mail" e-mail
> > >> > that gets put in your inbox wouldn't display.
> > >> >
> > >> > Just to clarify, the message headers display fine, but the message body does
> > >> > not - not even if you double-click a message to open it in its own window,
> > >> > and not even if you Reply or Forward to the message.
> > >> >
> > >> > As I said this is a problem affecting all e-mail across 3 different e-mail
> > >> > accounts (and even the default "Welcome to Windows Mail" message in a fresh
> > >> > WM profile).
> > >> >
> > >> > Any idea at all what is wrong here?
> > >>
> >

Sorry to hear that the reset of Windows Mail failed to clear the problem.
I'm not familiar with how Windows Mail is coded, or what all registry
keys could affect this.
Again, in my opinion you're trying to resurrect a patient who is in a coma,
who should be taken off life support. :-)

Gary VanderMolen, MS-MVP (Mail)


"kennethmac2000" <> wrote in message news:27A48BDA-5428-484D-9438-...
> Thanks for that pointer - I tried all the steps listed but, even with a
> completely new Windows Mail profile and settings, the problem still exists.
>
> Given that, as I mentioned earlier, this problem only affects my user
> account on the PC, I can only assume that the problem lies elsewhere in my
> Windows Vista user account.
>
> Does Windows Mail call out to some other library/service to display the
> actual body of e-mail messages? Could this be what is causing the problem?
>
> Do you have any good tips for debugging Registry issues more generally
> within a particular user account?
>
> "Gary VanderMolen" wrote:
>
>> There is a very laborious way of resetting Windows Mail. Follow this
>> procedure:
>> http://www.vistax64.com/tutorials/62...-problems.html
>>
>> Scroll down to the section "PROBLEM TWO: How to Backup and Reset
>> Windows Mail ".
>>
>> Frankly, it is much simpler to upgrade to Windows Live Mail,
>> and at least you would have a more modern mail program that is
>> actually supported by Microsoft.
>>
>> --
>> Gary VanderMolen, MS-MVP (Mail)
>>
>>
>> "kennethmac2000" <> wrote in message news:ED358877-49E7-419B-A411-...
>> > I'm running no anti-virus actually.
>> >
>> > But since this problem doesn't affect other user accounts on the PC, it must
>> > be something to do with my account (perhaps/probably the Registry?).
>> >
>> > Changing to a different application doesn't sound to me like it is really
>> > getting to the root of the problem, which I would quite like to do, and I
>> > thought maybe someone on this forum might at least be able to point me in the
>> > right direction on this one? For example, thinking about both the filesystem
>> > and the Registry, how can I totally reset everything related to Windows Mail?
>> >
>> > Kenneth
>> >
>> > "Gary VanderMolen" wrote:
>> >
>> >> Which antivirus are you running? Some of them cause problems with
>> >> Windows Mail over time.
>> >>
>> >> If WMUtil was not effective in fixing the problem, about the only thing left
>> >> is to upgrade to Windows Live Mail:
>> >> http://download.live.com/wlmail
>> >>
>> >> --
>> >> Gary VanderMolen, MS-MVP (Mail)
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> "kennethmac2000" <> wrote in message news:9043657A-EADA-4079-9DB7-...
>> >> > Hi there,
>> >> >
>> >> > I have happily been using Windows Mail in Vista (SP2) for a number of weeks
>> >> > now, but suddenly it has started behaving rather strangely, in that it has
>> >> > stopped displaying the message body of ANY e-mail (from 2 different IMAP
>> >> > accounts and 1 POP account).
>> >> >
>> >> > I have tried all the obvious things:
>> >> >
>> >> > 1) Logging out/in and rebooting.
>> >> > 2) Compacting/repairing the Windows Mail database using WMUtil.
>> >> > 3) Trashing my Windows Mail profile and starting from scratch - but even
>> >> > with a completely fresh profile the default "Welcome to Windows Mail" e-mail
>> >> > that gets put in your inbox wouldn't display.
>> >> >
>> >> > Just to clarify, the message headers display fine, but the message body does
>> >> > not - not even if you double-click a message to open it in its own window,
>> >> > and not even if you Reply or Forward to the message.
>> >> >
>> >> > As I said this is a problem affecting all e-mail across 3 different e-mail
>> >> > accounts (and even the default "Welcome to Windows Mail" message in a fresh
>> >> > WM profile).
>> >> >
>> >> > Any idea at all what is wrong here?
>> >>
>>