I have Outlook Express 6 with Office 2000 on Windows XP Home Edition SP3. I use Thunderbird and don't want to use OE. A recently downloaded Microsoft update has activated OE so that, at my PC's startup, an *OE* folder named with a Thunderbird email accounts appears on the desktop. (I have more than one account, but only one folder with one account appears.) In the folder are three OE files: Folders, Inbox, Offline. An OE dialog box pops up: "! To free up disk space, Outlook Express can compact messages..." I choose cancel and delete the folder. However, the unwanted folder and compaction attempt repeats at each PC startup.When I installed Thunderbird I set it to my default email program.In Start > Set Program Access & Defaults > Custom > Choose a default e-mail program, the default is set to "use my current email program." I have unchecked "enable access" to OE, but the unwanted folder and compaction dialog still occur on PC startup. I have also tried specifying Thunderbird as my default e-mail program even though, as I said, this was already specified at installation. This change makes no difference either, and after returning to Set Program Access & Defaults it is not saved: the default goes back to "use my current e-mail program." (Also, Thunderbird 2 was installed as default prior to the problematic Microsoft update, and an upgrade to Thunderbird 3 was installed as my default after the problematic Microsoft update.) Why is OE making this folder and trying to compact the messages, and how do I get it to stop?1 person needs an answerI do too

I believe it is not OE that is creating the folder, but your antivirus scanner. To test this, delete the folder, uninstall your AV program, and try again. If the folder comes back, then I'd agree. If it doesnt, then reinstall your AV program and try one more time. That will at least eliminate (or confirm) OE as the culprit and maybe implicate the AV.Brian Tillman [MVP-Outlook]------------------------------If a reply helps, please vote it as helpful. If a reply solves the issue, please mark it as an answer.

What does this folder look like exactly? Have you let it compact? Is Windows Search installed on this machine? Bruce Hagen ~ MS-MVP [Mail]

Thanks for the suggestion, Brian. I run several anti-stuff scanners. I tested each one-at-a-time: deleted compacted OE folder, uninstalled scanner, turned off PC, turned on PC, got no change; deleted compacted OE folder, reinstalled scanner, turned off PC, turned on PC, got no change. It seems like the scanners are not the problem.

Hi Bruce,The folder is read-only and looks like: [Name of Thunderbird email account] Folders Inbox Offline Outbox Each file is an OE 6 DBX file, modified at the day and time of the last PC startup.Yes, I let it compact after you asked if I had. No change, other than that before compaction OE hadn't created the Outbox file, whereas during compaction it found Thunderbird's outbox and created the file.Yes, it has Windows Search. Prior to the problematic Microsoft updates it had Search Companion. One of the updates added Windows Search (with an option to use Search Companion). Also, prior to testing my anti-stuff scanners as I noted in my response to Brian, I "removed" OE via Add or Remove Programs > Change or Remove Programs, then looked in Add/Remove Windows Components and saw that OE is present but unchecked. In other forums I have read that OE cannot truly be removed by Add or Remove Programs, and users have given page-long sets of instructions as to how to actually remove it.

In Windows Search, you have to tell it to stop indexing OE.Windows Search. Set Desktop Search Options: http://www.microsoft.com/australia/windows/desktopsearch/search/options.mspxIn the Windows Control Panel | Indexing Options | Modify. Clear the check box for Outlook Express.You may have to let it compact one more time to take effect. Delete the unwanted folder and hopefully it will not come back.Bruce Hagen ~ MS-MVP [Mail]

Well, that stopped the compaction, but the folder keeps coming back.

Download and run the free versions of these two programs.Malwarebytes Anti-Malwarehttp://malwarebytes.org/SpywareBlasterhttp://download.cnet.com/SpywareBlaster/3000-8022_4-10196637.htmlBruce Hagen ~ MS-MVP [Mail]

Also see www.oehelp.com/OETips.aspx#3 I still think its likely one of your "scanners" is at fault. steve "NSSC" wrote in message news:2fe6d591-40c5-4bd7-a57f-41db1c58dd34...Well, that stopped the compaction, but the folder keeps coming back.

Thanks for the pointer to the OE tips. I'm going to change my habit of letting my AV software scan my attachments in Thunderbird and save them to disk and scan them before opening instead.I get the possibility that AV software can conflict with OE, but do not understand why you still suspect that could be the case here. Like I said in my response to Brian, I tested for this --not by simply disabling email scanning-- but by completely uninstalling each AV software. The OE folder kept appearing even with each AV software uninstalled. How could any of the softwares cause this while it did not exist on my PC?

Thanks for that.Anti-Malware Anti-Malware found one Trojan.Agent, ADAPT_Installer.exe, in my Recycle bin's C:\RECYCLER. I removed it and checked RECYCLER to confirm it was removed. Good thing, but it hasn't stopped the OE folder. Here is the log and detail:Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware 1.46www.malwarebytes.orgDatabase version: 4482Windows 5.1.2600 Service Pack 3Internet Explorer 8.0.6001.187028/26/2010 9:50:10 AMmbam-log-2010-08-26 (09-50-10).txtScan type: Full scan (C:\|F:\|)Objects scanned: 237405Time elapsed: 1 hour(s), 31 minute(s), 18 second(s)Memory Processes Infected: 0Memory Modules Infected: 0Registry Keys Infected: 0Registry Values Infected: 0Registry Data Items Infected: 0Folders Infected: 0Files Infected: 1Memory Processes Infected:(No malicious items detected)Memory Modules Infected:(No malicious items detected)Registry Keys Infected:(No malicious items detected)Registry Values Infected:(No malicious items detected)Registry Data Items Infected:(No malicious items detected)Folders Infected:(No malicious items detected)Files Infected:C:\RECYCLER\ADAPT_Installer.exe (Trojan.Agent) -> Quarantined and deleted successfully.After that I deleted it from the quarantine.I read reports that ADAPT_Installer.exe can reappear after a PC restart even though anti-malware says it removed it. So I changed my folder options to show protected operating system files and looked for ADAPT_Installer.exe in C:\RECYCLER. Currently there are only 2 objects inside:S-1-5-21-796845957-1644491937-1606980848-500S-1-5-21-796845957-1644491937-1606980848-1004Each of these is a recycle bin subfolder, and both are empty, so I think the trojan was actually removed. Unfortunately, the OE folder continues to appear, so I assume the trojan was not related, unless it was and has changed OE.SpywareBlaster At CNET, the publisher Javacool Software says, "SpywareBlaster doesn't scan for and clean spyware --it prevents it from being installed in the first place." It sounds like a good tool, but if spyware is the problem, SpywareBlaster won't find or remove it. But Javacool also says, "SpywareBlaster also includes a System Snapshot feature, which lets you take a snapshot of your computer in its clean state and later revert, undoing many changes made by spyware and browser hijackers." If the trojan was the cause and has created a persistant change to OE, I can't use SpywareBlaster to revert to a clean slate because there's no clean slate to show it. But it does make me wonder about trying a system restore. But the OE folder problem appeared on the day I downloaded all the Microsoft updates, so regardless of whether the trojan came via the updates or some email I opened on that same day, I'd have to restore to a point before that day. If I do that, wouldn't I loose all the updates? Or, maybe the trojan came before the updates and didn't mess up OE until I updated it, in which case who knows how far back I'd have to restore.

You might not see the effect immediately -- such errors are often unpredictable and sporadic. Also, you need to reset your mail account after removing the AV software depending upon the AV software you are using. One thing is clear and that is that OE does not put folders on the Desktop by itself, so that is why I suggested it may be some other software interfering. steve "NSSC" wrote in message news:5800d232-e037-4b3d-bbc3-f9cdbb442d5d...Thanks for the pointer to the OE tips. I'm going to change my habit of letting my AV software scan my attachments in Thunderbird and save them to disk and scan them before opening instead.I get the possibility that AV software can conflict with OE, but do not understand why you still suspect that could be the case here. Like I said in my response to Brian, I tested for this --not by simply disabling email scanning-- but by completely uninstalling each AV software. The OE folder kept appearing even with each AV software uninstalled. How could any of the softwares cause this while it did not exist on my PC?

Steve,Thanks for clarifying about the sporadic unpredicatiblity. I'm nervous about not using any AV software, but I'll remove them for awhile and see if the problem clears up.Can you please explain what you mean by "reset your mail account?" I don't understand what you mean by "reset" --and do you mean Thunderbird, OE, or both?Nigel