Outlook 2000 POP3 Problem after Critical Update Windows XP

  • Thread starter Thread starter jcado
  • Start date Start date
J

jcado

After installing the most recent two critical updates for Windows XP Home
Edition (823718 and 822925) my email POP server will no longer respond. I
have DSL service with BellSouth. They confirmed that there were no problems
with their mail server, and I also am unable to reach POP3 servers on two
unrelated e-mail accounts. BellSouth suggested that I uninstall Microsoft
Outlook 2000.

After trying other mail programs (Outlook Express and AOL Communicator,
which also don't connect with the POP servers) I uninstalled my entire
Microsoft Office. As soon as Office was not installed, BellSouth's Fast
Access Connection Manager version 2.1 popped up to say EMail Server was
again available, however without Outlook installed, I was unable to actually
check my mail to confirm this. I then reinstalled Microsoft Office 2000
premium (with SP1 through SP3 and the Outlook 2000 update). I immediately
got a message from the BellSouth Connection Manager that the EMail Server
was unavailable. Checking my mail through Outlook 2000 generates timeout
errors, and increased waiting time doesn't solve this. The problem seems to
have happened immediately after installing the critical updates for Windows
XP.

The only way I have been able to check my e-mail is through Internet
Explorer at the mail servers' websites. I was able to check AOL mail through
AOL communicator, but that doesn't use a POP server. Outlook and Outlook
Express don't work with any of my POP3 accounts. My computer is completely
up-to-date with Microsoft updates and McAfee virus updates, and it has been
completely scanned for viruses. I am running both a McAfee firewall and the
Windows XP Internet Firewall. I have tried turning both of those off to see
if either was the problem, since I had also run a VirusScan update about the
same time I updated the newest Windows XP critical updates. Firewalls on or
off make no difference to this problem. No problems were present prior to
the two recent updates done.

Any suggestions would be welcome. I've posted on Microsoft's Assisted
Support, but have had no response after three days.
 
I spent time online with a McAfee Technician, and they are aware of a
problem with the last VirusScan Update and Microsoft Outlook POP3 access.
They are working on the solution and will include it in a future update. In
the meantime, the best he had to offer was to end a McAfee process right
before sending and receiving mail in Outlook. This temporary solution at
least works to let you get your mail.

Here are the steps he gave me:
Hold down CTRL ALT and DEL
Click on the Processes Tab
Find and highlight the file "mcvsescn.exe"
Click on the "End Process" button
Hopefully, now Outlook will be able to Send and Receive Mail - It worked for
me

I wasn't sure how much of my Virus protection was being disabled by ending
the process, so I downloaded my mail, then rebooted before attempting to
read any of it. I sure hope the VirusScan update comes soon.
 
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