6 replies to this topic

[kangaroo]

I first posted this problem in the malware forum <http://forums.whatth...howtopic=127685>; Tomk has now cleaned the malware and suggested I post the issue with using Outlook.com in IE10 in this forum.

 

I'm trying to help an elderly friend with her PC. She has a Dell Inspiron 1545, Intel Dual-Core CPU T4300 2.10GHz, 4Gb RAM, Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit.

 

She has her Outlook.com Inbox set as her home page; she originally used Hotmail (and still has her Hotmail email address) and has been using this for some years on a couple of PCs.

 

Originally, what caused me to post in the Malware Forum was the following behaviour:

 

When I opened IE10, it opened the Outlook.com Inbox BUT:

1. It displayed the folder list and the message list but never displayed the top, highlighted message in the reading pane (which remained blank) just showing the waiting donut beside the mouse pointer. And I could not open any other folder; there were just a set of white dots progressing across the top of the blue menu bar of Outlook.com (Outlook | New | Reply | etc.).

2. If I clicked on the stub to open a new tab, the second tab opened and displayed the home page (the Outlook.com Inbox NOT a blank page as I expected); strangely, this tab displayed the top, highlighted message in the reading pane and I could open other folders and display the top, highlighted messages in them in the reading pane. HOWEVER, I could click on another message in a folder and that displayed in the reading pane BUT the progressing white dots across the top of the blue menu bar appeared and I could do nothing else.

Once the Outlook.com tab is "locked" I could still type an URL into the address bar and browse other sites.

Once I went to another site, I used the back button to go back to Outlook.com; again strange! I had the folder list, the reading pane and the contact panel BUT no message list! I then went into settings, couldn't see any way to set the layout. So I clicked on Inbox and went back to the Inbox with the original layout: folder list, message list and reading pane.

I don't know if all this strange and erratic behaviour in Outlook.com is down to IE10 or Outlook.com. Whatever, Outlook.com was essentially useless for us.

 

 

NOW, after working through cleaning malware with Tomk, things are somewhat better but still not working properly.

 

When I first opened IE10, the Outlook.com Inbox opened and quickly displayed the top, highlighted message in the message pane. I could select other messages and they too displayed in the reading pane. I then  tried opening other folders and that too worked as expected. I even clicked on an embedded link in one message and it opened in a new IE window. This was looking good.

 

However, I thought I'd check opening a new tab by clicking on the stub tab and the new tab opened the Outlook.com Inbox with folder and message list but a blank reading pane and I couldn't do anything else in that tab.

 

Not sure why, but I clicked on the new tab stub to open a third tab and it displayed Outlookl.com Inbox normally (just like the first tab). I clicked the new tab stub to open a fourth tab and it was the same as the second (ie, Outlook.com Inbox with folder and message list but blank reading pane and unable to do anything else).

 

I was able to change the focus between the four tabs and the first and third tabs allowed me to open different folders and messages as I would expect but the second and fourth tabs were "locked".

 

I have setup Chrome with the Outlook.com Inbox as the home page and that works normally as I would expect. Clicking embedded links in a message opens the link in a new tab (rather than a new window as happened in IE). Clicking the new tab stub to open a new tab opens a new tab displaying the Google search page (as expected, NOT the Outlook.com Inbox home page as is happening in IE10).

 

Any suggestions to get IE10 to be consistent in the treatment of Outlook.com would be appreciated. My friend could, of courses, switch to Chrome but she is used to IE and would rather not learn a new browser.

Edited by kangaroo, 29 January 2014 - 12:25 AM.

[paws]

Hi Kangaroo, Have you tried resetting Internet Explorer ?   as this may do the trick for you.

Open Internet Explorer>tools/Internet Options Advanced/Reset, OK etc 

 

You will then have to reset the home page again as it will have gone to defaults....

Let us know if this helps

Regards

paws

[kangaroo]

Hi paws,

 

Thank you for picking this one up.

 

I didn't know about resetting IE (I ws contemplating trying to remove and then re-install). I did that but did not elect to delete all the personal items (passwords etc).

 

Lo and behold! After a restart to complete the action, I got a pop-up to say I hadn't used the Google toolbar for a long time and offered to enable it for IE; I took this option.

 

I then opened IE and it opened the original home page (Outlook.com Inbox) all working normally. I had the folder list, message list and top, highlighted message displayed in the reading pane and the sender's info in the ad pane. I could select and read various messages; change folders and read various messages in each; and use an embedded link which now opened in a new tab (rather than a new window as previously).

 

When I clicked on the new tab stub, a new tab opened with a blank page (rather than the home page as before).

 

This one simple action seems to have done the trick.

 

I baulked at ticking the delete option during the reset because it said it would delete passwords etc and I didn't know how I might save that information. I had exported the favorites, feeds and cookie as a precaution before doing the reset.

 

Do you think I should re-do the reset ticking the delete option and accept that all the other personal info will need to be re-entered as needed?

 

Thanks for your spot-on help!

Edited by kangaroo, 30 January 2014 - 04:01 AM.

[paws]

Hi Kangaroo,

Glad it seems to have done the trick.

Well done 

 

If its all working Ok now then I'd be inclined to leave things as they are.

 

You can always keep the "delete personal settings" steps up your sleeve so to speak, in case further trouble ever arrives in the future.

Regards

paws

[Tomk]

Wow.  So simple yet elegantly effective.

 

Nice job you two.

[kangaroo]

Hi paws and Tomk,

 

Thanks to both you guys for your excellent help in solving these issues.

 

I'll be taking the PC back to Heather this afternoon when I'm in town and I'm sure she too would wish to thank you.

 

I'm always amazed at how effective the teams at WhatTheTech are and speak highly of you at every opportunity.

 

I consider this topic solved!

[paws]

Yep, A nice computer, working as it should, and thanks to you Tomk... now malware free.

That's what I call a win, win, win, situation!

Regards

paws