An easy way to reset e-mail so you can see it on Web

Q: I send and receive e-mails through Internet Explorer via Comcast. I'd like to use Outlook Express (OE) more as it's much quicker to access. But when I do, if there are any (read or unread) e-mails still in Internet Explorer inbox, they will disappear. I can't find them in trash or anywhere at either location. Is there a way to set things so that I can use OE whenever but still keep all e-mails from disappearing in Internet Explorer?

— Robin Lynne, Issaquah

A: Desktop e-mail clients such as Outlook Express do generally provide more tools than Web-based e-mail clients. But there are some important differences to be aware of, as well.

When you use Outlook Express to check your e-mail, by default it downloads all of that mail to your computer. That keeps things from piling up in your mail account, but it also means that if you go to look for a message using your Web interface it won't be there anymore.

You can, however, change Outlook Express so that it leaves all e-mail messages on the server. To do so, go the Tools menu and select Accounts. Next, highlight the e-mail account and click on the properties button. In the dialogue box that comes up, click on the Advanced tab and then make sure there's a check in the box next to "Leave a copy of messages on server." That should take care of your problem.

Q: I am running a more or less standard Windows XP Professional system and a few months ago I observed a change that may have disturbing implications.

Basically, at reboots, I get a pop-up window just before the logon screen. This window references DLLs or sometimes a gibberish name that makes no sense to me. This name varies from boot to boot and doesn't appear significant. I have a choice to accept the application or the boot will not continue. I cannot proceed unless I accept the pop-up.

Windows Defender, SpyBot, Symantec A/V and Norton Internet Security have scanned the computer but they do not detect problems other than the occasional tracking cookie. I am concerned that this might be a key logger program and I could possibly have been infected with a rootkit launcher causing the problem. Is there a way I can drill down and identify the source of this pop-up window?

I would like to try something simple before I go through a system reinstall with all the time that takes. Any thoughts?

— Gerry Raine

A: Those messages at bootup make a difference and I can't really tell what's going on without them. The usual cause of such messages is that an application that loads at bootup is unable to find certain files, either because they have been moved, deleted or corrupted. Is it possible that a virus or spyware is causing the problem? Yes.

There is one last-ditch alternative you can try before reinstalling. Go to the command line — which you can call up by going to the Start button and selecting Program/Accessories and then choosing Command Line. When the Command Line box pops up, type "msconfig.exe." That will load a utility that allows you to see what applications are configured to load when you boot your computer.

You can also selectively configure them not to load. I'd suggest disabling all of them and seeing if the problem disappears after you reboot. If it does, you can add them back in one by one until you find the culprit.

If that doesn't work, I'm afraid that reinstalling is the next option course of action, unless you want to take the computer to a repair shop.

NOTE: In a recent column, I explained how commercially produced CDs differ from "burned" CDs created on a computer, and how the latter process is less reliable when the CDs are used on other computers. Several readers e-mailed to ask whether the same applies to DVDs. The answer is yes.

Questions for Patrick Marshall may be sent by e-mail to pmarshall@seattletimes.com or pgmarshall@pgmarshall.net, or by mail at Q&A/Technology, The Seattle Times, P.O. Box 70, Seattle, WA 98111.

More columns at seattletimes.com/columnists.