Why does it take several minutes for Windows Live Mail to start on my Vista computer?

Hi a1_2 canadian,

Welcome to Microsoft Community. Let us help you on your concern.

I understand that you're having trouble with Windows Live Mail starting up slowly on your PC. It's possible that you have several startup items that slows it down. Disabling unnecessary startup items may help improve the speed of Windows Live Mail. Click here on how to do this.

If that doesn't help or if you're not comfortable disabling startup items, you could try repairing Windows Live Mail by following the steps below:

1. Click on the Start button and go to the Control Panel.

2) Click on "Uninstall a program" link. If you are using the classic Control Panel view, click "Programs and Features."

3) Click "Windows Essentials" from the list of installed programs. You may need to scroll down the list to see the entry. Click the "Uninstall/Change" button to launch the Windows Essentials setup application.

4) Click "Repair all Windows Essentials programs" to repair Windows Live Mail.

Let us know if the issue would persist.

Thanks,

Rhyan

I double-clicked on the Windows Live Mail shortcut on my desktop and a window popped up that said it was "checking for new messages on MSN (joelashley)" and underneath it said something to the effect "executing MSN(joelashley)" followed by "executing MSN (leerae8)".  I take that it was looking at my regular email account at MSN.com for new emails on my and my wife's subaccounts.

After it indicated it had found new emails in both accounts, that window disappeared, and then nothing.  I waited a couple of minutes and double-clicked the WLM shortcut again and the program appeared virtually immediately.  Subsequent attempts however took between 10 to 30 seconds for the small preliminary WLM load window to appear, although the program itself usually came up only a second or two thereafter.  Usually the load window sits on the screen for several minutes before the program itself comes up - the issue about which I initially generated this complaint thread - but in this test it took less time, at least once we got past the check for new emails at MSN. 

I tried also opening WLM from both its Start Menu location and also its position on the Programs list;  both took about 5 seconds for the hourglass timer icon to stop, then another 20-25 seconds of nothing before the load window showed up, followed almost immediately by the WLM page.

I haven't had occasion since to generate an email out of a computer or website, so don't know if those now behave differently.   Perhaps the delays may be caused by WLM having to go check MSN for new emails before it can open?  And since I don't use WLM as my usual email program, when I do have to use it such as out of websites or programs, it has to go check MSN for new emails?  Whereas my tests today were all within 10 minutes or so of the check for new MSN emails and WLM didn't "think" it needed to go check again so soon?  I don't recall seeing that pop-up ever before that says it's checking for new messages, so that particular window may not appear when starting WLM from websites or from within programs.

Just speculating on what's going on.

Hi a1_2 Canadian,

Thank you for the information. Upon reviewing your issue, let me enumerate your concern for understanding.

1. I have had to send emails out of a couple of websites since running the Repair Windows Essentials program, and when they trigger the Windows Live Mail it still takes one or more minutes to start.

First of, we would like to verify if the issue occurs only when sending an email using a website or when you send an email manually using Windows Live Mail?

2. A second issue that's been aggravating for years, but seems worse in the last few months is the text cursor that suddenly and inexplicably jumps from the end of an ongoing line of typing back to somewhere else in the document field. (... since it seems to happen in all activities on this laptop that involve typing, regardless of program)

Sorry to hear that you encountered that. Since this issue happens to any activities on your laptop, it is possible that there's an error on your computer. With this, you need to contact **Windows Vista support forum**or contact your computer manufacturer for assistance.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Regards.

I have had to send emails out of a couple of websites since running the Repair Windows Essentials program, and when they trigger the Windows Live Mail it still takes one or more minutes to start.  Its pop-up start window comes up quick enough, but that's what you have to stare at so long before anything else happens.

A second issue that's been aggravating for years, but seems worse in the last few months is the text cursor that suddenly and inexplicably jumps from the end of an ongoing line of typing back to somewhere else in the document field.  That's probably another problem unrelated to the Windows Live Mail page loading, though, and may not be appropriate for the Windows Essentials forum since it seems to happen in all activities on this laptop that involve typing, regardless of program.  It could conceivably be hardware related as far as I know.  I'm not sure which Microsoft Community venue to pose the problem to though.

a1_2 canadian

Thanks Rhyan.  I both disabled some startups and repaired Essentials.  I'll see how well it worked the next time I attempt to send an email from within a program.

My continued complaint with Microsoft and software developers is that they commonly use cybertext to describe their products, at least "behind the scenes" in our computers where most users rarely go.  But as in this instance, occasionally we have to, and those of us not familiar with cyberspeak cannot decipher them when trying to sort out applications/software in some lists on our personal computers. 

A case in point is the list of programs that automatically load upon Windows startup;  most of those I could not tell what they were in spite of accompanying descriptions and information - they are a series of letters and numbers that make little sense except to their creators.  As a result I was basically guessing as to which ones were truly not needed at startup, and probably left a number of them enabled because I was afraid of disabling something that an important program needed.

If I stopped to "BING" or Google every one of those unidentifiable but suspicious programs as I go down such lists, I'd go nuts.  And in past attempts it has proven mostly fruitless anyway.