Installed Windows Live Mail, but can't find it to run it !!


  1. Posts : 3
    Windows 7 Home Premium SP-1 64-bit
       #1

    Installed Windows Live Mail, but can't find it to run it !!


    An elderly friend of mine ordered a new laptop, and asked me to help her get it set up. We did fine until we came to email. Her 8-yr-old Dell system used Outlook Express (ewww) with the POP userid that the local cable company, who provides our broad-band Internet, had set up for her years ago. Not surprisinly, I couldn't find Outlook Express on her new Win7 laptop. Windows Help informed me that it was no longer included in Windows, and that the replacement was Windows Live Mail. It asked me if I wanted to install that, and I said I did. I picked "Run", and the install program ran successfully and informed me that it needed to restart the system to complete the install, to which I agreed. When the system came back up, I was suprised that there was not a WinMail icon on the desktop or in the taskbar. I opened the Start Menu to look for it, but was unable to find anything about Windows Live Mail. The folder named "Windows Live" contained only one icon, for "Windows Live Mesh". There were also single entries for some photo and other useless stuff, but nothing for mail.

    Some Googling on the Internet turned up a note that you could run it manually by entering "winmail.exe" in the Run box. Things went from bad to worse when I discovered that this laptop doesn't have a "Run' button on its Start Menu!! I have no idea why - on my Win7 box, it is between "Help and Support" and "Shutdown". When I set this laptop up, I specified that it be a single user system, so doesn't that mean that she is Administrator or has the same privleges as Administrator (I have been on Win7 less than a week myself, so I am still learning its idiosyncrasies) ? I tried bringing up a DOS box by typing "command prompt" in the Start Menu Search box, but of course that didn't work because it couldn't find it. It was kinda weird to see a DOS box after 6 or 7 years, but I digress...

    Next, I did a search for "winmail.exe", but it found nothing. A search for "winmail" produced 4 instances of the file "winmail.mui". I have no idea what that is or why there was 4 of them, but they weren't executable.

    Thinking that perhaps I had somehow booted the install, perhaps because I had told it to only install Mail rather than the whole slew of apps, I went back to the web site and downloaded the program to the Desktop instead of running it. This time I told it to install the whole mess. Reboot...no joy...still can't find a Windows Live Mail icon or any way to run it.

    I know that this lady should probably be doing browser-based email like me and most of the rest of the world, but that would mean that she would have to change her email address that she has for years, and she doesn't want to do that. Besides, I have no intention of dropping this until I figure this out. I am a retired software engineer and have been using and supporting personal computers since before the IBM PC even existed, and I have lost very few battles - I don't intend to lose this one...heh...

    Surely there is a simple answer to this?
      My Computer


  2. Posts : 12,012
    Windows 7 Home Premium SP1, 64-bit
       #2

    I say this only half facetiously.

    Ditch Windows Live Mail due to the ridiculousness you are experiencing. It's enmeshed in the whole Windows Live morass that I doubt your elderly friend needs.

    Something like Thunderbird is a standalone email app that can be configured to highly resemble Outlook Express--which I used for years and wish was still around. I don't like web mail.

    Actually, no facetiousness at all. That's my considered opinion.

    Here's what it looks like:
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails Installed Windows Live Mail, but can't find it to run it !!-untitled-1.jpg  
      My Computer


  3. Posts : 3
    Windows 7 Home Premium SP-1 64-bit
    Thread Starter
       #3

    Thank you for your prompt and very helpful reply. I will investigate other POP clients for my friend. However, I would still like to figure out how, after installing it, one is supposed to *find* WinMailLive, just for my own sanity...
      My Computer


  4. Posts : 12,012
    Windows 7 Home Premium SP1, 64-bit
       #4

    I used it for a month or two---2 or 3 years ago.

    I don't recall running into your problem--but it soon revealed itself to be hopeless in other ways. Luckily, I've forgotten exactly why.

    Good luck, happy hunting, keep your cool.
      My Computer


  5. Posts : 1,491
    Win7 Pro-64 Bit
       #5

    cmacord said:
    Thank you for your prompt and very helpful reply. I will investigate other POP clients for my friend. However, I would still like to figure out how, after installing it, one is supposed to *find* WinMailLive, just for my own sanity...
    Go to computer click on programsx(86) find windows live folder open then open mail folder scroll down find wlmail right click then send to desktop (create shortcut). If your mail programme is there this will open it. if you want the older version of WLM here are some links one is the full install the other is a web installer. The 2009 version is not enmeshed in any live stuff. Unless you wish it so.
    Windows Live Essentials 2009
    - For XP SP2, Vista, Windows 7, Windows Server 2008
    Full Version Installer English Language version
    http://g.live.com/1rewlive3/en/wlsetup-all.exe
    Web Version Installer – English Language Version
    http://g.live.com/1rewlive3/en/wlsetup-web.exe
      My Computer


 

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