Windows Mail

How to Reinstate Windows Mail in Windows 7​

   Warning

Microsoft no longer supports Windows Mail, aka WinMail. It's recommended you use another well known supported email client. This Tutorial is for Advanced users who importantly have the Technical Ability to make the changes, have backups of everything including your OS, and to be your own tech support for WinMail going forward. If you decide to complete this tutorial you accept the fact that you are using WinMail as-is. It might be necessary to uninstall other email clients to resolve any WinMail conflicts in some environments. Understand it's likely that new OS updates from Microsoft will break WinMail's operation, and to fix make it necessary to rerun the tutorial again to reinstate it. With those things in mind, this tutorial was written so that you can rerun it without affecting WinMail user data.
Please see this Errata (Bug List) post before you install, to be aware of the current information about known issues using WinMail within Windows 7, these issues are programmatic and in most cases cannot be resolved by this tutorial, and will never be fixed.

Having said all of that disclaimer, if you have the technical ability, and can put up with the annoying minor byproduct bugs, then like so many of us still enjoy using WinMail on Windows 7 ...ymmv!

   Tip

As of January, 2025, the instructions given here supersede all other instructions given in forthcoming older posts. Realize some of the posts that follow are over 16 years old, and many of the link pointers within have become mislinked over time, many of the files or information within them is outdated, incomplete, or superseded with more accurate information - and so be careful. However you can always be sure that the latest info from all research is incorporated into this tutorial post, and its downloads are the latest available. This post is continuously kept up-to-date, and so..
...Always refer to this Tutorial post for the very latest updated information

This is the 4th iteration of the Windows 7, WinMail tutorial.

The process of this tutorial Will Not work to reinstate WinMail on Windows 8/10 !
Windows 8/10 users please go Here

Start here

1. Download tutorial package TutReWinMail.zip
   
   Download
   
   
2. Extract the TutReWinMail.zip into your user Downloads folder
   • Note: Be sure once extracted this is the address of the ''TutReWinMail'' folder:
   • C:\Users\username\Downloads\TutReWinMail... ... (if it's not there please put it there)
3. Navigate to your user Downloads\TutReWinMail folder to be sure the above is correct.
   • (..if you need more verbose install instructions to follow, download this WinMail Local Tutorial.zip)
   • Advanced Users can proceed below:

     ---

     (..log in for Full Access, being able to get support, remove ads, like, and even to post, etc..)

Advanced Users: ..use this easy excellent overview of the steps in the local tutorial:

• Open an Administrator Command Prompt. (screenshot showing in Administrator mode)
• copy/paste this line into the command prompt: cd %USERPROFILE%\Downloads\TutReWinMail\
• Your command prompt must now be showing you are at That Same Folder Address ..which contains the tutorial files that the batch file in the next step executes programs and copies files specifically from that folder address - if it's not there the batch file will fail since it cannot find what it needs!
• Next type in either winmail32 or win64mail <matching OS bit, to interactively process These Next Steps
• If you've finished to the bottom as shown in last screenshot, restart your machine (sets registry)
• Create a shortcut from WinMail.exe to your Desktop
• Open WinMail - it may prompt you one (or both) of These Two Notices ..click yes, and okay.
• They now should be already set, but you can manually check/set at any time These Default Settings
• That's pretty much all there is to it, and from here you setup the rest of the Windows Mail client (aka: WinMail) as normal within its various tab menus for Accounts, Options, Layout, etc, etc, to suit your individual needs.
• Lastly, but should be the First thing you do, is to Create A WinMail Backup (new version) ..Go to this next link and when you get there scroll down to the heading: Backup/Restore Procedures for further instructions.

   Information

See How to open an elevated Administrator Command Prompt
Important: The exact text provided by the tutorial must be entered into the Administrator Command Prompt.
Hint: to avoid typos, copy/paste the entire line containing the command into the Command Prompt window.
Also see: How to Enable Copy to Clipboard from the Windows 7 Command Prompt

---

Every effort has been made to make this a step-by-step process, however, it is beyond the scope of a single tutorial to provide information on every command or concept. Search the Main Tutorial Section if you need greater detail on a concept or command presented in this tutorial.

Good luck, and long live WinMail

   Note

Made possible by members:
Mark (aka Mr GRiM) - provided the original tutorial
Poppa Bear - continued Mark's work within the 2nd version
endeavor - provided continuous feedback, changes, invaluable testing instrumental to tutorial operations
EKManitis - propose the batch code that made operations easier
Slartybart - updated, tested, and consolidated all of the above into the 3rd version
endeavor - reviewed, updated, tested, and incorporated all of the above into this 4th version
...and also a special thanks to All the other members who presented discovery for this project

Related Tutorials

---

• How to Backup/Restore Messages in Windows Mail (Vista version)
  
• Windows Calendar - Import into Windows 7
• Vista Windows Sidebar - Reinstate on Windows 7
• Windows Live Mail - Import Windows Mail Messages
• Windows Live Mail - Import Windows 7 and Vista Contacts

 

[endeavor]

There are two folders because one is used for 32 bit installed OS's and one for 64 bit installs, and so used accordingly.

I seem to remember an instance of the other situation you're having with a blank options screen, I'm trying to recall but am drawing a blank at the moment of what the resolve was, whether it was registry or file, and/or if it is connected at all to your auto-delete issue, but I'm sure either one is fixable. I'll have to go back and revisit what you listed you had done with your setup since iirc you had a lot of things going on with it, and what you did.

 

[endeavor]

Hi Ron,

After glancing all of your previous posts to see what you have done to your WinMail so far over the last year or so... (by the way, nice job on being 78 years old)
Okay on your above post you say you put a checkmark in Advanced Option on the 'Empty Messages From The Deleted Items Folder On Exit" but then in the same post you say that your Options big setting box is all blank, and so has me wondering how you have any settings showing if it's all blank? ..so for clarification make a general screenshot and show what tabs and settings that you do have okay.
Actually there is no wording saying "Settings" box or Tab anywhere so I just need to dot the i's so to say.

Also on your, this Post from last year you say you ran SFC and that stopped WinMail from working, which tells me that as of that point you have never run the most recent Tutorial from page one yet, or that would not have happened...also considering if you ran a restore point back to that point, etc, and so before we go any further if you would please run the page one Tutorial operation again and post back. (running the 'latest' Tutorial process will not hurt or change any of your settings even it you ran it a dozen times, it can only help, but I just want to make sure you have the most current WinMailEdit.reg merged, and msoe.dll that it contains.)

 

[Donz]

Endeavor,

I am the one that was having a bit of of problem with WM hanging up when checking for mail after coming out of sleep mode.

I ran the tutorial and hopefully the the 64 bit batch file.

Below is a paste of running the batch file up until the last "press any key..."

I have no problems, but I wonder if the batch file worked properly.

I looked in Program files/WM, and the renamed msoe.dll (-msoe.dll) was not there.

Thanks for all the hard work that you do for all of us...


Don
Microsoft Windows [Version 6.1.7601]
Copyright (c) 2009 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

C:\Windows\system32>cd %USERPROFILE%\Downloads\TutReWinMail\

C:\Users\Don\Downloads\TutReWinMail>

Endeavor, does the above look like I have the elevated cmd prompt?




********************************
* *
* 64 bit Operating Systems *
* *
********************************

=============================================================
This is the batch file to Reinstate WinMail for Windows 7

1. Merges WinMailEdit.reg into your system registry
2. Changes WinMail.exe attributes to make it visible
3. Takes ownership of msoe.dll
4. Replace retail msoe.dll with reinstated msoe.dll
a) rename retail msoe.dll to -msoe.dll
b) copy tutorial msoe64.dll
c) rename tutorial msoe64.dll to msoe.dll

=============================================================
-------- About to merge WinMailEdit.reg

Press any key to continue . . .

----------------- merge WinMailEdit.reg is done ===========


=============================================================
-------- About to change WinMail.exe attributes

Press any key to continue . . .

Access denied - C:\Program Files\Windows Mail\WinMail.exe

A SH C:\Program Files\Windows Mail\WinMail.exe


----------------- change WinMail.exe attributes is done ===


=============================================================
-------- About to take ownership of retail msoe.dll

Press any key to continue . . .

SeSecurityPrivilege : Access is denied.

WARNING :Unable to set SeSecurityPrivilege privilege. This privilege may be requ
ired.
C:\Program Files\Windows Mail\msoe.dll - CreateFile Error : 1314 A required priv
ilege is not held by the client.



Elapsed Time: 00 00:00:00
Done: 1, Modified 0, Failed 1, Syntax errors 0
Last Done : C:\Program Files\Windows Mail\msoe.dll
Last Failed: C:\Program Files\Windows Mail\msoe.dll - CreateFile Error : 1314 A
required privilege is not held by the client.

SeSecurityPrivilege : Access is denied.

WARNING :Unable to set SeSecurityPrivilege privilege. This privilege may be requ
ired.
C:\Program Files\Windows Mail\msoe.dll - CreateFile Error : 1314 A required priv
ilege is not held by the client.



Elapsed Time: 00 00:00:00
Done: 1, Modified 0, Failed 1, Syntax errors 0
Last Done : C:\Program Files\Windows Mail\msoe.dll
Last Failed: C:\Program Files\Windows Mail\msoe.dll - CreateFile Error : 1314 A
required privilege is not held by the client.



----------------- take ownership of retail msoe.dll is done


=============================================================
-------- About to rename retail msoe.dll to -msoe.dll

Press any key to continue . . .

Access is denied.

msoe.dll
MSOERES.dll


----------------- rename retail -msoe.dll is done ======


=============================================================
-------- About to copy / rename tut msoe64.dll

Press any key to continue . . .

 

[endeavor]

Endeavor, does the above look like I have the elevated cmd prompt?

After you unzip the "Win74umsZip.zip" into your Downloads folder, click the "ReWinMail_tutorial.html" to open and when you are reading #3 it also shows you a picture of and how to get to your Administrator command prompt.

It will say "Administrator Command Prompt" on the very top of the command prompt gui box (not within it)

When it says Administrator Command Prompt on the top, then continue to #4 and #5

If you are on a 64 bit OS then you need to run those commands, but for instance on a new setup running the Tutorial on a ''32 bit'' OS the Command Prompt GUI box will look like this; again notice at the very very top, it's says Administrator Command Prompt.
(Click Picture To Open Full)

 

[Donz]

Endeavor,

Yes, I was in fact the Elevated Prompt. It was the ....Users/Don.. that prompted that question.
I just ran it again and got the same error messages as in my post above.

required privilege is not held by the client.

CreateFile Error : 1314 A
required privilege is not held by the client.

SeSecurityPrivilege : Access is denied. Etc, Etc

This leads me to believe that the batch file didn't work. ????

 

[endeavor]

No it did not work, but it's not a WinMail problem but a Permissions problem, and as you can see when you search that out on the internet for instance, you get all these hits.

Have you done or changed anything recently to affect that?

Before you do anything be sure to make a partition backup for safety.
It would be nice if you had a backup partition image from a recent time when it was working normal to go back to as an easy fix, unless you don't mind going through the research to narrow it down as to what you did or was done that affected this.

 

[Slartybart]

You might want to manually check the security settings on the WM folder and related objects

C:\Program Files\Windows Mail\

WinMail.exe
msoe.dll

Post the privileges and the owner screens - thanks

Also open an elevated Cmd Prompt and type or copy the command below

whoami /all > %TEMP%\whoami.txt

please attach the whoami.txt file to your next post with the security screenshots.

This appears to be an issue with the built in administrator privileges. I'll need to verify that and provide a means to correct it.

Do you have any special group policies in effect?

Thanks.

 

[Donz]

Endeavor and Slartybart,

Please accept my apology. I did not follow the tutorial to the letter.
What I did on my first attempt was incorrectly execute the batch file.
I failed to read this carefully: Execute ONE and only ONE of the following commands into the Administrator: Command Prompt window.
What I did was double click the batch file inside the TutReWinMail folder.
Looking back, I can't believe I did such a thing.

I did it again and this is what I got:


********************************
* *
* 64 bit Operating Systems *
* *
********************************

=============================================================
This is the batch file to Reinstate WinMail for Windows 7

1. Merges WinMailEdit.reg into your system registry
2. Changes WinMail.exe attributes to make it visible
3. Takes ownership of msoe.dll
4. Replace retail msoe.dll with reinstated msoe.dll
a) rename retail msoe.dll to -msoe.dll
b) copy tutorial msoe64.dll
c) rename tutorial msoe64.dll to msoe.dll

=============================================================
-------- About to merge WinMailEdit.reg

Press any key to continue . . .

----------------- merge WinMailEdit.reg is done ===========


=============================================================
-------- About to change WinMail.exe attributes

Press any key to continue . . .


A C:\Program Files\Windows Mail\WinMail.exe


----------------- change WinMail.exe attributes is done ===


=============================================================
-------- About to take ownership of retail msoe.dll

Press any key to continue . . .



Elapsed Time: 00 00:00:00
Done: 1, Modified 1, Failed 0, Syntax errors 0
Last Done : C:\Program Files\Windows Mail\msoe.dll


Elapsed Time: 00 00:00:00
Done: 1, Modified 1, Failed 0, Syntax errors 0
Last Done : C:\Program Files\Windows Mail\msoe.dll


----------------- take ownership of retail msoe.dll is done


=============================================================
-------- About to rename retail msoe.dll to -msoe.dll

Press any key to continue . . .


-msoe.dll
MSOERES.dll


----------------- rename retail -msoe.dll is done ======


=============================================================
-------- About to copy / rename tut msoe64.dll

Press any key to continue . . .

C:msoe64.dll
1 File(s) copied

----------------------------------------- directory after copy
-msoe.dll
msoe64.dll
MSOERES.dll

----------------------------------------- directory after ren
-msoe.dll
msoe.dll
MSOERES.dll


----------------- copy / rename tut msoe64.dll is done ====


=============================================================


********************************
* *
* 64 bit Operating Systems *
* *
********************************


Windows Mail is reinstated for use on Windows 7
************
----------------- Reboot now - Reboot now - Reboot now *
************

=============================================================



C:\Users\Don\Downloads\TutReWinMail>

 

[endeavor]

That looks better.
Now back to your original problem saying that WinMail was hanging up when checking for mail after coming out of sleep mode. I feel better that you have the proper registry entries and dll in place - but most likely has nothing to do with your sleep problem. I personally never use the sleep function. Anyway if it still persists I would have to see if I could reproduce it. I believe you said everything else has been working fine with WinMail, and so it's not a serious problem, and as I said before why leave WinMail open when you walk away from your computer in the first place, just close WinMail before you leave your computer long enough for it go to Sleep. I rarely leave WinMail on just to poll for incoming messages anyway; when I want to check for email I start it up, and shut it down when done... but that's just me.

 

[Slartybart]

Endeavor and Slartybart,

Please accept my apology. I did not follow the tutorial to the letter.
.....
Looking back, I can't believe I did such a thing.

No need to apologize, you caught and corrected the error. Good thing too, because I was chasing the problem from a different angle.

Your reporting the issue does raise an issue for the batch file. It should probably check and report the return codes from operations - minor but it would be better. The error msg you recv'd is also a bit disconcerting as it indicates an security audit error - I need to research that a bit more.

endeavor is a WinMail evangelist and has been instrumental throughout the process of testing and supporting the tut. I'll leave you in his capable hands to work out the original issue.

Thanks

Bill
.

 

[Slartybart]

I rarely leave WinMail on just to poll for incoming messages anyway; when I want to check for email I start it up, and shut it down when done... but that's just me.

It's me too

I don't even leave my network connection up. If I need a resource I launch it, use it , and close it.

Everyone operates their machine differently.

 

[Donz]

You guys (I think?), are fantastic!
Spending countless time on others problems.

I'll drink a glass of my best Scotch in your honor!

Thanks,

Don

 

[Slartybart]

Thanks for your kind words Don Z

Guys-yes
Fantastic-sure why not

Here's my best scotch for you!

​

Well, it's a picture of my best scotch...
err, it would be my best scotch if I had 10K USD in my drinking budget. I'm sure that I spent more than that over the years - should have saved my pennies for the 60 yo.

 

[Donz]

Thank You, Thank You......
Keep up the good work!

Don

 

[Slartybart]

and now back to our regularly schedule trouble shooting.

How are things working Don - yea or nay on the original issue now that you ran the most recent process?

WM hangs checking for eMail after awaking from sleep?

Bill
.

 

[Donz]

Bill

The original problem is intermittent.
So far since I ran the .bat I have not seen it happen.
To try,I just put it to sleep for a few minutes and it Failed on checking the first (of 4) email addresses. Error message for the first, and worked fine for the remaining three.
Did it again...,Same.

Also tried sleep mode for just a minute and it worked fine.
I have my check for mail settings to every 4 minutes. Maybe it has to be in sleep for longer than 4 minutes.
Tried again, and disabled first address, checked back longer than 4 minutes and it failed on the now first address.

Account: 'Don- ', Server: 'mail.comcast.net', Protocol: POP3, Server Response: '-ERR Cannot connect to POP server 2001:558:fe14:70::33 (2001:558:fe14:70::33:995), NB connect error 1460', Port: 110, Secure(SSL): No, Server Error: 0x800CCC90, Error Number: 0x800CCC90



Regarding the batch file:
The part that I failed to read properly was "You MUST be in the folder containing the tutorial objects. The batch file in the next step executes programs and copies files from that folder. If you are NOT in that folder, the batch file will fail since it cannot find what it needs."
I wrongly assumed that I had to run it from within the TutReWinMail. Again, I failed to read the tutorial properly.
If the words copy and paste were used, instead of the word execute, (Execute ONE and only ONE of the....) It would have made it 100% clear for me. (Or, maybe If I can just learn to read)

It's too bad that Microsoft doesn't give us what we want.

Don

 

[RKelly5327]

Hi Endeavor; Actually I got the SFC thing taken care of quite some time ago.
If you click on Tools/Options/Advanced tab, that's where the "Settings" box is. There is nothing listed there. On the one I set up for my widow friend, it has several options listed there.
I haven't had a chance to copy the dll files from hers yet, to see if one of those might be the reason for the blank "Settings" box.
I've attached the screen shot of the box so you can see what I am talking about. Or at least I hope I did.
YEA for guys like you who are so helpful so much of the time.

 

[Donz]

I assume you tried to Restore Defaults.

 

[Slartybart]

.....
Account: bozo t clown ', Server: 'mail.comcast.net', Protocol: POP3, Server Response: '-ERR Cannot connect to POP server 2001:558:fe14:70::33 (2001:558:fe14:70::33:995), NB connect error 1460', Port: 110, Secure(SSL): No, Server Error: 0x800CCC90, Error Number: 0x800CCC90
.....

Ok, this looks fairly easy. Port 110 (SSL) is wrong.

See: Configure Outlook Express Settings for Comcast Email
Ignore that it's for Outlook Express (OE) - the values are the same for any eMail client. They simply write a page specific to a client - OE was the first one I saw (there might be one for WinMail, but I was lazy)

You have 7 accounts - check all of them. See how another test works.

Bill
.

 

[Donz]

No, that's not it.

My port settings are correct. Set up Windows Mail for Vista to Use Port 587

It just chokes on the first of 4 email accounts with the same settings for all.

Not a big deal at all. I just hit Send/Receive and it works fine. (or close and reopen WM)