General Re-Summary Of Problem.
My Fellow Americans, (I just felt like using it this one time!)
So as I've been reading through the various posts from all of the readers, I've noticed that some people may not know exactly what's causing this. Obviously, the thread is getting a little deep, so naturally many people may be losing the facts in the process because they're getting buried under a bunch of other helpful posts. So to make things easier, I just wanted to sum up the major issues, and to see if I couldn’t clear some ideas up in the process.
Okay, here goes...
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(The Problem)
When typing or accessing HTML-formatted text in Outlook 2003 (possibly other versions of Outlook as well), there is a great slowdown with either typing or opening an e-mail.
(The Cause)
This problem is ultimately triggered by a combination of factors. Although there have been many potential causes listed for this problem, the root causes are as follow:
- Outlook 2003
- Internet Explorer 7
- Spybot 1.4 + Immunizations (Not At Fault, But Does Add To The Delay)
(The Summary)
By running Spybot Immunizations, Spybot is placing several thousand entries into a user's registry in order to help specify which websites Internet Explorer should not under any circumstances open or run. These are known as "bad domains," and they are actually a very handy way of enhancing security in Internet Explorer.
The main problem is that inexplicably, Outlook will scan this entire list of "bad domains" each time that it has to access an HTML-formatted e-mail or any of its text. For example: If you start Outlook and open an HTML-formatted e-mail, you may notice a delay. Conversely, if you create a new e-mail and begin to type, you may notice a gradual typing delay that will eventually build into a complete stall with no text appearing until you stop typing.
The reason for this awkward behavior is because Outlook is instructing your CPU to scan each and every single entry listed as a "bad domain," which when combined with the 15,000+ (at present) entries that are also added by Spybot in addition to anything that may already be there, causes a tremendous slowdown.
(The Solution)
Officially, there is none yet. However, there are several work-around solutions. These are:
1) Each time Outlook is started, go to Tools/Options (in your menu bar), click on the Security tab, and then click OK to exit.
- This is a revised solution to the one I originally proposed, and after doing more tests I noticed that no change/revert was needed under the Security tab, only an OK click. -
2) Don't use HTML formatting.
- By disabling HTML formatting in your Outlook Mail Format options you circumvent the problem entirely, as all e-mails (not matter what their original format) are presented in either RTF or plain text mode. Although in theory this is a safer way of viewing e-mails, many people (myself included) do not wish to use this format setting. -
3) Using Spybot, go to Immunize, and click the "Undo" arrow in between the "Check Again" magnifying glass icon and the "Help" icon.
- Doing this will instruct Spybot to remove all of the entries that it had previously entered into your "bad domains" list, and thus greatly improving (if not entirely) solving your slowdown. *It is important to know that by doing this, the real nature of the problem is not resolved, in addition to this fix turning off what would otherwise be a very strong security feature offered by Spybot. This can of course be re-enabled at anytime by going to Immunize and by clicking the green cross icon labeled "Immunize." -
(The Questions)
Why does resetting my Internet Explorer fix this problem?
- Resetting Internet Explorer, amongst other things, clears all of the entries listed as "bad domains" in the registry. Doing this removes the enlarged list that is ultimately scanned by the CPU when reviewing HTML-formatted text or e-mails. This problem will absolutely return as soon as any substantial entries are replaced in this section of the registry, i.e. when running a Spybot Immunization. -
Where are the "bad domains" stored?
- To answer a previous reader's post, this list of "bad domains" can be viewed manually with the registry editor under:
"HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\ZoneMap\Domains"
This list includes any domains that have been added by default, manually by the user, and by any other program (such as Spybot).
*Please be advised the editing the registry manually or accidentally deleting important keys/entries could result in serious system software damage. Do not view or edit the registry unless you are confident in your abilities. -
Are Windows Updates to blame?
- Possibly, although not in my case. Although this may be different for other users, I can personally comment and say that I do not believe this to be the result of a Windows Update. I myself do not run an Automatic Update (permanently disabled for all user accounts), and I do not visit the Microsoft Windows Update website unless I am going there to manually download a hotfix or new software. In this case, I did not have any hotfixes or anything else of that nature installed, and my computer began exhibiting the typing delay exclusively and immediately following my upgrade to Internet Explorer 7. Obviously, with each Spybot Immunization update that I performed, my problem continued to get worse, as my CPU progressively had to run through more and more entries in the "bad domains." I have a very well-powered machine that is relatively new (9 months old), and in my case I can attest to not having many of the components associated with Windows Updates (such as Windows Defender) installed on my computer. -
Will a Service Pack or Windows Update to either my Windows or my Office 2003 fix the delay?
- At present, no. No Service Pack or individual update yet exists that addresses this problem. -
Does my Anti-Virus program (such as Norton's or McAfee) cause this problem?
- Fortunately, it does not. This problem is not in any way caused by the presence of an Internet Security or Anti-Virus program. This has been verified by me, as well as by many other competent users. -
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Well folks, there you have it. A nice and complete summary for anyone who may be visiting this thread for the first time. If I neglected to mention any other important facts, please feel free to tack them on as replies. Of course, I will also post again should I have any more answers or input to give.
I can only hope that my continuing research turns up more answers. Of course, judging by the explosive progress of this thread, it is likely that Microsoft will jump on this before I or anyone else ever figures out what's really wrong. Or at least I hope that they would! Anyway, I have filed a bug report with Microsoft detailing my findings, so hopefully they will be able to act upon it and many other similar ones that I'm sure they have also received.
Until this happens, my only course of action is to say, "Mr. Microsoft, please tear down this delay!" :laugh:
My Best,
-Ronald Reagan
Sorry; double posted and can't see where "delete post" is hidden
