[Gregg123]

Hi Guys,
Compliments of the Season! One of my new years resolutions is to reduce the amount of Spam I get. I did post about this some time ago, and I think I have managed to solve it.

I get an awful lot of Spam in Cyrillic - which I don't really want to see. My other Spam I would prefer to view before deciding what to do with it. I am using Spam Bully which works very well, but the problem was it moved ALL Spam into one folder (Cyrillic or not) and there was no way to change this.

I came up with the idea, that I use Spam Bully to find ONLY Cyrillic and Black listed mails & move them to the deleted items folder.

Problem then is there was no filter being applied for regular Spam. So, I installed Agnitum Spam Terrier (which also uses Bayesian Filter) and this works great.

My Cyrillic e-mail is deleted and my other Spam is filtered into a seperate folder for me to deal with - job done!
There may be a better way but it works for me.

Anyway (I feel like I am telling an Xmas Story here!!!) since I installed this Spam Terrier there is a small problem that I didn't have before.

When I close Outlook Express (I have Outlook Express 6) the process continues to run. The only solution I have found is stopping msimn.exe from the Task Manager - which is a bit of a chore, plus, I am reading not really recommended.

I found a program that I could download that would kill the process automatically 30 seconds after closing - but my machine crashed before I could download it, and I couldn't find it again!!!

I am also reading on various sites that msimn.exe is serious Spyware? Nothing is found on my scans... I have a found a detailed method of how to remove it - but is it a threat?

So, do you guys have a solution? Is this process Spyware and if so can I delete it without deleting Spam Terrier?

Thanks for reading - and in advance for your help!!

Cheers,

Gregg

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Hi Gregg,

Msimn.exe is Outlook Express, unless it's on the Startup tab of MSCONFIG, in which case it could be a problem.
Click Here for more info on that.
If it's only on the TM processes tab, don't delete the file or OE will not work.

Since the problem started when you installed Spam Terrier, I would think that's the problem.
At a guess, Spam Terrier is what's keeping OE open. I'm not familiar with that anti-spam program, so the best I can suggest is to check in it's options to see if there is a setting that keeps it from closing with OE.
Could also be a conflict with another security program that you have.

T.

[Throoper]

Hi Gregg,

Msimn.exe is Outlook Express, unless it's on the Startup tab of MSCONFIG, in which case it could be a problem.
Click Here for more info on that.
If it's only on the TM processes tab, don't delete the file or OE will not work.

Since the problem started when you installed Spam Terrier, I would think that's the problem.
At a guess, Spam Terrier is what's keeping OE open. I'm not familiar with that anti-spam program, so the best I can suggest is to check in it's options to see if there is a setting that keeps it from closing with OE.
Could also be a conflict with another security program that you have.

T.

[coachwife6]

Hi Gregg: Throoper has some good advice. I may add some of my own, if I may. It sounds as if you have several programs trying to fight your SPAM. I would recommend uninstalling all the SPAM-fighting tools and just download one that you prefer. Good luck.

[Gregg123]

Hi Guys,
Thanks for the quick replies. The Process is only on TM. Just one question, you said:

don't delete the file or OE will not work.

If I exit Outlook Express then kill the process, are you saying this can damage it? I haven't had any problems yet, and I have had to do it a few times. Thing is, if I don't kill the process I can't open my e-mails again later, as it thinks the process is already running.

I can't find any setting to make it close when OE does. I have e-mailed Agnitum, will let you know if they reply. I am not hopeful, as I haven't paid them anything (can't guarantee they are as helpful as you guys!) but let's see.

I don't want to uninstall everything, until I know I can't fix this, as it has taken a long time to get my Spam where I want it!!

[Throoper]

Hi Guys,
Thanks for the quick replies. The Process is only on TM. Just one question, you said:

don't delete the file or OE will not work.

If I exit Outlook Express then kill the process, are you saying this can damage it? I haven't had any problems yet, and I have had to do it a few times. Thing is, if I don't kill the process I can't open my e-mails again later, as it thinks the process is already running.

I just meant don't delete the msimn.exe file in the C:\Program files folder. It's the file that runs OE.
Killing the process with Task Manager is basically just telling the EXE to quit running.
There is a slight risk of losing mail or settings by using TM all the time, but a simple backup will minimize any loss.
This link gives instructions for a basic backup. Click Here

Just a thought, but by chance has one of the Anti-Spam programs placed itself on Startup?
Start>Run>type msconfig>OK>Startup tab.

[Gregg123]

SpamBully is on StartUp - but it has always been on there. SpamTerrier (the new one causing the problem) hasn't added itself to StartUp.

Any benefit in removing SpamBully from StartUp - think I did once before, but then it doesn't open when OE does, and my first batch of e-mails isn't filtered.

Cheers.

[Lisa11]

[Throoper]

Any benefit in removing SpamBully from StartUp - think I did once before, but then it doesn't open when OE does, and my first batch of e-mails isn't filtered.

Cheers.

Wouldn't hurt to give it a try. In the SpamBully options there should be a place to uncheck having it start when Windows starts. If you just uncheck it in msconfig, it will just reload itself next time you boot up.
You could make a shortcut to the exe and start it that way before you open OE, but as the problem is that you can't close OE, there probably wouldn't be much point in doing that. I was thinking backwards. It's not that they start, it's that they don't end with OE closing.

Don't suppose they load in the System Tray and give you a way to exit them before closing OE?

CoachWife6 is right about having too many Spam programs that can conflict.
Of course that's assuming that a conflict is the problem rather than a problem with OE.
Only way to tell for sure would be to remove or at least temporarily disable the Spam programs and see if the problem goes away.

For Lisa11: Very cute.

[Gregg123]

I removed SpamBully from Startup, and again it failed to load. I also checked the options, but there is no option to not start with Windows.

There is nothing in the system tray, and no way to exit before closing.

What this did do though was allow Spam Terrier to run alone with OE. When I closed OE, guess what - the process closed as well!! This also used to happen when SpamBully ran alone.

So, I think it is safe to say the problem is a conflict. But, as I said, I want them both to run as they produce the results I need!!

I have downloaded a simple little program called Process Juggler - I can't see that it is much use to me, but it does allow me to close any process with one click, rather than using Ctrl Alt Del.

I think this will have to be my workaround - unless you have something better. One final question, finding the msimn process can be a bit confusing. Is there a way to change this Process name in Task Manager? I went into Program Files & changed the name there, but OE just created another msimn!!

Happy New Year!!

Gregg

[Throoper]

Hi Gregg,

It looks like you've found the problem. Program conflict.
You might want to consider looking for a different Anti-spam program that would do the same job as both.

On the matter of msimn, don't mess with it. That's the main operating file of OE and I'm kinda surprised you didn't trash OE by renaming it. Sounds like you got lucky that it regenerated a new copy with no ill effects.

If you insist on killing a process to close OE, why not try killing one or both of the Anti-spams rather than msimn. At least that would switch the risk to an easily replaceable program instead of OE. The Anti-spams are done with their jobs after the mail has been downloaded, so it should be okay to kill them before closing OE.

T.