Double Take

Q: My wife and I have a (problem) question. We wonder if you can supply an answer. We both have desktops running XP Home, Outlook Express, and Internet Explorer 7. Recently we switched to Microsoft from Qwest for our Internet service. Since we've changed our emails, the emails in our Inbox are often duplicated. In my wife's case it is 100%. In my case it is about 15%. We didn't find answers elsewhere for this but wondered if you know a fix.

Bob
A: Duplicates can drive you crazy, but what you are experiencing is not uncommon. Some people even experience duplicates when they forward emails. From what you have described I suspect that the problem is a result of using Microsoft Outlook Express in conjunction with your new Microsoft Internet service. There is nothing wrong with using them together, but there have been cases in the past where this combination has produced duplicate emails in the inbox. To be more specific, the issue is between using Outlook Express and having a Hotmail or other Internet Messaging Access Protocol account configured as the default email account. This may also include the msn account that is included with most Microsoft Internet service packages. Your Outlook Express accounts sound as though they are set to check for new emails at a time interval that you set and it is also set to send and receive new messages when you start Outlook Express. So what is essentially happening is that when you receive a new unread email in your Hotmail or IMAP account it is sent automatically to Outlook and when you open Outlook Express another copy is sent because the emails have not been opened.
You can test this by logging into your hotmail or other account directly and reading a new email. Then log out of the account and open your Outlook Express and see if the messages are duplicated. To correct this problem, open the Tools header in Outlook Express and select Options. It is here, on the General tab of Options that you can select either to check for new messages when you start or to download headers automatically. They are both listed under the Send/ Receive Messages section in the middle of the tab. Choose one not both. It is important to note that the When Outlook Express starts, go directly to my inbox is not selected, especially if you have more than one email account on Outlook Express. The box should be at the bottom of the Outlook Express start page. You open the Inbox by selecting it from the left side of the start page.
Also under the Tools header you can Synchronize your account. This should take care of existing duplicate emails. If that doesn’t work for you, there are third party programs like the aptly named Duplicate Email Remover that should resolve the issue. Free programs to remove duplicate emails can be found at www.slipstick.com/addins/mail_duplicates.asp or www.download.com.