Note: The methods described in this post apply to older versions of Internet Explorer (<6) and Outlook Express (<6), and are provided here for reference purposes only.

Fix the "Unable to poll for new messages" error

Here is an error message that some Outlook Express users receive when sending or receiving email, or after creating a new email account:

Unable to poll for new messages on your HTTP server. 
Account: 'Hotmail'
Server: 'http://services.msn.com/svcs/hotmail/httpmail.asp'
Protocol: HTTPMail
Server Response: 'End tag 'D:response' does not match the start tag 'D:prop'. 
Port: 0
Secure(SSL): No
Error Number: 0xC00CE56D

This problem most likely is caused by Internet Explorer’s cookie management behavior. To fix the problem, add http://www.hotmail.com/ to IE’s allowed cookie list as follows:

  1. Open Internet Explorer and go to Tools » Internet Options.
  2. Go to the Privacy tab and click the Edit button.
  3. Enter http://www.hotmail.com/ in the address field and click the Allow button.
  4. Click OK and then OK again to exit.

Fix the "duplicated messages" problem

This fix addresses the infamous "duplicated messages" problem occasionally encountered in Outlook Express. The issue involves corrupted Hotmail folders and results in duplicated messages in Outlook Express. To fix this problem, close Outlook Express, rename the local Hotmail folder, and download a new copy:

  1. Completely exit out of Outlook Express.
  2. Open the "Find" window by pressing the Windows key (on the keyboard between Ctrl and Alt) and the "F" key simultaneously.
  3. Search for files or folders named Hotmail*.dbx.
  4. Rename the extension of the folder in which duplicate emails appear (from .dbx to .xyz, for example).
  5. Open Outlook Express.
  6. Select the account containing the duplicative folder and click "Send and Receive".
  7. A new folder will be downloaded automatically replacing the renamed folder, which you may wish now to delete.

Alternate addresses for Hotmail accounts accessed through Outlook Express

http://oe.hotmail.com/secure/hmdata
http://services.msn.com/svcs/hotmail/httpmail.asp

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