How to reinstate WinMail onto Windows 8/10/11

Thanks for the replies. I wasn't doing any extra steps etc, was just thinking out loud, lol. I appreciate the time and effort you went through to get people connected to Winmail. It still didn't work for me today using the reg file to take ownership, so I installed Thunderbird as its closer to Winmail than the native Windows 8 mail app. When I finally get around to upgrading from Win 7 to Win 10, I might try again on my computer.

The steps I took:
1) take ownership via reg file (linked from instructions)
2) Take Ownership of Winmail folder from c:\Program Files\Winmail
3) Delete Winmail folder in c:\Program Files
4) Transfer "working" (x64) Winmail Folder to c:\Program Files
5) Send winmail.exe as shortcut to desktop from c:\Program Files\Winmail
6) Copy msidcrl30.dll (x64 version) to c:\Windows\System32
7) Merge WinMailEdit.reg from computer downloads folder

Now I wasn't 100% sure if I had to move the WinMailEdit.reg file to another location first.

After all this, I click winmail.exe shortcut on desktop and all I get is the Windows swirling circle, but nothing loads, and it continues until I restart / shut down

Thanks again, I'll make sure to give ya a thumbs up!
 
hillmonkey,

I owe you (and whomever the first 8 other people were) who downloaded the (x64)WM_ProgramsFolder.zip
....a very Big Apology!
I'm human, and made a mistake a few days ago when I was organizing the new upload attachments. I had two computers and two computer screens open at the same time as I was transferring/renaming files from my test bench computer to my main one getting ready for uploading - I realized this morning as I duplicated your problem, that I had made one mistake in the renaming process and it was on that one x64 zip file (fwiw, inside was really the x86 WM folder, and thus explains your observations)
My Sincere Apologies! ...I can't tell you how much I mean that! ! ! ! !
I've just re-zipped the one right out of my own x64 WM programs folder and re-uploaded it onto post #1

Thank you for your great courtesy, and thank you for your patience and understanding.
 
Last edited:
Thank you, for taking the time to re-create the problem and checking your files. I will most likely leave my dads computer alone since you are right, I am the one who has to update, fix, manage their PC, so I don't need to be doing that on a weekly basis =D
 
Thanks for all your help here. Instead of the entire "Program Files\Windows Mail", I copied only the msoe.dll file in windows 7 and in window 8.1 this msoe.dll and the msidc*.dll in windows\system32. Plus of course the reg info. This way I do not have the issue with the spelling checker reported here. Tested in Windows 7 at least. The 'work offline' bug remains, alas.
 
Tested in Windows 7 at least.

Windows 7 WinMail tests belong over there in that thread in Seven Forums

However if you are talking about Win8 if you could detail and explain much better than what you have done above, and give all the specific details because your post is really not very clear or concise at all. Please be specific on everything you did and what your point is!

Yes fwiw it is known that the spell check bug is worse on WinMail of 7 than it is on 8 when using the ''highlight'' method just as the bug notes say - however it still crashes 8 about 50% of the time; otherwise ''regular'' spell checking is fine just like on 7.
Also fwiw, yes you can use a few files from 8, but it is advisable to change out the entire folder just as the instructions said, there is a reason! Why would you even try I am wondering? ...anyway you won't get away with that so easily on Win 10.
 
My apologies if I did not explain better. I follow all the step as in post #10. Except in 4) where I do not copy the "Programs Files\Windows Mail" folder at all. I only copy from my Windows 7 folder the file called "msoe.dll". This file in turn I had copied from my Vista installation.

It seemed to me that there was a code change in msoe.dll that disabled the application but that the interface was unchanged. It seemed therefore better to me to make a minimal change to the Windows 8.1 installation by just overwriting this file.

I have not had any time a bug in the spelling checker as reported in this thread. It works on a selection just the same. Perhaps someone cares to verify that.

No idea about Win 10, though. Would be nice if that could work also.
 
Octopussy, Follow steps in Post #10 exactly & it will work. I did a similar by bypassing a step and WinMail not work.
But I did follow them exactly and I now have it working (spell good) in Windows 10.
If I'm not mistaken, when I put WinMail in 7, the msoe.dll was all that needed to be changed but that is not the case in 8.1 & 10 as I understand it. I did copy the entire Folder from C:/Program Files/Windows Mail and as mentioned earlier, it is working on my PC with Windows 10.
Good luck.....................Bill
 
I follow all the step as in post #10. Except in 4) where I do not copy the "Programs Files\Windows Mail" folder at all. I only copy from my Windows 7 folder the file called "msoe.dll". This file in turn I had copied from my Vista installation.

Then you're saying you did step #3 then right <g> I apologize too but I still can't understand what you did because you've said you did #3, and etc with other things, and so the information given is still incomplete...
...However! the good news and important thing is you are saying your WinMail is working good right, then great! ..so you don't need any help,
Let's leave it at that.

FWIW, I can tell you one thing, just replacing only the msoe32.dll on ''Windows 8/8.1/10'' will not work, it would never start.
What do you think everyones been doing for the last how many years with this, just guessing - I think not.
Perhaps you are really using all Vista WM programs folder files and forgot you did it, no problem because..
The important thing is! ..your WM is working - and so great good, no worries.

If you want to upload your current Win8.1 WinMail Programs folder files zipped somewhere to download so we can take a look at version numbers and hash checks, we'll see exactly where the program files you're using really came from <g>
 
But I did follow them exactly and I now have it working (spell good) in Windows 10.

Hello Bill,

It says on your info under your name and your system specs that you have Windows 7, but do you still have that installed, or are you now just using Windows 10?

Anyway when I was booted to Windows 10 today I wanted to double check what you said about your spell check is working on Win10. Spell Check works fine yes on a 'regular' 'non-highlighted' basis, however if let's say you have a large one page email, but you only wanted to check one paragraph out of the many and so you 'Highlighted' just that one paragraph, and knowing you had let's say six misspelled words within that paragraph, and as it stops on each of those words, and you select the box to change it to the right spelling and click it in, I doubt you would get past the first few misspelled word changes before it would crash. I've tested that scenario on a full email so many times and just tested that again this morning (and the other day for the hundredth time again on Windows 8 with octopuss, although it faults a little different on Win8 than Win10 yes, but it still does error out)
Yes it is known when 'Highlight' spell-checking, it takes longer to crash on Win8/10 than it does on Win7 (which Win7 happens very quickly) but nonetheless on Win8 & Win10 it happens.

Again it only happens on '''Highlighted''' spell-checking just as the WinMail Bug List says, and if needed explains more in detail about it there if you click that Here link.
 
Last edited:
Added "update" in Para 1, Sentence 2.

Hello Endeavor,
I've Windows 10 on my laptop checking it out before installing it on my desktop which has Windows 7 on it until I'm comfortable with 10. I've another laptop with Vista & another desktop with XP so guess I need to update My System Specs.

You are so right about the Spell Check issues of a High-lighted paragraph. It would correct 1st mis-spell it came to then crash WinMail to Restart.
Good day...............Bill
 
Last edited:
Endeavor, When this happen? I've got latest Win 10 Updates & WinMail working this morning. Any fixes/work-arounds if this happens? Thanks,
Bill
 
Peter, Just after I replied earlier, the new Win 10 Build downloaded to my PC but I've not done a Restart which will then install it.
1--Anyway, do I install it then reactivate WinMail? 2--Whats the difference between "[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Tahoma, Calibri, Geneva, sans-serif]Windows Mail folders with original Vista ones" you specified above (Post 192) or are you just implying to re-install what I have working now? 3--I assume that I have original Vista folders now since I've been using WinMail on both my 7 & 10 PCs.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Tahoma, Calibri, Geneva, sans-serif]As always, thanks for your help...................Bill[/FONT]
 
Endeavor, When this happen? I've got latest Win 10 Updates & WinMail working this morning. Any fixes/work-arounds if this happens? Thanks,
Bill

Ex_Brit just made a mistake is all in his first post and jumped the gun - it was a simple misunderstanding, and as you see in his next post he quickly realized it.

It has always been the same fix for Windows 8 and Windows 10, and I outlined that many times in post #1, that whenever you do any build upgrades - yes it will break WinMail, simply because MS always rewrites many of the files within the WinMail folder, and depending on which OS you're using many registry entries as well.
For Windows 8 to fix it afterwards run through the Post 1 tutorial process again. All files needed are attached to it.
If you are using Windows 10 (depending which version) you will need to run through both Post 1 & 2 again.
It's all very easy, simple, effective, and by now should be no big deal for anyone who uses WinMail - that if you do an upgrade, then afterwards just run through the WinMail Tutorial process that pertainis to your OS again.

Long Live WinMail :)
 
Last edited:
Back
Top