About 'UnreadMail' MRU items in Windows XP...

[javacool]

In many cases the Windows XP logon screen displays the number of unread e-mails in all of an individual's e-mail accounts.

Windows stores information on every e-mail address you have ever used with various e-mail programs and with MSN/Windows Messenger. This information includes a count of the number of unread e-mail messages (at last check), the last time the account was accessed, and the application used to access the account. Even if you stop using an e-mail account, the information is still stored in the Windows registry.

MRU-Blaster can clear this 'UnreadMail' information. This will NOT delete any e-mails you haven't read or any e-mails in your inbox - it doesn't touch your e-mail account at all. Instead, deleting these MRU items simply removes the UnreadMail count information from the registry. This is a safe procedure and also removes yet another 'treasure trove' of information about you from your computer.

Best regards,

-Javacool

[LowWaterMark]

That's quite a good addition Javacool, especially since that particular count has a bad habit of being wrong - so much so that there are fixes out there that try to fix the count for you. (I've never had that count correct on my system. )

[javacool]

quoting: LowWaterMark link=board=33;threadid=8830;start=0#57538 date=1051570808]
That's quite a good addition Javacool, especially since that particular count has a bad habit of being wrong - so much so that there are fixes out there that try to fix the count for you. (I've never had that count correct on my system. )

Agreed - I've also heard reports that people got so tired of the count that they started deleting unread messages in their inboxes.

But the biggest issue is that by looking at that key, if it hasn't ever been cleaned, anyone could determine nearly every e-mail address you have accessed on your computer. (And a program could do the same thing to harvest e-mail addresses...)

EDIT: Windows doesn't seem to ever get rid of this information. It does seem to disregard it after a number of days, but the information is not deleted. Who knows why.

Best regards,

-Javacool

[Philidor]

And here I was feeling pleased with myself for finding the knowledge base article that tells how to turn that feature off.
http://support.microsoft.com/default...en-us%3B304148
By the way, mine recorded hotmail, not the count in Outlook Express. I kept trying to fix it looking at the wrong e-mail account.
Nice work!

[r00ted]

I love MRUBlaster it rox But 1 thing, about this UnreadMail MRU deletion. I have disabled the UnreadMail count thru 1 of the registry keys, from a tweak over @ tweakxp I think was the site Soo....will having the MRU blaster set to "wipe" the "UnreadMail" MRU mess with that registry tweak I have applied?

[kimbaughman]

Hello,
I hate to fly in the face of tradition, but I actually liked the unread mail counter from XP. Note the past tense "liked" because MRU blaster removed it. Is there any way (short of reinstalling XP) that I can recover that file (or registry key or whatever; I am not savvy in computer lingo). I did not see a backup file on MRU blaster to restore deleted files. Thanks.

[javacool]

Originally Posted by kimbaughman

Hello,
I hate to fly in the face of tradition, but I actually liked the unread mail counter from XP. Note the past tense "liked" because MRU blaster removed it. Is there any way (short of reinstalling XP) that I can recover that file (or registry key or whatever; I am not savvy in computer lingo). I did not see a backup file on MRU blaster to restore deleted files. Thanks.

Hi,

If you open the "Settings" area of MRU-Blaster and uncheck the item named "UnreadMail Count (Win XP Logon) the count should reappear the next time you access your e-mail accounts with Outlook (Express) or log into MSN/Windows Messenger.

Best regards,

-Javacool