Housemate´s PC (Win ME) acting up - advice to smooth things over?

[TJN23]

I´m 22 and I just moved in with an older woman temporarily. She has high speed internet so I have been using her PC (Windows ME, Pentium 3 733mhz, 10 gig fuji hd, no router).

I normally log into the machine by clicking "Cancel" on the Windows Networking login prompt (she normally uses her password).

Only things I have done are installed Firefox and updated MSN messenger to version 6.2 - problem is when she opens her Outlook express 5.5 email and tries to open attachments and other docs she gets a:

"MSNMSGR" fatal error and will now close. Click close and it comes up again, and again, till you reboot.

I mentioned to her that Windows ME sucks and she´d be better off with Windows 2000 (I have a copy and offered to install it).

I´ve backed up 75% of her files but I dont want her to lose her Outlook express 5.5 email. How do I back this up? Are the emails archived online? I dont see any of the attachments or emails cached locally? And if I upgrade to Windows 2000 with a newer version of Outlook Express (6 maybe, or 2002), how do I know it will be able to seamlessly integrate her old email into a new program?

TIA guys

Tim

 

[LiLithTecH]

You are better off leaving well enough alone.

It was more than likely a problem when you UPDATED MSN Messenger.

To fix, download this file, run it, then reboot.
VisualBasic Runtime Update 6.0 SP5

 

[Allan The Shield]

You can export her existing messeges into microsoft outlook, then from microsoft outlook into a PST File. Backup this PST file.

Once you have reinstalled, import the PST file back into microsoft outlook, then load up outlook express and import messages from microsoft outlook.

great eh?