Have found the solution which is to use Windows Live Mail.

This imports all Outlook Express setting and accounts, though it did lose
the Hotmail one subsequently but it was easy to re-instate it.

It did not correctly import all the local storage folders initially but
doing a re-import of the affected folders seems to have solved that problem.
However, have kept the Outlook files just in case.

Can be a bit slow to start up but does not suffer the slow running problems
that had made OE unusable. Note, however, that it can take a bit of time to
get all email messages into the folders on the first few times that it is
used.

The format of the storage seems to be more sensible in that the emails are
stored as individual files within a folder structure rather than hidden away
in .dbx files as for OE.

Hope this helps anyone who experiences a similar problem.

Pete

PS to people who post resolutions and suggestions.
Whilst it is good of you to do this, getting on your own personal bandwagon
to tell people that they should not use 'XYZ' software after they have
already bought and installed it does not help anyone. If the only thing you
can suggest is that you wouldn't have used the software giving the problem,
don't bother to make any reply. Suggestions should be about positive things
to be done, not about what you shouldn't have done in the first place.



"Pete W" wrote:

Outlook Express 6.0 has started to run so slowly that it is unusable.
It takes 8 to 10 seconds to switch between email folders.
When viewing the performance with Task Manager, switching folders in OE 6.0
uses around 50% of the processor for this time.
The processor is an Intel Centrino Duo 2.3 GHz.
I am not sure of the following may be relevant:
I recently installed Norton 360 as an upgrade to Norton Internet Security
Initially there was no slowdown for any software that I use.
An option appeared when using OE to integrate Norton Anti-Spam and I
selected yes.
Following this, OE started performing very slowly.
I have tried switching off Norton Anti-Spam but this does not improve the
performance of OE.
I have tried archiving large email folders away from OE but this also has
not had any improvement effect.
I tried installing Thunderbird from Mozilla and this performed well but did
not transfer some of my email folders and it did not let me add my hotmail
account easily to the software.
I have tried some of the Registry fixers that are flagged as possible cures
on a Google Search but none of them resulted in any improvement.
I need an email client that allows me to have several email accounts,
including hotmail and POP3.
OE has been perfect for this but now its performance is so bad that I cannot
use it.
Does anyone know of a fix to OE or an alternative, easy to install, email
client; even if there is a charge for the software, it is better than having
to use a different email client for each email address.
Ta much in anticipation of someone being able to help.