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Gmail and MS Updates

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by luv2bike2

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one of my users has a laptop for himself and a desktop for his wife, on a wireles home network. when MS comes out with updates they download and install with no problem however the desktop has a problem when accessing Gmail, none of the messages show up.
the laptop can access Gmail with no problem. What he does (which is not good), is uninstall the MS Updates on the desktop, than his wife can access Gmail.
I told him to check his firewall settings in Windows (control panel and in services) to make sure there is no conflict with the firewall that is running on his wireless router. I gave him instructions on how to get to services and this morning he said his OS is different, so he could not check the Services. He could not tell me what it was (98 or XP) LOL. any way, has anyone ever had this problem and knows what can be done. Having his desktop not up to date with MS updates is not good but that is the only way his wife can access Gmail.

Thanks,

16 replies

by older mycroft

It's unlikely, but not impossible, that this PC is running with Win98.

But as for Windows Updates interfering with Gmail - that's a new one on me and, quite frankly, makes no sense at all. Uninstalling updates in order to access an online email account is also beyond my comprehension.

I'm afraid, if it were me, I'd have to actually witness this phenomenon with my own eyes because I just don't believe any of it. If this bloke doesn't even know which OS this PC is running with, I'd be even less inclined to believe anything else that he utters. ;)

by luv2bike2

I have not actually seen this on the person desktop however I DO believe him on what he is saying. He has been dealing with this issue for a while and he does uninstall the ms updates so that his wife can get into Gmail.

I am quite offended by your comments and name calling of a person who you do not know what his knowledge is. Just because you have never heard of it does not mean that it does exist. I personally have not heard of this but i am not doubting what he is telling me. if Gmail does not work when MS updates are installed however Gmail works when the MS updates are unistalled does sound out of normal but there is a problem.

by cg it

So are they using Outlook [god forbid] Express or the web browser?

if they use Outlook [God forbid] Express tell them to stop it. Worst mail client ever put out and buggy as hell. Export their contact lists and start using the browser. Import their contact list to their gmail account.

That or Buy Outlook 2003 if they can get it. Not, Outlook 2007, won't run on Windows 2000.

But I will say this, if they use the web browser to access their gmail account on a Windows O/S computer, Genuine Microsoft security updates for 2000 will not be the cause of the problem[s]. I've got a W2000 right here and have no problems getting to my Gmail account using it eg use the browser not a mail client like Outlook [God forbid] Express.

by older mycroft

As for name calling, all I called him was "[i]this bloke[/i]".

Until you drop this holistic technique to computer diagnostics that you appear to have, and start afresh with the tried and trusted hands-on approach don't get all upset when I draw a simple conclusion. You don't have any more knowledge of this situation than I do because it's ALL third-party hearsay.

The perpetual installing / uninstalling of updates reads like something out of a Foghorn Leghorn cartoon. Surely even you can see that?

by oh smeg

Yep there most certainly is a problem here but it isn't likely to be related to what OS is in use.

It is much more likely to be [b]User Induced[/b] and you need to see it happen and repeatedly to be able to solve the issue.

There was no Name Calling above just the Blatantly Obvious statement that the Stated Issue isn't [b]Overly Believable[/b] when that happens the most common reason is that someone is doing something wrong rather than some screwy Intermittent occurring because of a [b]Hardware/Software Failure.[/b]

[i]I personally have not heard of this but i am not doubting what he is telling me.[/i]

You don't have to doubt what you are being told but you don't have to take it Literally either. This persons wife can not get her G Mail that is simple but why is it happening? What if anything have they done to the system to cause the problem? What have they installed to cause this to happen?

I had a screwy one that was complete nonsense but it happened and when I finally sorted it out it was a installed application for a different OS that had caused a Software Conflict under certain very obscure conditions.

There is no way to fix that type of problem remotely, and just because someone you may believe is describing a problem doesn't mean that their description of the reason is correct.

Anyway the long and Short of things here is [b]You need to be Local to this system to see what is actually happening![/b]

Col

by luv2bike2

He is not using Outlook Express or Outlook 2003 to access Gmail.

i will have him see if he has Outlook 2002/2003 and have him set up Gmail using POP and see what happens.

thank you for the suggestion.

by cg it

if he's using web based, then like I said, there really isn't any genuine microsoft security updates that would block is web browser from accessing Gmail.

What you need to ask is what updates. Microsoft update will tell you which updates are ready to be installed and include a brief description and the update number by kb#. so which ones does he install and lose gmail then uninstall to get gmail back? can't be all of them because many are in Service pack form. So if there is one in particular and it's really not a critical update, exclude it from the list...

by luv2bike2

the ms updates and do as you suggested and have him let me know what the out come is.
Thanks again! :)

by oh smeg

Well from your description I don't even know what is being used here.

Assuming that it is some form of Web Browser Client the problem doesn't make any Sense. Windows Updates [b]Can Not[/b] affect the Web Browser displaying things after they open a Site. If they are using a Browser to do this I would look at the Security Settings involved for that Particular Browser.

RE: [i] I gave him instructions on how to get to services and this morning he said his OS is different,[/i]

This doesn't make much sense either what changed and what's different? It really sounds as if someone who doesn't know what they are doing is just clicking on things hoping for the best and not knowing exactly what it is that they are doing. When this has happened to me in the past I have always had to go and have a look see to reset the system to it's defaults and then fix the original problem.

I remember a very respected surgeon who insisted that his computer couldn't copy & paste when all that was wrong was the user attempting to use the system incorrectly. If you are not there or cannot remote in to see for yourself there is very little to even begin to guess at because it's just wasting everyones time including your client. You need to get your hands on the system to see what's going on here before you can even begin to work out what is wrong. You also need to see how he is using it to see if he is doing anything wrong.

OH and BTW I used to fix sewing machines years ago and it was a common issue that Professional Sewers who had one of those for years would suddenly start threading it up wrong and it stopped working. People make mistakes and unless you are there to see for yourself what is happening there is no way to come up with a solution. You need to be able to show them what they are doing wrong and that's not possible over the phone.

Col

by luv2bike2

i have seen the problem and it is true!
The guy brought his computer into the office for me to see the unbelievable.

ms updates were installed when i was physically in front of the computer, went to the web base GMAIL and logged in, no messages showed up!
uninstalled the ms updates (May 2009 to present, the time this started to happen), rebooted, logged into Gmail (web base), all the messages showed up, logged off and than logged back in again, messages were still there.
installed all the ms updates (did not have time to install one at a time and check), rebooted, logged into GMAIL, guess what, guys... the messages were not there. logged off and on 3 times just to make sure it was not a fluke, and the messages were not present.

i will work on the pc myself, uninstall ms updates from May 2009 to present and install one at a time and check Gmail to see when the messages start to NOT show up in the Web Base GMail. I will also look at the security settings as suggested by OH Seg.

Thanks for all your comments and suggestions.

oh BTW... yes there was name calling from the first person who responded ...

"If this bloke doesn't even know which OS ..."

if "bloke" is not naming calling than explain to me what he (the person who wrote it in the first place), meant.

by cg it

causes the problem. I know many companies that still use Windows 2000 Pro for desktops and they don't have a problem so even though Windows 2000 isn't supported, Microsoft ought to know which update is causing the problem.

by older mycroft

[i]"if "bloke" is not naming calling than explain to me what he (the person who wrote it in the first place), meant."[/i]

[b]Noun: bloke[/b] [i]blowk[/i]

1. A boy or man
...."he's a good bloke"

[i][u]Appropriate Synonyms:[/i][/u]
blighter
boyo
bucko
chap
cuss
fella
feller
[b]fellow[/b]
gent
lad

====================

[b]Noun: person[/b] (people, persons) [i]pursun[/i]

1. A human being
"there was too much for one person to do"

2. A human body (usually including the clothing)
"a weapon was hidden on his person"

3. A grammatical category used in the classification of pronouns, possessive determiners, and verb forms according to whether they indicate the speaker, the addressee or a third party
"stop talking about yourself in the third person"

[i][u]Appropriate Synonyms:[/i][/u]
[b]individual[/b]
mortal
somebody
[b]someone
soul[/b]

====================

WELL - I'm really offended that you went way over the top and called me a person!! :^0

[b]I suggest you get a life - and while you're out getting it, get yourself a dictionary as well !![/b] :^0

by older mycroft

"[i]i will work on the pc myself, uninstall ms updates from May 2009 to present and install one at a time and check Gmail to see when the messages start to NOT show up[/i]"

So, you're gonna install ALL the updates one at a time, from May 2009 are ya?

[b][u]HINT:[/b][/u] Why [u]'May 2009'[/u]? Why not June, July, August, September, or October? ;)

by oh smeg

You could have a good old Software Conflict occurring between some installed Software and 1 M$ Patch that causes this to occur.

Quite often when you get a Software Conflict occurring the results defy logic and they always have no relation to the Software that is causing the conflict.

Games are very good for doing things like this and it's conceivable that they could affect a Firewall and cause something like this to happen.

Though the last time I ran into one of these it was a odd Video Player that was causing the problem. ;)

Col

by luv2bike2

with which one of the Updates is causing the issue.
Thank you CG.

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