I have switched my membership to my yahoo address but I don't like Yahoo nearly as much as OE. This is a temporary fix. And I found out about the problem because, when I wasn't getting mail from the listserv, I went to my member page and found they had discontinued sending me emails because they were being bounced. I could post but not receive. And lastly, the always annoying Comcast does not seem to offer a "safe sender" or "allow this sender" option. If they do, I'd love to hear about it and how to choose that option. I can't find one.

There is a very effective program that you can download for free called "Spam-Aid", it will block ALL messages that are from anyone that is not listed in your address book.It is installed on your computer as a separate program and you can use it, or bypass it to check your email the usual way without anything being blocked. Just keep in mind when using Spam-Aid to check you mail, EVERYTHING is blocked and deleted at the server except for messages from those that are listed in your address book. It is very effective at what it does, I use it and am well pleased with it. I might add that the program does have a way for those whom you know that are not listed in your address book to get a messsage delivered to you by way of a "password" which they can obtain from a clue you give them in setting up the program. Just check it out, you may want to use it, you may not - but it works. http://www.topshareware.com/Spam-Aid-download-12249.htm

I have never heard of an ISP that told you what to use as your email address. Are you talking about your ISP when you say your provider or something else? When I set up our comcast I set up an email address similar to what you are saying with some initals and part of the name. I never use it but set it up just in case I should need one and to get any correspondence from comcast should they email me. I later decided to tie that email account to my ebay account and ebay came back and said that email address was already in use by someone. HUMMM well how can that be? So I created a different one at comcast and used it. Fast forward to last week when just for the heck of it I decided to go check on those comcast addys to see if there was any mail. Well that first one had a ton of spam in it and several emails from someone with the same initals/name and it looks like he also has that same email address. It has not been an issue for me since I just do not use that address but I was able to open all those emails of his and they were business related and some were legal. I am sure he would not be happy about that I know I would not be happy. I have no idea how comcast let that happen, each email address should be unique and never be allowed once someone has locked it in. the other 2nd comcast one I set up and ended up tieing to my ebay had zero spam and only email from ebay in it. very weird and sounds like maybe something very similar is happening in your case. If so the ISP should be able to check those 2 accounts and see why exactly that is happening. Definitely check your full headers and get all the routing info and let them have that info so they can sort it out. you may have to ask how to show full headers each email client is different, I have not used outlook express in ages.

Just a quick update to anyone who may (or may not!) be interested in my original problem... After literally weeks of frustrating searches, futile attempts and dead-ends, I wiped Outlook Express from my computer and downloaded Thunderbird...it's a real gem! I did lose my old address book (but luckily I had a replica within Hotmail), but DID keep all sent/deleted/saved messages...can easily rebuild address book as people email me...messages to my old OE address still arrive at new Thunderbird one, so I'm a very happy chappy! Regards to all, Shax