I've looked on that great website annoyances.org and can't find an answer to this.

How do I get rid of that annoying "unread mail" notice next to the user name on the start screen? I know it is petty but it drives me nuts.

What I want to know is how does the computer know you have unread mail before you've even connected to the internet?

I've looked on that great website annoyances.org and can't find an answer to this.

How do I get rid of that annoying "unread mail" notice next to the user name on the start screen? I know it is petty but it drives me nuts. 

Remove the Unread Mail Counter from the Log on Screen

1. Click Start, click the Run command and type in "REGEDIT" (without the quotes) to open the Registry Editor.

2. Browse to the following location in the left pane:

HKEY CURRENT USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\UnreadMail

3. Double click the MessageExpiryDays entry in the right pane and set the value to 0. Click OK.

4. Close the Registry Editor.

Restart the computer and log on. No more email bubbles!

The usual cautions regarding editing the registry apply. Backup the registry first.

Alternative is to download TweakUI and use it.

http://www.winxpcentral.com/windowsxp/xptweak-ui.php

or from here:

http://www.tweakhound.com/xp/xptweaks/supertweaks8.htm

Edited November 21, 200520 yr by tywais

is tweakui easy to use? I am not a newbie but neither am I comfortable messing around with the registry!

is tweakui easy to use? I am not a newbie but neither am I comfortable messing around with the registry!

Quite easy to use. Here is a snapshot of what you do after running it.

What I want to know is how does the computer know you have unread mail before you've even connected to the internet?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Heh, heh! Spooky, huh?

(I think it's "unread" in your Outlook/O. Express inbox on your computer ).

Looks like my speed! I'll definitely give it a try. There are just some things about Windows that really drive me nuts and this is one of them (lots of others I have figured out how to stop--like error reporting) Thanks!

Looks like my speed! I'll definitely give it a try. There are just some things about Windows that really drive me nuts and this is one of them (lots of others I have figured out how to stop--like error reporting) Thanks!

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I'm curious as to why it drives you nuts. If you tell us which mail client you use - Outlook? or Outlook Express? - maybe we can suggest other options. I know in Outlook Express there is an option to mark mail as 'read' after it appears in the preview pane for a time. And you can adjust the timing. Maybe yours is set too long? I rarely see that message because all my mail gets marked as 'read' as soon as I read it.

I guess what I am saying is, maybe you are shooting the messenger rather than fixing the problem (sorry for the mixed metaphors ).

(I think it's "unread" in your Outlook/O. Express inbox on your computer ).

Also if you are using Thunderbird.

(I think it's "unread" in your Outlook/O. Express inbox on your computer ).

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Also if you are using Thunderbird.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yes, I should have said "any email program inbox". Although, I guess there may be some programs that windows doesn't recognise and so can't check if any emails are not read.