"Happy" wrote in message
...

"Bruce Hagen" wrote in message
...
General precautions for Outlook Express:

Do not archive mail in default OE folders. They will eventually become
corrupt. Create your own user defined folders for storing mail and move
your mail to them. Empty Deleted Items folder regularly. Keep user
created folders under 100MB, and Default folders as empty as is feasible.

After you are done, follow up by compacting your folders manually while
working *offline* and do it often.

Click on Outlook Express at the top of the folder tree so no folders are
open. Then: File | Work Offline (or double click Working Online in the
Status Bar). File | Folder | Compact all folders. Don't touch anything
until the compacting is completed.

Turn off e-mail scanning in your anti-virus program. It is a redundant
layer of protection that eats up CPUs and causes a multitude of problems
such as time-outs and account setting changes. Your up-to-date A/V
program will continue to protect you sufficiently. For more, see:
http://www.oehelp.com/OETips.aspx#3

In Tools | Options | Maintenance: Uncheck Compact messages in background
and leave it unchecked. {N/A if running XP/SP2}.

And backup often.

Backup & Resto
http://www.insideoutlookexpress.com/backup/

This is a great two click program:

Outlook Express Quick Backup (OEQB)
http://www.oehelp.com/OEBackup/Default.aspx
--
Bruce Hagen
MS-MVP Outlook Express
~IB-CA~
*** I hear what you're saying, and I follow your advice most of the time.
But I do have a problem with knowing the size of the "user defined"
folders - you say 100 MB should be the maximum, but unless you watch that
closely, I find that when you move an email into a larger folder, it might
just disappear- no warning. Is there a way around this?


While most of us suggest 100MB, you shouldn't have a problem with twice
that. Remember that space taken up by a message isn't retrieved after you
move it or delete it until you compact.

I have no idea why you would lose a message just by dragging it to another
folder, but you can also right click on the message header and choose Copy
To Folder. If it shows up, then you can delete the original.
--
Bruce Hagen
MS-MVP Outlook Express
~IB-CA~