Please include all of previous message(s) in your replies to the newsgroup.

brett wrote:
If I rename folders.dbx to folders.old and it creates a new one, how do
I get everything from folders.old into the new one?

Folders.dbx is not a file that contains messages. IOW, there's nothing to
"get" from the old one to put into the new one. (By closing OE and deleting
or renaming FOlders.dbx, you will lose the mail tree structure, all lists of
newsgroups, and all synchronization options, and any message rules will
likely need to be edited.)

Also, is periodically running Compact All a good maintenance? Will it
help avoid problems in other words?

Yes, it's a MUST. General OE Caveats:

- Don't use Inbox or Sent Items to archive messages. Move them to local
folders created for this purpose.

- Empty Deleted Items folder daily.

- Disable Background Compacting [N/A in SP2] and frequently perform a manual
compact of all OE folders while "working offline". More at
http://www.insideoe.com/files/maintain.htm.

- Do not attempt to close OE via Task Manager or shutdown your machine if
Automatic Compacting is taking place (WinXP SP2 only).

- Your anti-virus application's email scanning feature can also cause
corruption. Disable it. It provides no additional protection.
--
~Robear Dyer (PA Bear)
MS MVP-Windows (IE/OE, Shell/User, Security), Aumha.org VSOP, DTS-L.org