Please quote my entire post when you reply. Thanks. (You can snip the list
of "caveats" below, though.)

1. Open OE Help | About | look in Files list and tell me the version numbers
of these files: DIRECTDB.DLL, INETCOMM.DLL, and MSOE.DLL.

2. Open OE File | Identities | Manage Identities: Is there only one (1)
identity listed here and is it called "Main Identity"?

3. Is Automatic Updates enabled?

4. Can you successfully scan and update manually at Windows Update website
(http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com)?

5. What anti-virus application or security suite is installed? What
anti-spyware applications (other than Defender)? What third-party firewall
(if any)? Has a Norton or McAfee application ever been installed?

6. Do you closely adhere to ALL of the following 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 [removed in WinXP SP2] and frequently
perform a manual compact of all OE folders while "working offline". More at
http://www.insideoe.com/files/maintain.htm

- WinXP SP2 only: Do not cancel Automatic Compacting, should it occur, and
do not attempt to close OE via Task Manager or shutdown your machine if
Automatic Compacting is taking place.

- Disable email scanning by your anti-virus application. It can cause
corruption (i.e., loss of messages), it provides no additional protection,
and even Symantec says it's not necessary:

QP
Disabling Email Scanning does not leave you unprotected against viruses that
are distributed as email attachments. Norton AntiVirus Auto-Protect scans
incoming files as they are saved to your hard drive, including email and
email attachments. Email Scanning is just another layer on top of this. To
make sure that Auto-Protect is providing the maximum protection, keep
Auto-Protect enabled and run LiveUpdate regularly to ensure that you have
the most recent virus definitions.
/QP
http://service1.symantec.com/SUPPORT...02111812533106
--
~PA Bear


Patrick wrote:
Deleted files do go to the Recycle Bin

"Use one setting" is the only one of those checked and it's at 10% (811MB
for drive C)

"PA Bear [MS MVP]" wrote:
Can't do a System Restore because that only keeps one Restore point from
the
previous day (but that's another problem I'll post about)

Actually, both issues may be related (i.e., insufficient disk space).
Let's work on only Recycle Bin for now.

When you delete /any/ file, does it go to the Recycle Bin or not?

Right-click on Recycle Bin icon on your desktop | Properties | Global
(tab):

= Is "Do not move files to the Recycle Bin..." checked or not?

= Is "Use one settings for all drives" checked or not?

= What value is selected in "Maximum size" section?
paste
Patrick wrote:
My files still compact, but normally you would see the .bak files being
copied and filling the Recycle Bin during the process. I'm not seeing
that
anymore and after it's done compacting, there are no .bak files in the
Recycle Bin

I recently deleted hundreds of e-mails, but I don't think that should
matter

I may have changed something in the Registry with Regedit, but I couldn't
find anything

Can't do a System Restore because that only keeps one Restore point from
the
previous day (but that's another problem I'll post about)

I'm running XP Pro SP 2