"Garry Douglas" wrote in message
et...
"Bruce Hagen" wrote in message
...
Create a new Outbox, and Sent Items folder.
Do the following for the Outbox, and Sent Items after you move any
messages you wish to save to a local folder you create.
Tools | Options | Maintenance | Store Folder will reveal the location of
your Outlook Express files. Write the location down and navigate to it in
Windows Explorer or, copy and paste it into Start | Run.
In WinXP, Win2K & Win2K3, the OE user files (DBX and WAB) are by default
marked as hidden. To view these files in Windows Explorer, you must
enable Show Hidden Files and Folders under Start | Control Panel | Folder
Options Icon | View, or in Windows Explorer | Tools | Folder Options |
View.
With OE closed, find the Outbox.dbx and Sent Items.dbx file and delete
them. New files will be created automatically when you open OE.
To help prevent this in the futu
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 or SP3}.
Bruce
I already do all but one of the things you suggest i.e. not archiving
mail in default folders, emptying the deleted items on exit etc. The thing
I haven't kept an eye on is the size of the user created folders.
I followed the steps above to the letter. I also checked the file sizes
for the 3 folders that were over 100MB, ran compact all folders as
instructed and then checked the folder sizes again after exiting OE6 and
they had not changed. I then manually deleted selected old items in these
large folders and checked file sizes again but they were still unchanged.
However, the Deleted Items folder was now over 280MB even though the
folder was empty when viewed in OE6. When I tried to delete more old
archived mail the Delete button had no effect so I assume the Deleted
Items folder was either too large or had become corrupted..
I tried to move the Deleted Items folder to another directory so that it
would be re-created the next time I started OE6 but couldn't move the
folder because it was in use by OE6 or another application. OE6 was not
running at this time so I re-booted the machine and was then able to move
the folder, went back in to OE6 and it re-created as expected but when I
exited again and checked in Explorer, the 3 large folders were still the
same size.
At this time I went back to working online and an incoming message was
received. I immediately tried to send a reply but the same problem
recurred and the message just sat in the Out Box until I re-booted the
machine and, naturally enough, it was sent.
Is there any thing else I can do?
Thanks
Garry
Did you compact *after* moving and deleting messages? The dbx file size will
not change until you do.
If that does not help, can you create folders for messages you want to keep
and move or copy the messages to these folders?
If you are successful doing that, create a new identity and only import the
user created files with your messages.
How to Create and Use Identities in Outlook Express
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=209169
For your messages:
In the new identity: File | Import | Messages. Select Microsoft Outlook
Express 6 and Import from the old identity. Your default folders in the new
identity are fresh and empty, so choose to import only selected folders, and
import those you created for saving your messages.
For your Address Book:
Open the Address Book in the old identity and File | Export | Address Book
(wab) to any place on your HDD that is easy for you. My Documents is fine.
Then, open the Address Book in the new identity and File | Import | Address
Book (wab) and point to where you saved it.
For Newsgroups:
In the old identity, Tools | Accounts | News | Export. Send it to anyplace
on your HDD and then in the new identity, go there and Import.
These will only set up your news accounts. The specific newsgroups will have
to be subscribed to again.
--
Bruce Hagen
MS-MVP Outlook Express
Imperial Beach, CA