Your Inbox and possibly the Deleted Items folder is corrupt, probably due to
bloating.

Move any messages you want to save out of Deleted Items, Sent Items and the
Inbox to folders that you create and then close OE and delete the dbx files
for those three folders.

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 Deleted Items.dbx, Sent Items.dbx and Inbox .dbx
files and delete them. New files will be created automatically when you open
OE.

Compact all folders as described below.

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 Hagen
MS-MVP Outlook Express
Imperial Beach, CA


" wrote in message
...

Highlighting the message header in my inbox and clicking the delete button
on the screen doesn't work anymore. I am still able to use that procedure
in any of my other boxes (Sent Item, Deleted Items).I am able to delete
messages by holding the shift and using the delete button on the keyboard.
Can anyone help?
--
thanks
sharkman