{Bottom Posting; see "Last Message" below}

----- Message 1 (links are clickable) -----
From: "Michel Merlin"
Newsgroup: news://msnews.microsoft.com/microsof...tlooke xpress
Message: news://msnews.microsoft.com/eHtMd4fj...TNGP03.phx.gbl
Sent: Mon 12 Jun 2006 10:56:35 +0200 (08:56:35 GMT)
Subject: OE still tries compact messages by surprise!

Today, while working on my desktop, a glance to my laptop (WXP
Pro) which was Shutting down, suddenly showed me a notification
windowlet saying (approximatively) "Outlook Express can compact
your messages, compacting will save space, etc."

I at once clicked the × button in the upper right corner to stop
this (I couldn't know how much time was left before it
eventually would start its compacting). But at the same time I
saw another system windowlet saying "Program not responding",
and the name of that program was something like
"Windnotifysomething"; I immediately closed it by its × button,
avoiding any "OK".

This happened several times.

If necessary I recall that compacting messages in OE is
(right or wrong) known for increasing risks of file corruption.
Anyway this is not the problem: opinion and decision about
compacting or not is MINE, not Microsoft's.

How can I make sure OE is not mulling compacting messages
against my will?

Paris, Mon 12 Jun 2006 10:56:35 +0200


----- Message 2 (links are clickable) -----
From: "Frank Saunders, MS-MVP OE"
Newsgroup: news://msnews.microsoft.com/microsof...tlooke xpress
Message: news://msnews.microsoft.com/eaHJAOgj...TNGP04.phx.gbl
Sent: Mon 12 Jun 2006 04:35:19 -0500 (09:35:19 GMT)
Subject: OE still tries compact messages by surprise!

From http://www.fjsmjs.com/OE/compact.htm

Compacting of folders is necessary or they will become corrupted
or else so large that they can no longer be used. Deleting a
message does not reclaim the space. The message is marked as
deleted but is still there until the folder is compacted. That
is why programs such as DBXtract work.

If a user closes compacting while compacting is in progress data
loss will probably occur.

Open OE and close it and let it compact the messages. After
doing this it won't ask again until you have closed OE 100
times.

If you have WinXP SP2 you will want this update:
There are two articles, KB918766 and KB918651,
but the latter is not currently available. The download link is
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/d...DisplayLang=en

I places the backup in Recycled, overwriting any earlier backup
of the sane folder(s). To use it, copy it to the store folder,
delete the one you want to replace and then rename the BAK file
to DBX. (It's a bit more complicated if the messed up DBX file
isn't there or contains messages that are hew that you want to
keep.
--
Frank Saunders, MS-MVP OE/WM
"Anyone who prefers security over freedom deserves neither."

----- Last Message -----
----- Message 3 -----
Subject: Thanks a lot for helping even when not agreeing

I really appreciate that, despite not approving my POV, you
nevertheless helped me - while in addition giving sensible
argument to yours. I will read *all* this ASAP.

It's so rare to see someone helping even when he doesn't share
one's POV!

(BTW I also appreciate your quotation, of Benjamin Franklin AFAIK)

Paris, Mon 12 Jun 2006 12:05:35 +0200