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General Outlook Express advice:

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.

In Tools | Options | Maintenance: Uncheck Compact messages in background and
leave it unchecked. {N/A if running XP/SP2}.

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.

Clear the Temporary Internet Files often. In IE | Tools | Internet Options |
Delete Files button. And check the box to Delete Offline content.

If still no joy, you may have a damaged identity especially if it is the
default Main Identity. File | Identity | Add New Identity. Create a new one
and test it. If all is well, you can import your messages from the old
identity and delete it.

How to Create and Use Identities in Outlook Express
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=209169
--
Bruce Hagen
MS MVP - Outlook Express
~IB-CA~


"Toygirl" wrote in message
...
Can anyone help

about 3 times a week when I turn my computer on the toolbar will not come
up, all I get is a hung up hourglass and nothing seems to help. control
alt
delete will not close this down nor will any thing else that I have tried.
the only way that I can get the machine to come out of this is to hold in
the off button for several seconds to turn it off. I am running spybot,
ad-aware and Norton AntiSpam every 10 days and backing up to my external
hard drive.
Any suggestions before I reload the machine which I really don't want to
have to do??

Toygirl