Your current Identity may be damaged, especially if its the default Main Identity. Try one or more of your accounts in a new Named Identity (File Identities Add new identity). Assuming all is well, (1) compact all folders in the old identity, (2) import messages from the old identity into the new one, and then (3) delete the old one (File Identities Manage Identities).

To avoid such corruption in futu

- 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 [N/A in 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 attempt to close OE via Task Manager or shutdown your machine if Automatic Compacting is taking place.

- WinXP SP2 only: If your machine is fully up-to-date at Windows Update, installing the following patch (KB918766) will help to avoid such data loss in the futu http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/d...2-98af2256ccc3

This patch will be included in the next Cumulative Update for Outlook Express/WinXP SP2.

- Your anti-virus application's email scanning feature can also cause corruption. Disable it. It provides no additional protection.
--
~Robear Dyer (PA Bear)
MS MVP-Windows (IE/OE, Security, Shell/User)

pwrichcreek wrote:

In the FOLDERS list on the left-hand side of the OE main window, the count
of unread messages does not decrement after a message is read. I'm
referring to the number in parentheses after the folder name, for example,
Inbox(3). The number is corrected only after terminating and restarting OE.
Not sure how long this has been happening -- probably 3 or 4 weeks.

I've also observed an increase in the number of crashes of OE -- you know,
the "Outlook Express has encountered a problem and has to puke" message.
This too seems to have started fairly recently.

Has anyone else seen either of these problems?

TIA,

Phil