You can delete old user created dbx files. If you have any doubt which ones
are currently in use, note the file size of all the dbx files. Then add a
message to each folder in OE. When you go back to the message store, the
files still in use will have increased in size.

Make sure OE is closed when you delete the dbx files. I'm not sure what you
mean by a dbx file with a *Null* name, so I am not sure what to advise on
that one.

If you delete a folder in the tree, the dbx file will remain until you
delete it also. That is why they are in the Message Store, and not in OE. If
you want to get the messages from the files not in use, do this for each one
before you do anything else:

In Windows Explorer, click on the dbx file for the missing folder and drag
it to the Desktop. Open OE and create a folder with the *exact* same name as
the one on your desktop. Open the new folder and then close OE. Go back to
Windows Explorer and Click Desktop and drag the file from the Desktop to the
OE store folder that you clicked on to reveal the .dbx files. Prompt - "Do
you want to overwrite......."? Click Yes.

When you are done, compact your folders.

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.
--
Bruce Hagen
MS-MVP Outlook Express
~IB-CA~

"JLE" wrote in message
...
I have 8 personal folders in OE, in addition to the standard inbox, outbox,
etc. But when I look in the message store I find 22 .dbx files. Some of
them have names like "travel (1)" but they do not appear in OE. I've
rebuilt
the folders.dbx file, but nothing changed. I don't necessarily need the
messages in these folders, but shouldn't the OE list and the Windows
Explorer
file list to match.

Also, I have one folder in OE with a null name, and I cannot delete it,
nor
can I find a .dbx file to match it.