Everytime I closed Outlook Express, I would get a pop up window asking me
whether I wanted to compact my files. Space was never an issue so I always
said no. Tonight I accidently clicked yes and all my folders in outlook
express go compacted.
Can I reverse this process?

My understanding of IE files are that they are, in effect, like a database
wherein deleted record are only 'marked for deletion' until the file is
compacted at which time all the extraneous records are actually deleted.

Why do you want to uncompact your OE files? Unless a file has become
corrupt I can't see a good reason for doing so. You could go back to a
recent backup and restore those file - but you would loose any emails
received and sent in the mean time.

Regards.

Bill Ridgeway
Computer Solutions

"Stan" wrote in message
news:QzyEg.404817$iF6.48679@pd7tw2no...
Everytime I closed Outlook Express, I would get a pop up window asking me
whether I wanted to compact my files. Space was never an issue so I always
said no. Tonight I accidently clicked yes and all my folders in outlook
express go compacted.
Can I reverse this process?

Bill Ridgeway wrote:
My understanding of IE files are that they are, in effect, like a
database wherein deleted record are only 'marked for deletion' until
the file is compacted at which time all the extraneous records are
actually deleted.
Why do you want to uncompact your OE files? Unless a file has become
corrupt I can't see a good reason for doing so. You could go back to
a recent backup and restore those file - but you would loose any
emails received and sent in the mean time.

Regards.

Bill Ridgeway
Computer Solutions

"Stan" wrote in message
news:QzyEg.404817$iF6.48679@pd7tw2no...
Everytime I closed Outlook Express, I would get a pop up window
asking me whether I wanted to compact my files. Space was never an
issue so I always said no. Tonight I accidently clicked yes and all
my folders in outlook express go compacted.
Can I reverse this process?

I don't want to "uncompact", but since it was never directly answered, I do
have the following comment for confirmation/clarification:

A compacted folder can not be uncompacted. Right?
Is it the folder or a dbx/nds, etc., that is compacted?

If the folder/s are taken literally as a database, I can understand the
concept of "not gone" until compacted; anyone know if that's the case?
That one's interesting, because it mean an accidentally deleted record
should be recoverable but AFAIK they are not?

Just curious - so thought I'd ask. It's not important to go digging up info
forg


Regards,

Pop`
--
VAP-61 Survivor

Pop wrote A compacted folder can not be uncompacted. Right? Is it the
folder or a dbx/nds, etc., that is compacted? We're talking files not
folders and, (in Outlook Express) specifically, *.dbx files.

Pop also wrote That one's interesting, because it mean an accidentally
deleted record should be recoverable but AFAIK they are not?. The file
(for instance Inbox.dbx) is , in effect, a database of emails. If the whole
file has been deleted it would be possible to restore it from a backup but
the restored file would not include emails sent received in the intervening
period. The same goes for a missing record (email). AFAIK it is not
possible to retrieve a missing record (email).

Hope that clears up that one.

Regards.

Bill Ridgeway
Computer Solutions

"Pop`" wrote in message
...
Bill Ridgeway wrote:
My understanding of IE files are that they are, in effect, like a
database wherein deleted record are only 'marked for deletion' until
the file is compacted at which time all the extraneous records are
actually deleted.
Why do you want to uncompact your OE files? Unless a file has become
corrupt I can't see a good reason for doing so. You could go back to
a recent backup and restore those file - but you would loose any
emails received and sent in the mean time.

Regards.

Bill Ridgeway
Computer Solutions

"Stan" wrote in message
news:QzyEg.404817$iF6.48679@pd7tw2no...
Everytime I closed Outlook Express, I would get a pop up window
asking me whether I wanted to compact my files. Space was never an
issue so I always said no. Tonight I accidently clicked yes and all
my folders in outlook express go compacted.
Can I reverse this process?

I don't want to "uncompact", but since it was never directly answered, I
do have the following comment for confirmation/clarification:

A compacted folder can not be uncompacted. Right?
Is it the folder or a dbx/nds, etc., that is compacted?

If the folder/s are taken literally as a database, I can understand the
concept of "not gone" until compacted; anyone know if that's the case?
That one's interesting, because it mean an accidentally deleted record
should be recoverable but AFAIK they are not?

Just curious - so thought I'd ask. It's not important to go digging up
info forg


Regards,

Pop`
--
VAP-61 Survivor

Compaction just removes wasted space in the files and needs to be done on a
routine basis to help prevent bloat and also maintain performance.

You don't want to undo it. See point 2 here for issues related to
compaction and also for information on the latest patch that addresses this
issue: www.oehelp.com/OETips.aspx#2

If you lost messages, then see point 4 on that page. You may need to get
DBXpress to try and recover the messages.

steve

"Stan" wrote in message
news:QzyEg.404817$iF6.48679@pd7tw2no...
Everytime I closed Outlook Express, I would get a pop up window asking me
whether I wanted to compact my files. Space was never an issue so I always
said no. Tonight I accidently clicked yes and all my folders in outlook
express go compacted.
Can I reverse this process?