Outlook Express will not delete messages

Bob259 · 2006/10/31

Running Outlook Express on a Dell 8100 with MS ME operating system 256 Meg RD Ram (I know that's half the problem) and more problems then not. I cleaned my baskets up, deleted lots of saved mail to get more space and now I still get memory errors that won't show me the in basket and if I reboot and do get the in basket I almost always cannot delete the mail after I read it.

Ctrl+ Shift V, Edit delete and drag and drop to the delete folder does not work.

Any ideas, I'm about ready to blow this thing up.

I sure hopw Vista doesn't have these problems....

Bill Castner · 2006/10/31

When Special Folders Stop Being Special
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/community/columns/filecorruption.mspx

MS-MVP Bruce Hagan describes the "fix" process in some detail:

It's probably a damaged Deleted Items folder rather than the Inbox.

Tools | Options | Maintenance | Store folder will reveal the location of
your Outlook Express files. Press the Tab key to highlight the folder
location, then Ctrl+C. Close OE, then Start | Run | Ctrl+V will put the
location in the box - Click OK and you'll see the OE files. Otherwise, write
the location down and navigate to it in Windows Explorer.

In WindowsXP, 2K & 3K, the OE user files (DBX and WAB) are by default marked
as hidden. To view these files in Explorer, you must enable Show Hidden
Files and Folders under Start | Control Panel | Folder Options | View.

With OE closed, find the DBX file for the folder in question {Deleted
Items.dbx} and delete it. A new one will be created automatically when you
open OE.

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}.
--
Bruce Hagen
MS MVP - Outlook Express
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Outlook Express will not delete messages

Bob259 Inactive Thread Starter

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Outlook Express will not delete messages

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