Outlook Express 6 - Can't get trees to remain collapsed upon restart

After opening my Outlook Express 6 to view my email, I choose to view all of my trees, which I have created, in the collapsed position. Another words, each individual tree should have the "Plus (+)" sign in front of the tree. However, after closing out the Outlook Express 6 program for the day (shutting down the system entirely for the day) and re-opening Outlook Express 6 (after restarting the system) the next day, the trees will all be opened. Another words, each individual tree will have the "minus (-)" sign in front of the tree. How do you set the configuration or register(s) within Outlook Express 6 to remain exactly as they were left the previous viewing time?

 

Hi

unchecking "Automatically display folders with unread messages" might help, it will stop the subfolders with one or more unread messages "expanding" themselves into view when you start OE6

Find this setting in via Tools > Options > General (Tab )

best wishes, HJ

 

HJ,

Thanks for the tip. However, even after un-checking "Automatically display folders with unread messages" the folders still remain opened upon an Outlook Express 6 restart. I don't understand why this would be happening. It was always my understanding that if the user elects to leave a particular tree expanded, that it would remain that way every time the user opened Outlook Express 6. And..just the same...if the user elects to leave a particular tree collapsed, that it would remain that way every time the user opened Outlook Express 6. In my case...it seems to work in a random condition. Sometimes the tree will remain collapsed (as I wish it to be) then other times the tree will be expanded. It makes no logical sense.

I even unchecked "automatically expand group messages ", but that didn't matter either. Still have the same problem.

The only thing I haven't tried was to perform a complete system restart after making those selections. I'll try that now, but I still don't think it will matter. However, if it does work, I'll post the results immediately.

 

PeteC,

Thanks for the tip. However, I'm still experiencing the problem. I followed the "An Outlook Express basic repair kit" that you refereed to. The first think I did was "Delete the Temporary Internet Files ". The second was to "Compact all folders ", worked just fine with no issues. Then I "Re-registered Outlook Express ". But when I attempted to "Re-register libraries" some problems appeared that may or may not be one of my problems directly related to my initial problem.

I re-registered "regsvr32 urlmon.dll" OK. But the next library file left the following dialog box:

RegSvr32
mshtml.dll was loaded, but the DllRegisterServer entry-point was not found. The file can not be registered.

Then the next two displayed the following dialog box:

RegSvr32
! Load Library ( "shdocvwl.dll ") failed - The specified module could not be found.

RegSvr32
! Load Library ( "msjava.dll ") failed - The specified module could not be found.

Finally...I re-registered "regsvr32 browseui.dll" OK.

I have know idea why these dialog boxes appeared which tells me that at least three of the library files have issues. The next question I ask myself is what happened to those three library files and why didn't I receive an error notice before performing this stuff? This really blows my mind. Do you have any suggestions? Please advise.

 

PeteC,

I double checked the spelling and then re-typed it as "regsvr32 shdocvw.dll" (per the actual article) and it worked OK. If I entered "regsvr32 shdocvwl.dll" the error appeared again. So I'm down to only two issues.

Thanks for the quick reply.

 

PeteC,

I didn't know anything about a law suit between Sun and MS JAVA, but I already have the box checked as you noted. It obviously isn't related to my issue.

 

Hi musik060

[SIZE= "1"]I realise that my original post didn't present an exact answer to your query. This is because my OE6 won't do precisely what you are after (ie remember which parts of the folder tree are expanded, and which not); either it doesn't have the capability, or I haven't yet found the way of it. My OE6 always starts up with its branches non-expanded (unless "expand folders with unread messages" comes into play). Perhaps the capability comes with more recent versions of Windows - I wouldn't know, being stuck with "98 for ever" because XP won't run the software I use. So I held back waiting to see whether it was an "XP thing ", and indeed whether OE can be made to work like that.

Reading what you say, it seems that the major annoyance is the way that everything's expanded - that you would be less unhappy if all branches were non-expanded at OE start (though of course retaining the original tree state would be better still). By all rights you should at least be able to get back to "all appearing non-expanded ". [/SIZE]

Because you've been through the normal procedures and it hasn't cured the trouble, I suspect that there still is a problem latent in folders.dbx; would suggest the following:

before you start:
- make a note of your current (expanded) OE subfolder structure (screengrabs might be easiest if you have a lot of subfolders);
- close OE6;
- copy all your dbx files to a safe place, frinst. C:\OEsafecopy

then:
- where OE keeps its dbx files, delete only the file folders.dbx;
- start Outlook Express;

you will find that all your subfolders have repositioned themselves as "top-level" folders underneath "Local Folders "...

- in the folders pane, drag'n'drop the individual subfolders back to their original positions in your subfolder structure (drop them onto the appropriate parent folder and they will go "under" it);

- close OE6;
- open OE6, and look to see whether your subfolder branch appears expanded (or, hopefully, not).

! you need only do this with one or two subfolders to start with, to see whether the method is going to work. If it hasn't worked out and the "everything expanded" problem still manifests, you can at least close OE and replace the dbx files with the safety net copies.

==

caution! if you have renamed any subfolders, they will re-appear with the name that you first gave them

(when you rename a folder using OE6, even though the dbx file itself bears the new name, the original name is still squirrelled away inside the dbx file - and it's this "internal" name of the file which will display in OE6. The "renaming of it" is held in folders.dbx)

this might pose a problem if it produces a name clash: say I've made a folder called "Other ", and then decided to rename it to "Fred "; subsequently I make another folder, at first calling it "Other ", then rename this one to "Boris" - both the "Fred" and "Boris" folders will attempt to reappear as "Other ". That might get a bit tricky...

...but not insurmountable, if the basic method above works out there are plently of refinements - could only use the non-problematic folders to start with and then import the others one at a time later, renaming as you go... lots of options.

best wishes, HJ

 

re: the duplicate name thing

Hi

I've checked out the potential problem with duplicate folder names clashing: it's not a worry

using the folder names and renaming as in earlier post: the folders reappear as "Other ", and "Other (1) "; nothing "horrible" happens

best wishes, HJ