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I run Win XP SP3, OE 6.
Following this NG has certainly enhanced my understanding of OE.
I have a question regarding the default folder size. This issue is mentioned quite frequently in various contexts.
Under "December updates" Bruce Hagen yesterday said { again... :-) }
"Do not archive mail in default OE folders, Inbox, Sent Items, etc., as 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."
=> I am assuming "archive" means storing long term.
Background: My default Inbox contains about 1.6 GB, my Deleted Items box about 0.8 GB, the Sent box about 0.2 GB.
These sizes are far greater than recommended here but I have had few problems. I have had some loss of msgs in the inbox but they have reappeared on clicking on another box and then returning to the Inbox, or restarting OE.
Just for background my Deleted Items box contains a month's worth of messages. I check it every day and delete anything over a month old. I find this useful as I often need to check msgs sent/received in the recent past (I use it a bit like the Windows Recycle bin, but far more often).
Only Compacting tends to fail on the two very large mailboxes, showing an error msg about the mailbox being in use by another application.
=> Why is that?
To get round this problem I move most of the messages out of the two very big default mailboxes into newly created temporary folders and then compact the default folders. Then I move the messages back into the default folders. This always reduces the size of the default mailbox.
Once not long I broke the big boxes into smaller boxes in order to compact the lot, including the Pop3uidl.dbx file. It has been recommended here to ensure that the Pop3uidl.dbx file is compacted and I think Compacting All Folders is the only way to get to it.
Normally I compact individual folders. I have quite a few user-created folders but they are hardly used so I don't compact them.
To minimise the risks I back all my stuff -- incl OE files -- up daily or more often (online to a remote server). I have had to restore my OE Inbox in the past more than once because of damage or loss. From this NG I have learned why this happens.
=> Is there anything I can do to stop the compaction process for the large default mailboxes failing besides breaking them up into small chunks?
Any other comments welcome, too.
Many thanks. DAS -- To send an e-mail directly replace "spam" with "schmetterling" ---
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[Quoted Text] > => I am assuming "archive" means storing long term
Yes.
> Background: My default Inbox contains about 1.6 GB, my Deleted Items box > about 0.8 GB, the Sent box about 0.2 GB.
You are flirting with danger. I have nothing in my Inbox more than a day old.
> Only Compacting tends to fail on the two very large mailboxes, showing an > error msg about the mailbox being in use by another application. > > => Why is that?
Because the size is becoming unacceptable for OE.
> => Is there anything I can do to stop the compaction process for the > large > default mailboxes failing besides breaking them up into small chunks?
No. I would move the messages out of those folders and leave them out. You may find that those folders are able to be compacted, especially if you do it more often than you probably do.
100MB is a very conservative size. You can go larger, but please not in a default folder.
I hope your backup program is reliable. --
Bruce Hagen MS-MVP Outlook Express Imperial Beach, CA
"Dori A Schmetterling" <nobody[ at ]spam.co.uk> wrote in message news:OhbmCNsaJHA.5440[ at ]TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl... >I run Win XP SP3, OE 6. > > Following this NG has certainly enhanced my understanding of OE. > > I have a question regarding the default folder size. This issue is > mentioned quite frequently in various contexts. > > Under "December updates" Bruce Hagen yesterday said { again... :-) } > > "Do not archive mail in default OE folders, Inbox, Sent Items, etc., as > 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." > > => I am assuming "archive" means storing long term. > > Background: My default Inbox contains about 1.6 GB, my Deleted Items box > about 0.8 GB, the Sent box about 0.2 GB. > > These sizes are far greater than recommended here but I have had few > problems. I have had some loss of msgs in the inbox but they have > reappeared on clicking on another box and then returning to the Inbox, or > restarting OE. > > Just for background my Deleted Items box contains a month's worth of > messages. I check it every day and delete anything over a month old. I > find this useful as I often need to check msgs sent/received in the recent > past (I use it a bit like the Windows Recycle bin, but far more often). > > Only Compacting tends to fail on the two very large mailboxes, showing an > error msg about the mailbox being in use by another application. > > => Why is that? > > To get round this problem I move most of the messages out of the two very > big default mailboxes into newly created temporary folders and then > compact > the default folders. Then I move the messages back into the default > folders. This always reduces the size of the default mailbox. > > Once not long I broke the big boxes into smaller boxes in order to compact > the lot, including the Pop3uidl.dbx file. It has been recommended here to > ensure that the Pop3uidl.dbx file is compacted and I think Compacting All > Folders is the only way to get to it. > > Normally I compact individual folders. I have quite a few user-created > folders but they are hardly used so I don't compact them. > > To minimise the risks I back all my stuff -- incl OE files -- up daily or > more often (online to a remote server). I have had to restore my OE Inbox > in the past more than once because of damage or loss. From this NG I have > learned why this happens. > > => Is there anything I can do to stop the compaction process for the > large > default mailboxes failing besides breaking them up into small chunks? > > Any other comments welcome, too. > > Many thanks. > DAS > -- > To send an e-mail directly replace "spam" with "schmetterling" > --- > > > >
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