Stump the PC Club is a free tech-advice column written by members of the North Orange County Computer Club, which has been in existence since 1976. Visit the club’s site at noccc.org.
QUESTION: When I delete messages in Outlook Express I have various symptoms including the fact that the Delete button doesn’t always work and occasionally, I cannot delete a message.
PC CLUB: There are two Outlook Express problems that I often get asked to solve. The first is the inability to delete messages and the second is that Outlook Express sends multiple copies of the same message.
First, let’s address deleting. If the Deleted folder gets corrupted or “full” it can stop accepting messages or in essence reject them. The solution is to actually delete the Deleted folder. This folder is in a hidden location so you need to enable the viewing of Hidden files and folders. For directions see http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/tutorials/tutorial62.html. Now that you can see hidden files and folders navigate to your email folders per the instructions at http://www.insideoe.com/files/store.htm#storemain. Make sure that Outlook express is closed and delete the file named Deleted Items.dbx. The Deleted folder will be recreated the next time you open Outlook Express.
Next, let’s address sending multiple copies. This occurs when the Sent folder gets corrupted or “full”. When you send a message, it first goes to the Outbox folder and then onto the Sent folder. If the Sent folder rejects the message it will remain in the Outbox. You may get an error message but the message will be sent nonetheless. Since the message remains in the Outbox, it will be sent the next time Outlook Express tries to send messages which occurs whenever it is launched or periodically depending on your settings. The solution is to delete the file named Sent Items.dbx.
There are several things that you can do to help eliminate these problems. One, clean out the Sent and Deleted folders periodically and two, open Outlook Express, click File, Folder, Compact All Folders periodically.
One of the dangers of using the Deleted and Sent folders as archives is that if you ever need to delete the folders for any reason, the archived messaged will also be deleted. Always save important messages in a safe place such as an external hard drive.
Ed Schwartz is a member of the North Orange County Computer Club. To send in a question, go to edwardns.com and click the Contact Me menu. Archives of previous columns are also on the website.