I am running outlook express 6 on a windows XP pro machine. The problem I have been having every once in awhile is that outlook express 6.0 wants to compact the files and or data that is associated with outlook express whenever it wants to do it.

This can be bad as the compacting of the data and or files automatically begins even if I am in the middle of using my computer to get some work done. I have had a few situations where the computer locked up as I was trying to stop the compacting of the data and or files.

I would like to know how do you stop the compacting within outlook express. If this automatic compacting process cannot be stopped, where do I go to set it up so that a compacting will start say at 3:00am or later and be finished when I want to come back into the office and begin working again without the fear of having the compacting process begin when I can lease afford time to wait for this process to finish. The other funny part is that the compact process can run anytime and does not take into consideration what does or does not need to be compacted. Thus I need to get control of my computer and stop the automatic compact process.

Help me please.

Edward Letendre

I am not clear as to the "automatic" compact process you are referring to. XP SP1 had an automatic feature where Outlook Express would compact the folders in the background whether you liked it or not. Upgrade to SP2 and this feature will be removed.

On the other hand, XP SP2 will put a message on the screen and will prompt you to compact your folders and you can choose to do so or not. If this is what you mean by "automatic", sorry, there is no way to stop this. Every hundred times that you open and close Outlook Express, the message to compact will pop up. It has an unstoppable internal counter.

Actually, compacting the folders in Outlook Express is pretty vital since as a fairly primitive database, Outlook Express can really mess up. That's why Microsoft puts this irritant in there.

But, all is not lost. You can download this little program. It is free: http://www.oehelp.com/OETool/ One of its features is that you can manually compact your folders and it will reset the counter to 0. At least if you compact when you want regularly, you will have reset the counter, and theoretically never have to be surprised by the rude little message.

By the way, never try to stop the compacting process once it has started. It can ruin your pst file.

Originally posted by Sampson:


You can do this in OE without any program.

Tools > Options > Maintenance > Clean Up Now... > Compact

Yes, but I am not sure that it actually resets the counter to 0. It will compact the folders which you can also accomplish with Files-Folders-Compact All Folders. Maybe you are right.

I wonder if the reset button in maintenance resets counter.

This is how I understand Reset means under Maintenance:

When Outlook Express uses IMAP the mail messages and headers are stored on the mail server. However, a copy of the headers and (depending on the settings and whether you have read the message) the message is stored on your own computer - this is called the "local cached copy". This means that you can read messages you have previously read, even if your computer is no longer connected to the network.

If something should go amiss with Outlook Express, for example: it loses the dates on messages, you may need to delete your local cached copies of messages and headers, and re-load them from the mail server; use the following procedure:

1. From your Outlook Express menu, select Tools and then Options....
2. Select the Maintenance tab.
3. Click on the Clean Up Now... button.
4. In the File Information area you will see Local file(s) for: with a default of Outlook Express. If you leave this default, you will re-set all Outlook Express folders. To re-set one folder, click on the Browse... button, and select required the folder from the dialogue box, and click OK. Click the Reset button to reset the folder. [To do more than one folder, repeat this procedure.]
5. When finished, press Close and then OK.
6. Select the folder (or folders) you have Reset to see the newly refreshed message headers.

But, again, it may very well reset the counter, but I don't see why.

I have no idea as I use Eudora.

Very wise choice.

thank you for the reply. I am just testing out the outlook express tool utility that you guys suggested that I download. What I would like to know is can the compacting process be scheduled to run at a specific time of the day (say at 4:00am or there abouts).

If not, would it help if I switch to outlook 2003? I have access to outlook 2003 but I don't like all of the features that come with the program. This is why I am still using outlook express. If I could use outlook 2003 and have a better way of managing my compacting, I would be a little more happy.

Edward Letendre.

Had never thought of doing it that way, but this article might give you some ideas on the Task Scheduler and the scripts to make it work the way you want: http://www.samspublishing.com/articles/article.asp?p=27014&rl=1