Chemocurl: I do have a junk folder. I just checked all the folders and nothing is going anywhere but the inbox and deleted folder. ravencajun: thanks, I will check the filters. kudzu9: I am not very computer savvy but I'm with Sympatico and I use Outlook Express. Does that help? Marg

Bus driver take a look at the link I provided below. Ignore the first response probably but do read the second and third replies. You might also read the first response afterwards as he/she rants on about saving emails in OE rather than using a backup frequently. But get your problem cured before worrying about that methinks. Here is a link that might be useful: Try looking here

... If that doesnt fix it and you feel brave and want to experiment more. There is a messages store that I'm thinking has become corrupt much like the XP mail .DAT files used to. Vista keeps a copy of all the emails individually in folders. I havent experimented but would think and am totally guessing here that if you rename the message store it will be lost to windows eyes and it may build a new message store based on the individual emails stored in the folders. It may screw things up too. Hopefully changing the name back to norm on the message store would put you back to first base again. Mine's not default so I can't give you an exact path but if you look around you can find a message store that is in use by paying attention to its date. Should be current date. My inuse message store is here; "C:\Users\mike\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows Mail\Local Folders\WindowsMail.MSMessageStore" Yours should be close to same path,, pay attention to dates as you may find an inactive one too. You possibly may need to set explorers folder view to show all hidden to see it.

You probably don't have your folders "pinned" open - that is why you are not seeing the left pane. On the bar that is below the tool bar and the boxes that say "create mail, send/recv, etc., it will say OutLook Express or Inbox - depending on what part of OE you are in. Click on the down pointing triangle to open up the pane - click on the push pin to pin it open if you want. Follow the directions you have. You will be deleting your inbox, so make sure you have moved them to the temp folder before you do this, or you won't have them anymore. The instructions are not very clear on how to create a Temp Folder. When you have the folders pane open - just right click and it will give you a drop down with "New Folder" option. That is how to make the new folder - you can name it whatever you want. Do you let OE compact the files when it prompts you? Don't let your inbox get too full, and compact when it prompts you too. Hopefully your inbox won't get corrupted again. HTH