You need to compact the messages as the pop up notes.

Open Outlook Express, click File, click Folders, click Compact all folders. Done, it may take a while to complete. Note, it deletes nothing but tidies up.

The compress feature is really no big deal and by default is set to act every 100 times your e-mail client closes.

The action can be stopped or the numeric changed. I'm on a Vista system with Windows Mail right now. I don't recall if the location is the same for OE. Activate the mail client>Tools>Options>Advanced Tab> on the bottom of the tab click Maintenance button> make adjustments close>Apply.

If this is not exactly correct for OE it will give you a general approach for finding the feature.

As Owbist reports it removes nothing. The action is exactly the same as the option provided in the Disk Cleanup utility. When used more data is put in less space.

I would leave it alone.

DA

Just click ok and let it do it's thing....

As I understand it, it will put a .bak file into your recycle bin just in case something goes wrong and you need something back, but that has never happened to me....I can't even tell when I go to Outlook Express that it happened.

I have read that if you disable this - at a certain point your Outlook Express becomes corrupted and is a real pain to get going again.

Just let it do its thing.

I always checked yes to it and "let er rip!"

Urlee

I was out in the garage and fired up the old reliable Win98 with OE6. On that system to reset the compress utility: Activate the e-mail client>ToolsMaintenance tab> and then as described above.

I did look at another forum in which I participate in as I remembered a user reporting his dislike for the compress feature in Windows Mail. As I understood him, for it to finally "hold" he reported that he had to uncheck the compress option and check the mail entry in the troubleshooter.

Again, it is really no big deal and I would leave it alone.

DA

Thanks to everyone who posted. I had only noticed it doing it when I shut down OE now it is showing when I start my computer up. I will check yes the next time it pops up. I was afraid it would change OE and I was a little afraid to click the yes, but you all have told me that you can't tell the difference, so then I will as Urlee said just "let er rip!" "Smiles" Thanks!

thirdfrt!!!

Thirdfrt, I had this happen to me about a year ago. I ignored the warning and ended up with a mess. I don't remember the details, but I had to get outside help to get it fixed. I ran across this site today that explains what compcting is and why it is necessary, so I thought maybe you would be interested. A word of caution - as he says, once you start the process DO NOT interrupt it. Let it go til it is done. HTH

Here is a link that might be useful: Outlook Express compacting

janette orz7,

Thank you for the link and information about Outlook Express compacting. I have saved it so that I can take my time reading it. From what I have read so far, it is very informative.

thirdfrt!!!