Full Version: Cannot Delte Email In Outlook Express 6
I am unable to delete emails out of my inbox. When I click on delete, nothing happens. Any suggestions?
If there are no messages in your Inbox that you want to save, try deleting the Inbox.dbx file in your Identity. If you have some emails you want to save, move or copy them to a new folder, if you can.
To find your identity, you will have to first go into Tools-Folder Options-View from any folder in Windows Explorer and check "Show hidden files and folders" first. The path to your OE Identity should be something like this:
C:\Documents and Settings\YOUR NAME\Local Settings\Application Data\Identities\{BA71C9C5-E7AE-4417-BC40-8E2D6367A668}\Microsoft\Outlook Express
(The information between { and } will be different too.)
If you have more than one identity, browse to the correct one.
Find the Inbox.dbx and just delete it. When you open OE again, it will recreate a new Inbox.dbx file.
DO NOT DELETE THE Folder.dbx file. Sometimes it is necessary to rebuild the Folder.dbx file, but you will have to redo your settings, personalized folders, news feeds, etc if you use those.
To find your identity, you will have to first go into Tools-Folder Options-View from any folder in Windows Explorer and check "Show hidden files and folders" first. The path to your OE Identity should be something like this:
C:\Documents and Settings\YOUR NAME\Local Settings\Application Data\Identities\{BA71C9C5-E7AE-4417-BC40-8E2D6367A668}\Microsoft\Outlook Express
(The information between { and } will be different too.)
If you have more than one identity, browse to the correct one.
Find the Inbox.dbx and just delete it. When you open OE again, it will recreate a new Inbox.dbx file.
DO NOT DELETE THE Folder.dbx file. Sometimes it is necessary to rebuild the Folder.dbx file, but you will have to redo your settings, personalized folders, news feeds, etc if you use those.
To avoid such problems with OE in the future:
Don't use Inbox or Sent Items to archive messages. Move them to local folders created for this purpose.
Empty Deleted Items folder daily.
Frequently, at lease once a week, perform a manual compact of all OE folders while "working offline".
More at How to Maintain Your OE Store Folder
Do not shut down your machine while Windows is automatically compacting your message store.
Your anti-virus application's email scanning feature can also cause such corruption. Disable it. It provides no additional protection.
Don't use Inbox or Sent Items to archive messages. Move them to local folders created for this purpose.
Empty Deleted Items folder daily.
Frequently, at lease once a week, perform a manual compact of all OE folders while "working offline".
More at How to Maintain Your OE Store Folder
Do not shut down your machine while Windows is automatically compacting your message store.
Your anti-virus application's email scanning feature can also cause such corruption. Disable it. It provides no additional protection.
It will not let me delete the inbox
I also did a search and cannont find the inbox.dbx file
I also did a search and cannont find the inbox.dbx file
QUOTE(addie31 @ Apr 13 2008, 01:38 PM) 
It will not let me delete the inbox
I also did a search and cannont find the inbox.dbx file
I also did a search and cannont find the inbox.dbx file
No, you don't delete the inbox while in OE, if that's what you tried to do. Did you make sure you have the files and folders Unhidden?
QUOTE
To find your identity, you will have to first go into Tools-Folder Options-View from any folder in Windows Explorer and check "Show hidden files and folders" first. The path to your OE Identity should be something like this: ...etc
How did you "search"? Don't use Windows Search. Browse to your identity with Windows Explorer.
I found the in-box.dbx and deleted it. When I reopened OE it did create an new in-box but still cannot delete email out of it. Any other suggestions?
QUOTE
Why can't I delete messages inside OE?
That can happen if the Deleted Items folder is damaged. Move all messages you might want to keep out of the Deleted Items folder and into another mail folder you create. Close OE, then delete the file Deleted Items.dbx in your Identity's store folder. OE will create a new one when you re-open OE.
http://www.insideoe.com/faqs/why.htm#cantdel
That can happen if the Deleted Items folder is damaged. Move all messages you might want to keep out of the Deleted Items folder and into another mail folder you create. Close OE, then delete the file Deleted Items.dbx in your Identity's store folder. OE will create a new one when you re-open OE.
http://www.insideoe.com/faqs/why.htm#cantdel
Maybe I told you to delete the wrong one. Try deleting the Deleted Items.dbx instead.
mamabear, I deleted the deleted box from identies and that did not fix the problem either.
Oh darn! Well, I'm at a loss. Usually deleting one or all the the dbx files (except the Folders.dbx) takes care of corrupted files like that. The Folders.dbx file can also be deleted and rebuilt, but I've read that doing that will wipe out your settings, subscriptions to news feeds, personal folders, etc....if you have any of that. You'd have to do all that over again. The Folders.dbx is the "structure" of all the others, Inbox, Outbox, etc, etc.
I also found instructions for reinstalling OE without having to reinstall Internet Explorer all over again too...since OE is a part of IE. But I've never used it and I have no idea if doing that would also wipe out any personal folders and saved emails you've created, news feed settings, etc in your OE Identity. Supposedly you could back up all your messages and import them back in, but if it's a corrupted message and/or attachment that's causing all the trouble, then you wouldn't want to put the corrupted files back in. That could start the problem all over again. I'll post the instructions for reinstalling OE at the end of this if you want to go that route, but what about this idea first....
Could you not try to start again with a fresh Identity? Same ISP account, email address, etc. Just give it a different name for now, like YourNameTwo. That way you can keep the old one for awhile in case you need to go back and read the old emails for reference, if you need to keep them awhile.
I just did this myself as a test. First, I exported my address book as a comma separated file and saved it in my documents. Then I created a new identity called Test, but used all the other information that belonged to my primary email account with my ISP. I sent and received just fine. It re-downloaded the messages I'd left on my server as if they were brand new. Then I imported my address book back into the Test Identity by browsing to the csv file in my docs. It all seems to work okay.
If this works for you, then after you no longer need the corrupt identity, you can delete it and rename your good one back the way you had it.
If it doesn't work, then I would guess that Outlook Express itself is corrupted and you might want to consider reinstalling it using these directions.
Again, I don't know what that will do to your existing Identity or Identities and their folders, messages, address book,etc. It may or may not wipe them out. I just don't know. But if you've exported your address book like I talked about above, you'll be able to get that back easily.
I also found instructions for reinstalling OE without having to reinstall Internet Explorer all over again too...since OE is a part of IE. But I've never used it and I have no idea if doing that would also wipe out any personal folders and saved emails you've created, news feed settings, etc in your OE Identity. Supposedly you could back up all your messages and import them back in, but if it's a corrupted message and/or attachment that's causing all the trouble, then you wouldn't want to put the corrupted files back in. That could start the problem all over again. I'll post the instructions for reinstalling OE at the end of this if you want to go that route, but what about this idea first....
Could you not try to start again with a fresh Identity? Same ISP account, email address, etc. Just give it a different name for now, like YourNameTwo. That way you can keep the old one for awhile in case you need to go back and read the old emails for reference, if you need to keep them awhile.
I just did this myself as a test. First, I exported my address book as a comma separated file and saved it in my documents. Then I created a new identity called Test, but used all the other information that belonged to my primary email account with my ISP. I sent and received just fine. It re-downloaded the messages I'd left on my server as if they were brand new. Then I imported my address book back into the Test Identity by browsing to the csv file in my docs. It all seems to work okay.
If this works for you, then after you no longer need the corrupt identity, you can delete it and rename your good one back the way you had it.
If it doesn't work, then I would guess that Outlook Express itself is corrupted and you might want to consider reinstalling it using these directions.
QUOTE
Reinstall Outlook Express 6
NOTE: You must be logged on as Administrator or as a member of the Administrators group in order to perform this procedure.
Click Start , click Run , and then type the following command:
%systemroot%\inf
NOTE : There are no spaces at all in the preceding command line.
Click OK to open the INF folder.
Locate the file MSOE50.inf .
Right-click the file, and then click Install . This will reinstall the files that Outlook Express needs to proceed normally.
It will ask you to put your windows XP cd in the drive
NOTE: You must be logged on as Administrator or as a member of the Administrators group in order to perform this procedure.
Click Start , click Run , and then type the following command:
%systemroot%\inf
NOTE : There are no spaces at all in the preceding command line.
Click OK to open the INF folder.
Locate the file MSOE50.inf .
Right-click the file, and then click Install . This will reinstall the files that Outlook Express needs to proceed normally.
It will ask you to put your windows XP cd in the drive
Again, I don't know what that will do to your existing Identity or Identities and their folders, messages, address book,etc. It may or may not wipe them out. I just don't know. But if you've exported your address book like I talked about above, you'll be able to get that back easily.
This is a "lo-fi" version of our main content. To view the full version with more information, formatting and images, please click here.