XP Outlook Express 6 Tech Question

[stirbird]

Bear with me, this takes a little bit to explain.

My inbox was very large because I had a lot of mail in it with pictures attached. Over two megs. I normally clean it out long before then, but there was a technical reason why I couldn't and so I let it get too big. My bad. It got so big in fact, that I was getting the "Unknown" error (a common one when your dbx files get too large in outlook) and couldn't download email.

So I thought I'd be "smart" and rename the inbox to some other .dbx name so outlook could load quickly. So I did. Outlook didn't "see" the new dbx file and it could not "see" it when I tried to import it, no matter where I stored it. I tried renaming the file back to Inbox.dbx but the mail program still doesn't "see" it when I open it up, even though it's right there in its store directory. I can name this big file anything I want, but how do I make outlook 6 regonize it? In earlier outlooks it was easy to get at the .idx files and mess with them, and I have a feeling the solution might be there, but I have no idea where outlook 6 stores those files.

 

[Bert Notorius]

http://www.pcworld.com/downloads/file_description/0,fid,23383,00.asp



I have not tried this app. but it supposedly will rebuild a corrupt dbx file. Good luck!

 

[HornyHenry]

Oe

In OE, the files are here:
C:\Documents and Settings\(yourName)\Local Settings\Application Data\Identities\{93B0CB68-E7E2-4609-B2B0-76C464F511AD}(some unique name here)\Microsoft\Outlook Express

 

[stirbird]

Hi Horny,

Thanks, I know where the files are located. Moved my inbox under various names in and out of that directory dozens of times. The problem is getting the Outlook Express 6 program to "open" the file, no matter where I put it (I can see it just fine in the directory, but I cannot open it). Can't import, can't open normally. Even if renamed "Inbox," Outlook, when opened, sees a new, empty inbox folder/file--even though the old, big file is sitting there in the directory. The curious thing to me is that the new empty Inbox.dbx doesn't overwrite the old huge Inbox.dbx...or vice versa.

I am trying the software you suggested, Bert. My file is so big it is taking a long time. It's been running for 12 hours now and looks like it's maybe 20-25% finished. I very much appreciate the solution and am going to outwait it. I want my emails back!