Re: .dbx folder - does not show in OE6 window

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Just an FYI. Manually compacting all folders in the manner Gerry explained /does/ reset the registry counter back to zero.
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Bruce Hagen
MS-MVP Outlook Express
Imperial Beach, CA


"AnnaMarie" <annamarie@xxxxxxx> wrote in message news:glnbq602gdt@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> I am not sure you have extracted the last ounce of juice from the > orange.

I'm hearin' ya there, Gerry. There's always a seed or two remaining.

Tools | Options | Maintenance | Clean Up Now is a pointless exercise because not only does it not compact Local Folders but it fails to compact folders.dbx. Folders.dbx contains detail of your folder structure and, like Inbox.dbx and Sent.Items.dbx , is prone to corruption. Clean Up Now also does not reset the counter so you risk Automatic Compaction invitations when you are shutting down your computer. Many users lose mail because they interrupt the process after it has started. Like Bruce I never get this invitation so we avoid the possibility of making a wrong move at an inopportune time.


I was aware that nothing, including manually compacting all folders, reset the "100" counter clock. However, I trust it does have value by compacting newsgroups. Does it not?

Compaction also needs to be done in a very precise way to get the safest result. This is my standard paragraph, which closely mirrors what Bruce says.


Indeed.

In Outlook Express place the cursor on Local Folders and select File,
Work Offline followed by File, Folder, Compact All. Do not attempt to
interupt or stop the process until it has completed. Close Outlook
Express when it has completed.

Hmmm . . . given your thorough explanation, I must say that I have NEVER compacted all folders in the correct manner. Perhaps this is the root of the problem with my "5 - DBL.dbx" problem. Of course, that seems odd since its the only folder that "disappeared" from OE, but remained in the storage folder. I have had this current PC for about 20 months and have generally allowed OE's clock to execute compaction of all folders. However, in the same period, I have manually executed compaction of all folders, perhaps, 5 to 10 times. Interestingly, until recently, and more specifically since reading your current post, I never noticed any problems - performance oriented or other. Regardless, from TODAY forward, I WILL BE CERTAIN to follow your GUIDELINES TO THE LETTER.

Compaction also needs to be carried out as a component of a housekeeping routine if you are to maximise system performance. Thus the previous paragraph needs to be coupled with the next paragraph.

I am a NUT about PC housekeeping.

After compacting check your Outlook Express folders are as they should
be. Then select Start, All Programs, Accessories, System Tools, Disk
CleanUp to Empty your Recycle Bin and Remove Temporary Internet Files.
Also select Start, All Programs, accessories, System Tools, Disk
CleanUp, More Options, System Restore and remove all but the latest
System Restore point. Run Disk Defragmenter.


On every PC that I have owned or operated since Windows 98 was released, in addition to CCleaner (with modest settings), and EasyCleaner, I have always created a shortcut (with desktop icon) for Disk Cleanup - %SystemRoot%\system32\cleanmgr.exe - to Empty the Recycle Bin, Remove Temporary Internet Files, as well as Downloaded Program Files, Temporary Files, Catalog files for the Content Indexer, and to Compress old files. In addition, when appropriate, I execute More Options, System Restore and remove all but the latest System Restore point. :o)

I also have a shortcut (with desktop icon) for . . . Event View Properties - %SystemRoot%\system32\eventvwr.msc /s . . . where I check the events listed under Application, Security and System every time I use my PC. When I shut the system down, I go in and as long as there are no red flags, I clear all events. And if there are any red flags, I copy them to the clipboard and paste them to Notepad and save them to my HDD under their respective Event ID. If do not know how to resolve the problem, I typically Google the Event ID, parts of the Description, etc, and have always managed to resolve them within a short amount of time.

I have a similar shortcut (with desktop icon) for . . . Services Properties - C:\WINDOWS\system32\services.msc /s . . . where I also check, daily, to verify which Services are running and to confirm that their settings [i.e. Automatic, Manual and Disabled] have not been altered. If altered or a new Service has been added, I investigate and resolve the issue promptly.

I have Automatic Update turned off because I prefer to have as close to complete control of my system at all times, including managing bandwidth while surfing the Internet. To improve the efficiency associated with manually updating via the Windows Update website, I have created batch files (with desktop icons) to temporarily alter the Services settings as follows . . .

- START Windows Update
sc stop AntiVirService
sc config AntiVirService start= disabled
sc stop AntiVirScheduler
sc config AntiVirScheduler start= disabled
sc config wuauserv start= auto
sc start wuauserv
sc config BITS start= demand
sc start BITS

- STOP Windows Update
sc config AntiVirService start= auto
sc start AntiVirService
sc config AntiVirScheduler start= disabled
sc stop BITS
sc config BITS start= disabled
sc stop wuauserv
sc config wuauserv start= demand

I also have similar batch files (with desktop icons) to STOP / START various Windows Services and non-Windows programs whenever I add or remove programs. I have heard this may not be necessary with XP, however, I think that its still a good practice and I have been practicing it since the late 80s with Windows 3.0, and early 90s with Windows for Workgroups 3.1 and Windows 95, to the mid 90s with Windows 98 and 98SE, and late 90s with ME and since 2000 with XP.

I have another batch file that schedules CHKDSK at boot whenever I wish, or whenever I add or remove software.

I defrag and optimize my HDD regularly - nowadays using Smart Defrag 1.10.0.2 (an excellent freeware program) which is very similar to Diskeeper.

I am still using Windows Firewall, and will likely replace it with a 3rd party firewall like Comodo Firewall 3.X some day.

I also like running RegistryFix 6.4 whenever I remove programs or delete directories. The freeware version, unregistered, is SCAN ONLY which suits me perfectly. Fortunately, once the scan is complete, it offers the opportunity "Continue Anyway" which allows the user an opportunity to examine its' findings and copy specific Registry details to the clipboard. While I am exceedingly careful about what I end up manually deleting in the Registry, programs that no longer exist are easily deleted at HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\UserAssist\{75048700-EF1F-11D0-9888-006097DEACF9}.

Today, I elected to download NT Registry Optimizer and have executed it one time thus far. And, while I know how to manually backup my Registry using the Export command (as I have done for as long as I can remember the option being available), I decided to also downloaded and installed NT Registry Backup Utility. It seems like an okay GUI, however, until I am fully confident in its abilities, I will continue to manually create Registry backups with the Export command.

There are a few other routines, but enough about my housekeeping skills.

Thanks again for taking the time to help me with my .dbx problem, Gerry, and for all the peripheral education.

With kindest regards,

Annamarie :o)

.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: .dbx folder - does not show in OE6 window
    ... Manual compacting does reset the counter if done as I suggested. ... You should leave registry cleaners and optimisers alone. ... I was aware that nothing, including manually compacting all folders, ... associated with manually updating via the Windows Update website, ...
    (microsoft.public.windows.inetexplorer.ie6_outlookexpress)
  • Re: .dbx folder - does not show in OE6 window
    ... Manual compacting does reset the counter if done as I suggested. ... You should leave registry cleaners and optimisers alone. ... I was aware that nothing, including manually compacting all folders, ... associated with manually updating via the Windows Update website, ...
    (microsoft.public.windows.inetexplorer.ie6_outlookexpress)
  • Re: .dbx folder - does not show in OE6 window
    ... because not only does it not compact Local Folders but it fails to compact folders.dbx. ... I was aware that nothing, including manually compacting all folders, reset the "100" counter clock. ... Fortunately, once the scan is complete, it offers the opportunity "Continue Anyway" which allows the user an opportunity to examine its' findings and copy specific Registry details to the clipboard. ...
    (microsoft.public.windows.inetexplorer.ie6_outlookexpress)
  • Re: not a valid Win32 application - warning. Cant run antivirus apps
    ... Under the Hidden files and folders heading select Show hidden files and ... Uncheck the Hide protected operating system files option ... send me a copy of the MBAM log ... Registry Values Infected: 0 ...
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  • Re: Where are Compacted OE Messages stored ???
    ... Now when you compact, a copy of your dbx files are sent to the Recycle Bin in the event that something should go wrong and messages, or entire folders, are lost when you are compacting. ... This new mandatory backup is something people have been asking for quite awhile as we spend a lot of time helping people getting their messages back, and they have to purchase a tool to recover messages. ...
    (microsoft.public.windows.inetexplorer.ie6_outlookexpress)