To free up disk space, Outlook Express can compact messages. This may take up to a few minutes.

Anonymous
2010-01-04T16:48:32+00:00

Every few minutes the message :

"To free up disk space, Outlook Express can compact messages.  This may take up to a few minutes."

This is irrelevant for two reasons :

(1) I do not use Outlook Express, and therefore have no messages to compact.

(2) I do not need to free up disk space as I am currently using only five per cent of a very large disk.

Could someone please tell me how I get rid off this very irritating message.

Windows for home | Previous Windows versions | Internet and connectivity

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Anonymous
2012-06-10T21:36:30+00:00

Here are the things I did that resolved the issue for me:

I reset Compact Check Count to 0, and I uninstalled Windows Search 4.0. 

As for Outlook Express: I don't use it.

Thank you for the reply...and thanks for the advice & info.

http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_xp-performance/outlook-express-can-compact-messages-how-do-i-turn/b7e41d7f-d0db-4930-9c64-19e3c7b7d5cf?tm=1339359499078&page=1#_self

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Anonymous
2010-01-17T22:00:57+00:00

Try resetting the compact count in the registry:

  1. Start the registry editor.
  2. Open this key:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Identities{identity}\Software\Microsoft\Outlook Express\5.0

where identity is a string of letters, numbers, and dashes. 3. Set the value of Compact Check Count to 0. 4. Close the registry editor.

For more information, see Why You Should Let Outlook Express Compact Messages When It Asks You .

Warning: Incorrectly editing the registry might damage your system and prevent Windows from starting. Before doing it, back up your important data, make a restore point, and make sure you know how to repair a damaged system.

Boulder Computer Maven

Microsoft Most Valuable Professional

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  1. Anonymous
    2011-12-12T03:50:39+00:00

    This is very bad advice.  When it compacts messages it actually deletes them and throws them into your recycle bin as a .bak file.  So if you do not want all your inbox, sent etc. messages deleted,  DO NOT DO THIS.

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  2. Anonymous
    2011-12-12T03:54:44+00:00

    This is very bad advice.  When it compacts messages it actually deletes them and throws them into your recycle bin as a .bak file.  So if you do not want all your inbox, sent etc. messages deleted,  DO NOT DO THIS.

    You are giving bad advice!!! If messages are deleted during compacting, it is either because of already corrupt dbx files or interference during the compacting.

    Why does OE insist on compacting folders when I close it?http://www.insideoe.com/faqs/why.htm#compact

    Compacting your folders periodically is a must to keep OE functioning well and at some point, you may lose all your saved messages if you don't. When you delete, or move messages, the space they had used remains until you compact.

    ***Never touch anything until the compacting is finished.***

    Seewww.oehelp.com/OETips.aspx#2

    With SP2, automatic background compacting was removed due to problems it caused. Now you will get a prompt to compact after 100 OE closings, which you should do, and don't touch anything until it has finished. If you compact manually, at your convenience, this will also set the counter back to zero. See this for more information:

    http://www.insideoe.com/files/maintain.htm#compact

    If you are fully patched, you will also now see a copy of your dbx files being copied to the Recycle Bin as BAK files. Should something go awry when compacting, the messages can easily be restored from this backup. A manual compact will also reset the counter in the registry back to zero now.

    For more info, see the information outlined in red here

    www.oehelp.com/OETips.aspx#2

    To keep things running smooth, and for faster compacting:

    Do not archive mail in default OE folders. They will eventually become corrupt and you may lose mail. Create your own user defined folders for storing mail and move your mail to them. Empty Deleted Items folder regularly. Keep user created folders under 300MB, and Default folders as empty as is feasible.

    And backup often.

    Outlook Express Quick Backup (OEQB Freeware)http://www.oehelp.com/OEBackup/Default.aspx

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  3. Anonymous
    2011-12-12T13:23:46+00:00

    That's ridiculous.  I've been dealing with this issue and its problems for over 14 years.  See www.oehelp.com/OETips.aspx#2  The bak file is a backup of the dbx file that is made before the compaction starts.  It was introduced at my instigation, because the dbx files were getting wiped out during compaction, as it is a process extremely susceptible to failure, augmented by antivirus software.

    You do not understand the issue at all, so do not be giving false information to people.  If you do not compact the folders, they get larger and larger and larger and then get corrupt and all the messages are lost.  That's what happens if people follow your advice, which ensures people will lose their messages. 

    steve

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