# Outlook Express 6 - (un)Compacting Folders



## Telstar (Jun 20, 2003)

Hi,
*Windows XP Home 
Outlook Express 6*

I may have unintentionally turned on the *Compacting* mode.

Whenever I exit OE it goes into a "Compacting" mode followed by the
error message:

*"The Folder is currently in use by Outlook Express or by another application"*

I went to OE *Help* and it directs me to *File>Folder>Compact*
but suggests no way to cancel this function.

How important is this function (do I really need it?).

And, how do I disable the Compact function?

Thanks,


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## Deke40 (Jun 27, 2002)

See if you hav "Compact Messages in the background" ticked in the image below.


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## Telstar (Jun 20, 2003)

Thanks for the reply Deke,

Interesting that we both have OE6 yet my options window is slightly
different from yours...

Anyway, I don't see where I have that option checked.

Here's what I see when I open mine:










Notice mine does not say "When compacting messages *in the background:"* as does yours.

I looked around those other tabs but the only command for Compacting
is the one I mentioned in my first post.


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## EAFiedler (Apr 25, 2000)

Hi *Telstar*

Do you have Service Pack 2 installed?

Outlook Express will ask, after the 100th closing of Outlook Express, if you want to compact messages.

Before running the Compaction process in Outlook Express, move all messages you want to keep out of the Inbox folder to folders of your own creation in Outlook Express.

I have used Steve Cochran's OETool to compact my message store.
The OETool also resets the Registry key, which keeps count how many times Outlook Express has been closed, to zero.

[webquote=http://www.microsoft.com/windows/IE/community/columns/filecorruption.mspx]
excerpt:
*When the Cure Kills: Compacting and Corruption*
As stated earlier, compacting all folders in Outlook Express frequently repairs mild corruption. But surprisingly enough, and again as ironic as it seems, the compaction process itself has also been implicated in causing corruption. Before Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2), Outlook Express was configured by default to compact files automatically after Outlook Express had been inactive for some minutes. However, although Outlook Express might have been inactive, the same could not always be said for other programs being used when compaction began. On some systems, particularly those with limited amounts of RAM or slow processors, the sudden drain on computer resources sometimes caused the compaction process to hiccough, and all too often a damaged DBX was the result.

It is largely for this reason that the background compaction feature has been removed in Windows XP SP2. *Now Outlook Express will compact automatically only after you have opened and closed Outlook Express 100 times.* It will do so not in the background, when you might be busy doing other things on the computer, but rather when you close Outlook Express for that 100th time. Do not cancel this compaction, nor use your computer until it is finished. For best results however, you should still compact all folders on a regular basis, such as weekly or bi-weekly.[/webquote]


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## Telstar (Jun 20, 2003)

EAFiedler said:


> Hi *Telstar*
> Do you have Service Pack 2 installed?
> Outlook Express will ask, after the 100th closing of Outlook Express, if you want to compact messages.


First of all, thank you for taking the time to research and respond to my query EA.

Yep, Service Pack 2.

I can see the Compacting feature is a "good thing" but my concern was getting
that error message each time I closed OE:
(*"The Folder is currently in use by Outlook Express or by another application"*)
and how I can keep that from appearing each time I close it.

Strangely though, the last couple of times I closed OE that message has NOT appeared...
and it's not because of anything I did...the plot thickens.


> *Before running the Compaction process in Outlook Express, move all
> messages you want to keep out of the Inbox folder to folders of your own
> creation in Outlook Express.*


Yes, before closing OE I've usually deleted all unwanted messages or have
moved messages I want to save to Folders I have created but still get that
error message.

Ok, I'll keep an eye on it and will read through your supplied link again to see
if there is anything I missed.

Best regards, :up:

Telstar


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## sgl1 (Sep 6, 2001)

This is all I have. 









I don't have the option of "Compacting in the background." Can anyone tell me why?


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## blkwlnt64 (Mar 28, 2005)

Hi sgl1, Start OE, on the top toolbar- click Help. In the Help dropdown menu, click on About Microsoft Outlook Express.
On the screen that comes up look for line below OUTLOOK EXPRESS 6 line that starts with
6.00 and tell you what the full line says.


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## sgl1 (Sep 6, 2001)

blkwlnt64 said:


> Hi sgl1, Start OE, on the top toolbar- click Help. In the Help dropdown menu, click on About Microsoft Outlook Express.
> On the screen that comes up look for line below OUTLOOK EXPRESS 6 line that starts with
> 6.00 and tell you what the full line says.


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## sgl1 (Sep 6, 2001)

No ideas huh? Great!


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## EAFiedler (Apr 25, 2000)

sgl1 said:


> I don't have the option of "Compacting in the background." Can anyone tell me why?


Do you have Service Pack 2 installed?
If so, the Compact Messages in the background option was removed.
The default state of Compact Messages was enabled, which could cause corruption of the message store.

Why do you think you need it?


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## sgl1 (Sep 6, 2001)

EAFiedler said:


> Do you have Service Pack 2 installed?
> If so, the Compact Messages in the background option was removed.
> The default state of Compact Messages was enabled, which could cause corruption of the message store.
> 
> Why do you think you need it?


Yes I do have it installed. I was wanting to turn it off and do it manually.


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## EAFiedler (Apr 25, 2000)

To compact manually, shut down all other running programs.
In Outlook Express:
File > Work Offline
File > Folder > Compact all folders
Allow the Compaction process to complete without interruption, avoid using the computer for anything else.

When the process has completed, put Outlook Express back online:
File > Work Offline

Service Pack 2 implemented changes in the way the Compaction process works, it is designed to compact messages _after_ the 100th closing of Outlook Express.
You can Compact your messages manually, and reset the Registry key to zero. It will then start the count over.

With the OE Tool you can compact your messages and it will reset the Registry key for you.
As close to an on/off method that I can think of.

Keep your Inbox empty, move messages you want to keep to folders of your own creation in Outlook Express.


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## sgl1 (Sep 6, 2001)

EAFiedler said:


> To compact manually, shut down all other running programs.
> In Outlook Express:
> File > Work Offline
> File > Folder > Compact all folders
> ...


Thank you.


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