# Outlook Express "The selected messages could not be moved"



## tjthiel (Oct 9, 2005)

Win XP Home Ed; Outlook Express 6.0. Have two identities. Yesterday one of the identities began to not allow moving unwanted messages to the Delete folder. Also could not move them to any other existing folder.

Each time try to delete or move or drag and drop get the following error message: *"The selected message(s) could not be moved. An error has occurred."*

Can delete emails by hitting the Shift-Delete keys but not desirable. Found that I can create a new folder and move or drag and drop to it and then delete the new folder but also not desirable.

Other identity functions normally.

Any ideas? TJThiel


----------



## Miz (Jul 2, 2002)

Sounds like the inbox may be getting corrupted.

Move the messages you want to keep into a folder that is not a subfolder of the Inbox just in case something goes wrong or you have to end up deleting the inbox file.

Then make sure hidden files and file extensions are showing (My Computer>Tools>Folder Options>View tab, check "Show hidden files and folders," uncheck "Hide extensions for known file types" and "Hide protected operating system files).

Then in Outlook Express in the identity having the problem, go to Tools>Options>Maintenance tab>Store Folder button. Once you know the exact location of the store folder that identity is using (there will be more than one with a long alphanumeric name so be sure you've got the exact name), close OE, navigate to it and delete the "folders.dbx" file. If that doesn't solve the problem, go back and delete the "inbox.dbx" file.

If you have to delete inbox.dbx, OE will open with a new, empty Inbox. Just move your saved messages back into it.


----------

