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Thread ID: 24160 2002-09-04 20:44:00 Outlook Express deleted emails John Boy (1365) Press F1
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76470 2002-09-04 20:44:00 My understanding is that that when you delete your read emails they still remain on your hard drive clogging it up. How can I delete them permanently. Does the same also apply to web based email accounts
when you delete them. 		John Boy (1365)
76471 2002-09-04 20:50:00 There's not much you can do about web-based email, so I wouldn't worry.

OE has an option for compacting the data. Basically, it uses a database like lots of other programs do, and as it deletes records it marks it as deleted but doesn't remove it. It is likely to be overwritten over time (think of it like a bookcase full of books, you take some out, the rest of the books are still in the same places and you can tell where the missing books were)

Compacting reorganises the database and removes the empty space. I can't tell you exactly where to go because OE has just died on my machine and I need to restart.

robo. 		robo (205)
76472 2002-09-04 21:08:00 Okay, in OE 6 click File, Folder, Compact (towards the bottom). robo (205)
76473 2002-09-04 21:52:00 johnboy, I've found a really neat site with all the info you are wanting:

How to Maintain Your OE Store Folder (www.tomsterdam.com).

Have a really good read through and do the things it recommends. :-)

I've also found a good program Magic Mail Monitor (www.geocities.com) that allows you to view your emails on the ISP server before downloading. It allows you to delete them from the server if you don't want to download them. 		Susan B (19)
76474 2002-09-04 21:54:00 Regarding web based mail. you are using Explorer to view the files and so they will just go into your temporary internet folders, or internet cache. clearing these out will therefore remove any traces of them from your computer. You would still need to remove them from the email account on the web based email.

cheers

:) 		NathanTheKind (472)
76475 2002-09-04 21:57:00 WAIT!!!

Before you do what robo says, go to the site I've listed and read that first! It tells you how to do it safely. 		Susan B (19)
76476 2002-09-04 23:06:00 Susan,
>>It tells you how to do it safely ?:|

You mean theres a way of stuffing it up??
Darn.. better look at that site then. 		Chris Wilson (431)
76477 2002-09-04 23:43:00 Just wondering when you go to program files outlook express
and click on deleted files' a screen comes up saying
windows cannot find c;\program files\outlook express\deleted items.dbx. make sure you typed the name correctly, and then try again .
to search for a file, click start button, and then click search. is this normal???????? ?:| the same thing happens for inbox, sent items, etc 		johnboy (217)
76478 2002-09-05 01:18:00 Unfortunatly you are barking up the wroug tree here..

The files are not stored there, they are stored by default atleast in '98 at (you'll love this)
C:\WINDOWS\Application Data\Identities\{a-really-long-set-of-random-looking-numbers}\Microsoft\Outlook Express
and are in .dbx files

You didn't say what operating system you use, and i assume that others will be similar.

start > find > *.dbx should find it.

"*" is the wild card, so "*.dbx" means ANYFILE with the extention".dbx" on the end.

.dbx files are the "folders" that OE uses. OE can read and process them them, but you cannot see the individual messages that they contain by any other means that i know of. To do what you want to do, right click on the deleted items folder in OE, and "empty deleted items folder". you can compact the folder(s) after that if you like. This will still leave a "deleted" .dbx file, but it's more of a placemarker now, it will be tiny as all traces of the messages have been removed. 		Chris Wilson (431)
76479 2002-09-05 01:18:00 Yes, those files are usually stored in:

C:\WINDOWS\Application Data\Identities\{clsid}\Microsoft\Outlook Express\
for Win 9x, or through c:\My Docs in W2K & XP 		antmannz (28)
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