What to do when Outlook Express gets really stuck

tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8640496.post-1130254702892167622005-10-25T11:22:00.000-04:002005-10-25T11:48:03.010-04:00What to do when Outlook Express gets really stuckI got a call the other day from someone who had a message stuck in the Outbox of Outlook Express. The message wouldn't get sent, he couldn't delete it and he couldn't open it. To make matters worse, every time he tried to view the Outbox, OE would crash. He didn't have even half a chance to send or receive e-mail. The good news is that each folder in OE is a separate file on the hard drive, though it isn't obvious where on the computer they are. If you delete one of these files, OE will create a new, empty one in its place. Here are the steps: <ol> <li>Select Tools/Options, then click the Maintenance tab.</li> <li>Click the Store Folder button.</li> <li>Select the entire path and name in the box. It doesn't look selectable, but it is. Just click and drag all the way through it (it will probably scroll when you drag).</li> <li>Copy (Ctrl + C).</li> <li>Click Cancel, then click Cancel again.</li> <li>Close Outlook Express.</li> <li>Open My Computer (<img src="http://nerdybooks.com/blogs/images/windows_key_20px.gif" /> + E).</li> <li>Click in the Address bar or (Alt + D). If My Computer doesn't show the Address Bar, select View/Toolbars/Address Bar. </li> <li>Paste (Ctrl + V), then press Enter.</li> <li>Select the file called Outbox.dbx, the press Delete. Click Yes to confirm.</li> <li>Open Outlook Express. The Outbox will be empty.</li> </ol>Bob Flisser, co-author, www.nerdybooks.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00074402169552721332noreply@blogger.com