OE6 compacting messages nag box

[Guest]

This is probably an ez question for someone to answer, but I haven't found it
myself so here goes:

When I use OE6 and then when finished with all my emails, then close OE6, a
nag box immediately pops up that reads:

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

I've been all thru Tools>Options and can't find a button to turn this off.
Annoying as all get out. I'm aware that OE compacts folders automatically
after opening and closing the program 100 times, but I've opened/closed the
program for at least 2 years and never saw this nag box before. I always
delete emails after reading/forwarding/replying to them--all the folders are
empty when I'm thru using the program.

I've also used previous versions of OE since Win98 and didn't ever see this
nag box then either.

All I want to accomplish is: use OE6, close the program when I'm done, and
be done with it--not have to click an answer to a nag box that never appeared
before. Is there an entry in the Registry Editor to turn this nag box off?
I know just enough to be dangerous, so please be specific if there is a tweak
I can do in there.

Thanks in advance for any help with this nuisance.

Intel Pentium Viiv dual core processor
512MB RAM
200GB HD
DVD+/-RW
IE7
Windows Defender
AVG Free
all MS updates current

 

[Alias]

This is probably an ez question for someone to answer, but I haven't found it
myself so here goes:

When I use OE6 and then when finished with all my emails, then close OE6, a
nag box immediately pops up that reads:

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

I've been all thru Tools>Options and can't find a button to turn this off.
Annoying as all get out. I'm aware that OE compacts folders automatically
after opening and closing the program 100 times, but I've opened/closed the
program for at least 2 years and never saw this nag box before. I always
delete emails after reading/forwarding/replying to them--all the folders are
empty when I'm thru using the program.

I've also used previous versions of OE since Win98 and didn't ever see this
nag box then either.

All I want to accomplish is: use OE6, close the program when I'm done, and
be done with it--not have to click an answer to a nag box that never appeared
before. Is there an entry in the Registry Editor to turn this nag box off?
I know just enough to be dangerous, so please be specific if there is a tweak
I can do in there.

Thanks in advance for any help with this nuisance.

Intel Pentium Viiv dual core processor
512MB RAM
200GB HD
DVD+/-RW
IE7
Windows Defender
AVG Free
all MS updates current

If you never compact your messages, I trust you have a back up because,
if you don't, soon you may well be SOL and lose all your messages.
Compacting is a necessary thing in OE and has NOTHING to do with how
large your hard drive is.

General OE Caveats:

- Don't use Inbox or Sent Items to archive messages. Move them to local
folders created for this purpose.

- Empty Deleted Items folder daily.

- WinXP SP2 only: Do not attempt to close OE via Task Manager or
shutdown your machine if Automatic Compacting is taking place.

- WinXP SP2 only: If your machine is fully up-to-date at Windows Update,
installing the following patch (KB918766) will help to avoid such data
loss in the future:

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=86b68a78-f325-4a95-98c2-98af2256ccc3

This patch will be included in the next Cumulative Update for Outlook
Express/WinXP SP2.

- Your anti-virus application's email scanning feature can also cause
corruption. Disable it. It provides no additional protection.

Alias

 

[Jon]

You have to periodically reset this registry key (eg to 1) (I have a startup
script that does it), otherwise it compacts every 100th time or so

"HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Identities\" & identitykey & "\Software\Microsoft\Outlook
Express\5.0\Compact Check Count"

where "identitykey" is taken from
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Identities\Default User ID


--
Jon


Latest reports suggest that it was "emptypockets"
<[email protected]> in message
who said something
like...

 

[Yves Leclerc]

No setting or tweak to turn this off. You need to let OE do this compacting.
Do not stop or turn the PC off during it less you completely loose all/a lot
of emails that you had stored in OE. MS did not foresee that OE was being
used a lot and it was not designed to have huge gaps in the database(s) (which
were deleted emails.) Compacting is a important feature to OE and you can do
it your self periodically (at the time that you choose.)

 

[PA Bear]

It can't be turned off. If your machine is fully up-to-date at Windows
Update, the Compact Count is reset after every manual compact after
installing the following patch (KB918766) :
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=86b68a78-f325-4a95-98c2-98af2256ccc3

This patch will be included in the next Cumulative Update for Outlook
Express/WinXP SP2.

General OE Caveats:

- Don't use Inbox or Sent Items to archive messages. Move them to local
folders created for this purpose.

- Empty Deleted Items folder daily.

- Disable Background Compacting [N/A in SP2] and frequently perform a manual
compact of all OE folders while "working offline". More at
http://www.insideoe.com/files/maintain.htm

- WinXP SP2 only: Do not attempt to close OE via Task Manager or shutdown
your machine if Automatic Compacting is taking place.

- Your anti-virus application's email scanning feature can also cause
corruption. Disable it. It provides no additional protection.
--
OE6-specific newsgroup:
news://msnews.microsoft.com/microsoft.public.windows.inetexplorer.ie6_outlookexpress
OE General newsgroup:
news://msnews.microsoft.com/microsoft.public.outlookexpress.general

~Robear Dyer (PA Bear)
MS MVP-Windows (IE, OE, Security, Shell/User)

 

[Jon]

It can't be turned off.

Except that I've already shown how to effectively turn it off over 4 hours
ago.

 

[PA Bear]

Reliable sources are claiming that "PA Bear" <[email protected]> stated
in
message news:%[email protected]...

Except that I've already shown how to effectively turn it off over 4 hours
ago.

You showed how OP can /reset/ Compact Count, not turn it off.

After installing 918766, the Compact Count is /always/ reset when user
compacts manually (which should be done at least once-a-week to avoid loss
of messages). 918766 also backs up the entire message store during any
compacting session.

Once more with feeling...

General OE Caveats:

- Don't use Inbox or Sent Items to archive messages. Move them to local
folders created for this purpose.

- Empty Deleted Items folder daily.

- Disable Background Compacting [N/A in SP2] and frequently perform a manual
compact of all OE folders while "working offline". More at
http://www.insideoe.com/files/maintain.htm

- WinXP SP2 only: Do not attempt to close OE via Task Manager or shutdown
your machine if Automatic Compacting is taking place.

- WinXP SP2 only: If your machine is fully up-to-date at Windows Update,
installing the following patch (KB918766) will help to avoid such data loss
in the future:
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=86b68a78-f325-4a95-98c2-98af2256ccc3

This patch will be included in the next Cumulative Update for Outlook
Express/WinXP SP2.

- Your anti-virus application's email scanning feature can also cause
corruption. Disable it. It provides no additional protection.

 

[Alias]

Except that I've already shown how to effectively turn it off over 4
hours ago.

Um, that isn't turning it off; it's resetting it.

Alias

 

[Jon]

You may well be aware that "Alias" <[email protected]> had
previously written in

Um, that isn't turning it off; it's resetting it.

Alias

Hence the use of the word "effectively"

 

[Jon]

Hence the use of the word "effectively"

Anyway who cares? It works. Take it or leave it.

 

[Alias]

You may well be aware that "Alias" <[email protected]> had
previously written in


Hence the use of the word "effectively"

It doesn't effectively turn it off. It's more like hitting the sleep
button on a radio alarm.

Alias

 

[Jon]

It doesn't effectively turn it off. It's more like hitting the sleep
button on a radio alarm.

Alias

Ah yes, but with a little startup script then you have a little robot that
periodically presses the button for you.

 

[Alias]

Anyway who cares? It works. Take it or leave it.

I like the OE Tool instead.

Alias

 

[Jon]

I like the OE Tool instead.

Alias

Fascinating. I prefer mine.

 

[Alias]

Ah yes, but with a little startup script then you have a little robot
that periodically presses the button for you.

I still prefer OE Tool and I always back up my OE before compacting.

Alias

 

[Jon]

I still prefer OE Tool and I always back up my OE before compacting.

Alias

Actually it sounds like a mickey mouse update if all it does is reset the
count after a manual compacting. The manual compacting previously did that
anyway. The backing up of the message store would be a new feature, but you
can do that anyway without any compacting.

 

[Alias]

Actually it sounds like a mickey mouse update if all it does is reset
the count after a manual compacting. The manual compacting previously
did that anyway.

No, it didn't. There was nothing to reset previously. It is a lame
effort on the part of MS to encourage people to compact, I agree. Most
people think to themselves, "I have a 250 GB hard drive, so no need to
compact".

The backing up of the message store would be a new

feature, but you can do that anyway without any compacting.

Very true.

Alias

 

[Jon]

................It is a lame effort on the part of MS to encourage people
to compact, I agree. Most people think to themselves, "I have a 250 GB
hard drive, so no need to compact".

Agreed. My message store is typically 10-20 mb, so whether that is 1%
compacted or 50% compacted is neither here nor there.

 

[PA Bear]

Agreed. My message store is typically 10-20 mb, so whether that is 1%
compacted or 50% compacted is neither here nor there.

Read the following & think again:

The Other E-Mail Threat: File Corruption in Outlook Express:
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/IE/community/columns/filecorruption.mspx

 

[Jon]

Read the following & think again:

The Other E-Mail Threat: File Corruption in Outlook Express:
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/IE/community/columns/filecorruption.mspx

It's a good article in that it provides the justification for the approach
adopted (cf "When the cure kills.." section).

BUT...there are ways it could have been done better. For example compacting
on OE startup would psychologically have been better than on program exit.
People generally close applications when they've had enough of them - not
when they want them to start their house-keeping chores. A few preliminary
tasks at program startup would be less objectionable.

There are also ways to make portions of code 'critical', so that other
running applications / processes don't interfere with them (the main
justification for the "in your face" approach given in the "When the cure
kills.." section).

So I'll be sticking with my periodic manual compactions (at the time of my
choosing) until a more acceptable solution is adopted by the boys and girls
in Redmond.