Unread message cannot be found

1

1stmet

I have several messages that appear in the unread message folder. When I
click on them I get the following response ... "Cannot open this item. The
message you specified cannot be found."

How do I delete them from the folder? Just hitting delete doesn't work.

Thanks,
BT
 
B

Brian Tillman

1stmet said:
I have several messages that appear in the unread message folder. When I
click on them I get the following response ... "Cannot open
this item. The message you specified cannot be found."

How do I delete them from the folder? Just hitting delete doesn't
work.

Refresh the folder (View>Refresh). Do they still show? In what folder does
the Unread Mail folder say they reside?
 
M

MistyKhan

several messages that appear in the unread message folder. When I>
click on them I get the following response ... "Cannot open this item.
The> message you specified cannot be found."> > How do I delete them
from the folder? Just hitting delete doesn't work.> > Thanks,> BTTry
emptying for Deleted Items folder too.
 
1

1stmet

Tried refreshing folder and emptying deleted items. They're still there.
It doesn't list the folder they're in the heading is Date: Older.
Thanks
 
B

Brian Tillman

1stmet said:
Tried refreshing folder and emptying deleted items. They're still
there. It doesn't list the folder they're in the heading is Date:
Older.

The Unread Mail folder will always show the real folder containing the
messages, toward the right end of the message list. If you have the Reading
Pane visible, try disabling it or viewing it at the bottom.
 
1

1stmet

Tried refreshing folder and emptying deleted items. They're still there.
It doesn't list the folder they're in. The heading is Date: Older.
Thanks
 
W

Walt Parsons

I have the same problem.

The undeleteable message is in "unread" and resides in
"Newf-L" folder according to the information in the unread folder.

I've tried to refresh with no change. I've also looked in the Newf-L folder for this message but can't find it there. I've also deleted all messages in the delete folder.

Any suggestions.

Walt Parsons
 
B

Brian Tillman

Walt Parsons said:
I have the same problem.

What problem is that? You didn't quote the message to which you think
you're replying so we have no idea of your message's context. You don't
state your Outlook version (but it's presumably OL 2003 or 2007, since it
has a Search folder) and yuo don't state your data store type (Exchange
mailbox or PST).
The undeleteable message is in "unread" and resides in
"Newf-L" folder according to the information in the unread folder.

I've tried to refresh with no change. I've also looked in the Newf-L
folder for this message but can't find it there. I've also deleted
all messages in the delete folder.

Did you try deleting it from the Unread Mail folder? Did you try a
permanent delete (Shift-Delete)? Did you try using the Inbox Repair Tool
(SCANPST)?
 
W

Walt Parsons

Walt Parsons said:
I have the same problem.

What problem is that? You didn't quote the message to which you think
you're replying so we have no idea of your message's context. You don't
state your Outlook version (but it's presumably OL 2003 or 2007, since it
has a Search folder) and yuo don't state your data store type (Exchange
mailbox or PST).
Sorry but I thought that the "quoted message" was automa5tic.

Problem: I have a message sitting in the "unread" folder that I can't delete.
I'm useing Outlook 2007 on a Vista machine.

The message resides in a "Newf-L" folder according to the information in the unread folder.
I've tried to refresh with no change. I've also looked in the Newf-L
folder for this message but can't find it there. I've also deleted
all messages in the delete folder.
Did you try deleting it from the Unread Mail folder? Yes

Did you try a permanent delete (Shift-Delete)?
Yes

Did you try using the Inbox Repair Tool
(SCANPST)? Yes.
 
B

Brian Tillman

Walt Parsons said:
Problem: I have a message sitting in the "unread" folder that I can't
delete.
I'm useing Outlook 2007 on a Vista machine.

The message resides in a "Newf-L" folder according to the information
in the unread folder. I've tried to refresh with no change. I've also
looked in the Newf-L
folder for this message but can't find it there. I've also deleted
all messages in the delete folder.

Yes

Did you try using the Inbox Repair Tool
(SCANPST)? Yes.

If this just an ordinary mail folder, or is it an RSS folder? If the
former, how about this: create a new folder and call it, say, Newf-L-New.
Open Newf-L and select all the messages it contains by pressing Ctrl-A.
Click Edit>Move to Folder and choose Newf-L-New as the destination folder.
When the copy completes, delete the Newf-L folder. Now look in the Unread
Mail folder. Is the troublesome message gone? If not, what do you see?

If the message is gone, rename the Newf-L-New folder to Newf-L and you
should be back to normal.
 
W

Walt Parsons

Reply to message by Brian Tilman on 6/24/08
"Walt Parsons <mailto:[email protected]> wrote:
Problem: I have a message sitting in the "unread" folder that I can't
delete.
I'm useing Outlook 2007 on a Vista machine.

The message resides in a "Newf-L" folder according to the information
in the unread folder. I've tried to refresh with no change. I've also
looked in the Newf-L
folder for this message but can't find it there. I've also deleted
all messages in the delete folder.

Yes

Did you try using the Inbox Repair Tool
(SCANPST)? Yes.

If this just an ordinary mail folder, or is it an RSS folder? If the
former, how about this: create a new folder and call it, say, Newf-L-New.
Open Newf-L and select all the messages it contains by pressing Ctrl-A.
Click Edit>Move to Folder and choose Newf-L-New as the destination folder.
When the copy completes, delete the Newf-L folder. Now look in the Unread
Mail folder. Is the troublesome message gone? If not, what do you see?

If the message is gone, rename the Newf-L-New folder to Newf-L and you
should be back to normal.
--
Brian Tillman [MVP-Outlook] "


======================

I've tried everything above with no luck.

HOWEVER

I finally tried to brute force approach and uninstalled
Outlook and re-installed it.

The problem has gone away.

Walt Parsons
 
Joined
Jan 10, 2012
Messages
1
Reaction score
0
I have had this problem and remarkably it is easier to fix than imagined. Firstly, I tried running the outlook scan, refreshing the folder, all with no success. To fix this, you need to scroll down your folder to the Search Folders and nested below that you will find "Unread Mail". Simply right click and delete the Unread Mail folder. Then close and restart your Outlook. Go down once again to the Search Folders and right click on it and select New Search Folder. You can then recreate your Unread Folder and voila your unread count is correct and the previously deleted messages have disappeared. You can then simply drag and drop the new Unread Mail folder into your favourite folders section if you want it there too.
 

Ask a Question

Want to reply to this thread or ask your own question?

You'll need to choose a username for the site, which only take a couple of moments. After that, you can post your question and our members will help you out.

Ask a Question

Top