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EdmondClayFlag for United States of America

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Compiling .dbx files in OE

I would like to compile .dbx message folders to a separate machine.  That is copy messages from OE on one machine to a thumbdrive and add them to OE on another machine.  I've done this up to the point where I now have two sets of .dbx files on the target machine but I do not want to overwrite.  Can you help?  KThxBYE
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BillDL
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I should have said.  With Windows Live Mail, the "Import > Messages" function has been designed to mirror the OE menu options.  Windows Live Mail creates its "Store Folder" by default as:

C:\Documents and Settings\<UserName>\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Windows Live Mail

Outlook Express creates the default Store Folder as:

C:\Documents and Settings\<UserName>\Local Settings\Application Data\Identities\{long-unique-number-in-here}\Microsoft\Outlook Express\

The OE "Folders" are the named *.dbx files in the above folder, but with Windows Live Mail, the usual Inbox, Sent Items, etc folders are stored as traditional sub-folders under a master folder named after your different mail accounts.  Where you have more than one Hotmail account, the master folders will have a numeric identifier after the folder name, eg.
Hotmail (bi 1b3
Hotmail (mi e9b

No, I haven't missed out the closing bracket.  They have only an opening bracket in the name.

Within each of these folders, there will be a file named eg:

C:\Documents and Settings\<UserName>\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Windows Live Mail\Googlemail\account{77C3885D-77AA-45C2-AA73-9E6625BC6DA8}.oeaccount

These files contain all the connection settings, passwords, etc for that account in XML format as imported from what was in Outlook Express.

Windows Live Mail creates its own "Storage Folders" that I believe may be used by default for all in, out, and deleted mail, at least that seems to be a problem experienced by some users when I read some problems about it.  In my case, new messages go directly to the Inbox for that specific account and are stored as *.eml files with alpha-numeric names until you move them or save them out, eg:

C:\Documents and Settings\<UserName>\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Windows Live Mail\Hotmail (mi e9b\Inbox\40955A18-00000003.eml

The file:

C:\Documents and Settings\<UserName>\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Windows Live Mail\Mail.MSMessageStore

Looks like it contains details of all folders used by the configured accounts and the messages in them, and like OE the contents of long-since deleted messages still show when viewed in an editor able to show the contents.

I haven't yet had a chance to fully track how and where Windows Live Mail deposits messsages, but suffice to say that it is NOT the same as OE and does not use the same *.dbx files.  When imported, the data is converted into the format needed by Live Mail.  The inbuilt functions to import OE accounts and messages from backed-up files works well, so it pays not to look too deeply into the processes involved if you don't need to.
If you end up confusing any DBX files and not knowing the contents, the following standalone program allows you to open a single *.dbx file, and also load up the current "Store Folder", and get a list of the contents in a simlar layout to OE.  I wouldn't use it for anything other than verification purposes though:

http://www.mitec.cz/Downloads/OEView.zip

There are other paid-for programs for recovering emails from corrupt DBX files, but this little free one is useful for the above purposes.
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Must have more coffee.  I've become nocturnal.  Anyway this will take a while to sort not only because you've produced an awful lot to absorb and learn, but also because my target machine has gone belly up with another vidcard fried.  But the logic is pristine.  Of course, use the client as the compiler by manipulating folder names.  You Da MAN, BillDL!  Your help is so thorough you must be OC, that or you really love your wife!  Hah!  KThxBYE.  
The answers from BillDL are always well thought out, thorough and accurate.  This guy deserves a medal.  And something nice for his wife too....
Hi Edmond, and thanks.  It's the good feeling knowing that I have been able to help someone else with something that makes being here enjoyable.

I may have confused you a bit by jumping around a bit and interrupting the flow.  In paragraph 4 of my main comment I spoke about dragging messages from OE out into folders on the desktop.  Paragraph 6 would have been a continuation in this theme discussing the reverse process on the other PC, but I stuck a paragraph 5 in there as an afterthought, and that spoke about *.dbx files.

I hope you followed the flow.  The intention was to describe 3 methods:

1. Drag and Drop messages out of OE to folders as *.eml files, then Drag them back into OE on the other PC

2. Create "folders" in OE with descriptive names and archive current messages to them.  Copy out the *.dbx files created for those OE repositories, and copy them into the new Store Folders on the other PC

3. Using the first part of method 2, use the OE File > Import > Messages option and find the *.dbx files to import as new OE folders with usefully different names.

I use all of these methods depending on how many messages I have and whether I want to have the dual benefit of having an archive of the separate *.eml files once I am done.

Anyway, glad to be of assistance.  Just ask if you are unsure of anything described.
Yo, bro!  I noticed something about the DeletedItems.dbx file.  I cleaned out the folder in OE but the .dbx file din't change?  Whassupwidat...It's huuuge and I would really like the disk space back.  KThxBYE.
Compress your folders as follows from within OE:
Tools > Options > Maintenance tab > "Clean up now" button.
Click the "Compact" button.

When you delete messages to the Deleted Items folder in OE and then Empty Deleted Items folder, it doesn't actually delete the content until you compact the folder.

You will most likely see 3 files in the Recycle Bin after this:
Folders.bak
Offline.bak
Pop3uidl.bak

This is normal and is part of the cleanup routine to get rid of wasted space in each folder.

See if that reduces the size of the Deleted Items.dbx file.
I did exactly as you instructed and there's nothing in the Recycle Bin and the deleteditems.dbx file is still 134 megs...close OE? K. I tried that and nothing changed...reboot?  I did Disc Cleanup and that didn't help either...hmmmm...maybe I'll search for those files you listed...K. I did that even to the system folders and hidden files for Offline.bak and got nothing....  I'm lost now.
K.  I got it.  By highlighting the folder Deleted Items in OE then under File>Folder>Compact it is done.  I got the disc space back and the DeletedItems.dbx folder is now 59kb...I almost compacted my Inbox folder by mistake but I was able to cancel out before any damage was done...ooops.
The Inbox folder wouldn't have been damaged, or I should say should not have been damaged.  We all know how strange things happen with computers though.  The purpose of compacting folders is almost like degragging a hard drive.  It condenses the content and, especially in the case of the deleted items folder, any holes left through deletion of files from that folder are filled in.

A compacted OE folder can sometimes hamper file recovery, and if one gets corrupt it can be problematic, but OE keeps track of how many times it is opened and closed and by defalt will try to compact all your folders on the 100th time it is closed.  I can't recall if there is a setting that forces it to ask you first rather than doing it automatically, but mine always prompts.

If someone really wanted to (for whatever crazy reason) reverse the counter back to zero before it got to the 100th time, then the following registry key and value shows the counter set back to zero:

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Identities\{long-unique-number-here}\Software\Microsoft\Outlook Express\5.0]
"Compact Check Count"=dword:00000000

Just another bit of useless info for you :-)
K. I'm lost now.  I followed your instructions and compacted what?  And what is compacted anyway cuz nothing happened to any of the files in OE that I can discern.  Now when I highlighted the "DeletedItems" folder in OE and went to File>Folder>Compact there was no discerable change in the "DeletedItem" folder (probably because there was nothing in it...) but the .dbx file was reduced to something like 58 kb from 134megs.  So what is the difference between the two actions?  thx