I Cannot Delete Email From the Outlook Express Sent Folder

Every time you send an email using Microsoft Outlook, a copy gets saved in the Sent Items folder on your hard drive. To preserve space on your computer, you may choose to delete some of these sent messages from your hard drive. However, occasionally the Sent Items folder can become corrupted so that you are unable to delete any of the files. This problem can be solved easily by manually deleting or renaming the folder where the messages are stored.

Instructions

Locate the Folder

1. Click the "Tools" drop-down menu and select "Options."

2. Choose the "Maintenance" tab and click the "Store fand older" button.

3. Highlight the path for the store folder and click "Ctrl" and "C" to copy it.

4. Click "OK" twice to close the Options menu.

5. Click "Start" and choose "Run." Paste the store folder path into the command line by clicking "Ctrl" and "V." Click "OK."

6. Find the folder called "Sent Items.dbx." If it is not there, it may be hidden. Click "Folder Options" under the "Tools" menu. Select the "View" tab and select "Show hidden files and folders." Click "OK."

7. Create a new folder in Outlook by selecting "Folder" under the "File" drop-down menu and clicking "New Folder." Drag all messages from the Sent Items folder into this newly created folder.

8. Close Outlook and open the Store Folder you opened in Step 5. Delete or rename the folder called "Sent Items.dbx." A new "Sent Items.dbx" folder will be automatically created when you reopen Outlook.

Tips & Warnings

• Microsoft recommends that you save only 2,000 emails at a time in your Sent Items folder to prevent future corruption. Surplus sent messages that you wish to keep should be stored in sub-folders that you create.

References

• Microsoft: The Other E-Mail Threat: File Corruption in Outlook Express

Resources

• Microsoft : Outlook Help and How-To