OE 5 for Mac - want to reduce Messages file size

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Sandy Niles - 20 Jan 2007 00:25 GMT

We have a nice, reliable, old, simple PowerMac7300. Great machine, small HD.
In seeking to free up disk space, saw that in each OE Identities folder is a
file "Messages." One of these is 669.2 MB! On a 2GB drive, this is just too
piggy. The others Accounts' Messages files are smaller. (This makes some
sense, as we have set OE up to receive all mail through one Account
identity.)

So, we need space. After laboriously deleting unneeded messages, attachments
etc - AND of course deleting the items from the Deleted Items folder, the
Messages file remains exactly the same size. Even after restarting.

I suppose I could simply delete the entire Messages file and start over -
but I really, really want to keep this email history. Wharever I don't
intentionally delete is valuable to me.

I saw in Online Help:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/256072/en-us

which just says the Messages file remains the same size even after deleting
items. Why? And more important, is there a way around it?

Thanks for any help!
Sandy

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TG Online (MVP) - 22 Jan 2007 09:36 GMT

> We have a nice, reliable, old, simple PowerMac7300. Great machine, small HD.
> In seeking to free up disk space, saw that in each OE Identities folder is a
[quoted text clipped - 19 lines]
> Thanks for any help!
> Sandy

Compact the database - that should help...

<http://homepage.ntlworld.com/tg.online/keyboard/oe5_database.html>

Ricky

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diepthoughts@cox.net - 25 Jan 2007 17:24 GMT

> > We have a nice, reliable, old, simple PowerMac7300. Great machine, small HD.
> > In seeking to free up disk space, saw that in each OE Identities folder is a
[quoted text clipped - 32 lines]
> See Q048 on http://machelp.webhop.net/ for more details on
> protecting yourself from newsgroup spam.

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diepthoughts@cox.net - 25 Jan 2007 17:35 GMT

Well, hello, Ricky

Thanks for the post. Curious, though - it's the Messages folder that's
huge, 669+MB, while the Database file is only 50-something MB. Does
compacting the DB also affect the Messages file size?

The link you kindly offered goes to a helpful description of how to do
this compacting, but it sounds risky to me - and I don't have enough
disk space to make a copy of the files before doing the deed! Any
feedback on actual risk of messing up OE?

One more thing - We are planning a new Mac soon. Shall I anticipate Big
Problems transferring the valuable OE 5.02 emails to whatever we use
for email on the new Mac? We had MEGA problems at work a few years ago,
moving from Outlook for Exchange Server to Entourage for Exchange
server. Lost all previous history, as I recall... :-(

Thanks again for anything helpful!

SNiles

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TG Online (MVP) - 26 Jan 2007 15:46 GMT

> Well, hello, Ricky
>
[quoted text clipped - 16 lines]
>
> SNiles

Hi,

The compact process should reduce the file sizes of both Messages and
Database. The complex rebuild process should reduce the file sizes of these
items more dramatically, but is more prone to failure.

If you're using OE 5.0.6, and there's plenty of RAM assigned to the OE
application, there really shouldn't be a problem. OE 5.0.6 is available
here...

<http://www.microsoft.com/mac/downloads.aspx#OE>

Regarding your last query, I doubt I could say much to put your mind at ease
- it *can* be a "Big Problem", as you put it. Post your specific questions
at the time, and I'll try to help.

HTH,

Ricky

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Mac Forum / Applications / Outlook Express / January 2007

OE 5 for Mac - want to reduce Messages file size