Outlook Express 6

I use this with Windows XP Home, SP3 and IE7.

On shutting OE down a panel comes up every time saying ;-

" To free up disc space, OE can compact messages.
Click OK or CANCEL. "

This panel is an infernal pest. I am thoroughly drilled and hit the "X", but another person could easily hit "OK" and all my messages would be compacted and God knows what a mess I would be left with.

It is an infringement of users personal choice for Microsoft to force this thing upon us. It should have a " Don`t show this panel again " sticker and compacting left to a systems facility like most other things.

PLEASE ! Can anybody tell me how to get rid of this unwanted parasitic nuisance ?
KAS

 

I am really not sure that you should get rid of it at all. See below...

What Does Compacting Messages Mean, and What Happens?

When you delete an email in Outlook Express, it is moved to the Deleted Items folder. The message disappears from its original folder, and when you empty the trash, it disappears from there, too.
In neither case is the message removed from the file on your disk immediately, however. Editing files for this is a slow process, and you'd have to wait or experience Outlook Express responding slowly whenever you deleted a couple of emails. This is why deletion merely hides the messages from view.
Of course, having all your deleted messages still on disk means a lot of space that can be reclaimed is wasted over time, and if Outlook Express has to keep track of too many obsolete messages this itself can mean a slowdown of certain actions.
So Outlook Express tries to remove these deleted emails physically from time to time. This it calls "compacting". Every 100 times you close Outlook Express, you are asked to start that process.
If This Process is So Essential, Why Doesn't Outlook Express Do It on Its Own, in the Background?

Compacting folders from time to time is essential. Even more essential is that the process can be completed without interruption, however.
If Outlook Express did the compacting in the background and automatically, you might notice a slowdown, sense a crash or for some other reason try to quit Outlook Express. Compacting, Outlook Express would refuse to shut down, of course. In your frustration, you might kill the process and your messages could become corrupted.



Also, if you do decide to keep and use the compaction here is a patch that is supposed to cause OE to backup the files before compacting them and then restore them in case of corruption of the compacted files.

edit: This patch may be already included in SP3. I have kept OE patched and did not have to install this patch for OE to make backups even though I still use SP2. Be sure to read through the link about the patch though for instructions on how to restore the backups.

 

Reply by Firebytes much appreciated.

BUT - OK I accept the logic, nevertheless MS are displaying a dictatorial attitude by infesting my screen with a panel on shutdown that should not be there. As I said in my opener, this kind of mandatory panel can lead to somebody clicking "OK" when I personally do not want anything to do with their compacting. If I want to compact my messages - I WILL DECIDE, NOT MS.

I have a very nice life managing my own fortitude's on this Windows, OE, IE system and do not wish panels coming up every time I shut down OE. I am the Administrator and control my system perfectly. I do not want idiotic prompts appearing that others can misconstrue and completely wreck my system.

COMPACTING ? As far as I am concerned, I am simply NOT interested. If I want to compact, I will do it and do not need some parasitic panel from MS nudging me on the subject every time I shut down OE.
This plague never existed before I installed a MS update a few months ago.

I personally feel it is an obnoxious intrusion and an insult to users intellectual capability.
AGAIN - I ask our respected Wilders Wizards - HOW CAN I GET RID OF THIS IRRITATING PEST ?
KAS

 

Deleted.

 

Insulting, obnoxious, idiotic.

Apt descriptions indeed.

 

Many thanks indeed. Your link does give a very good description of OE and it`s compacting desires. It also gives vital information on what NOT to do when compacting is in progress.

This information, not known by most of us, obviously stops serious trouble occurring if followed. I have known people lose their messages and completely screwing up their OE records through compacting, by clicking "OK" on this persistent panel. Much appreciated.

I would still love to get rid of this Microsoftic Bot-Fly of a panel that pops up every time I shut down OE.

If OE has this maternal instinct to compact all our messages every 100 shut downs, then even a kid wizard could come up with a better way of notifying the users and actually doing this piece of cybernetic gymnastics than sticking this impersonal panel in front of us.
KAS

 

In the FWIW category...

AFAIK, the only reason you have the option to not compact is because it can take some time to do it. So MS lets you "pick the time of your choosing".

But beyond that, I can almost guarantee that if you don't compact, sooner or later you will have mail box corruption and may lose everything in the corrupted mail box(es). You may be one of the lucky few that can slide through ok. But most users that don't compact end up having a major corruption issue to deal with at some point.