compression with outlook express

[ben67]

I wish to save some disk space and intend to compress my outlook express emails. I have 163Meg in the Inbox and 111meg in the Send folder.

If I compressed everything does anyone know how much disk space I am likely to save?

Also I cannot see any instructions for restoring the emails when they have been compressed. I dont want to get stuck. Anyone know how I would do this?

I am using windowx XP service pack 2. Dont know the version of outlook express - possibly version 5 or 6??. Anyway it was installed two years ago.

 

[JohnD]

Not answering the original question...

But I would strongly suggest you set up some mail folders - usually by topic, but you can do it by person. You can have sub-folders too.

For example you might have

Building
- Electrics
- Plastering
- Carpentry

Savings
- Bank
- Building Societies
- - - -Abbey
- - - -Nationwide

Uncle Fred

Aunty Amy

Big Brenda

Old mail
- 2005 mail
- 2004 mail
- 2003 mail

Then, when you've looked at an email, you go
File
Move to folder
(New Folder, if you haven't already set up a suitable one)

The benefit of this is that you can easily find the mail you want, without trawling through !!163Meg!!! of assorted and jumbled stuff.

It is generally bad practice to leave everything in "Inbox" or "Sent"

You can also archive or delete old stuff when you no longer need it, and this is easier because you can look at a mail log and know that everything in it is old or no longer required.

Compressing maillogs is no trouble.

I hope you are doing backups to CD?

 

[ben67]

I take your point.

I suppose that I could transfer everything into an appropriate folder (say by year). Then compress the oldest years. Then move the compressed folders to an archive on another disc.

When an email has been compacted does it look to the user the same as it was before compacting?

 

[JohnD]

I do both Archiving and Compressing.
OE does the compressing automatically (with my consent) and the mails and folders look just the same to me as if they were not compressed.

I think there may be a slight delay in opening folders but I'm not sure as Norton puts a slight delay in as well.

If you archive away a lot of old stuff then you will find OE goes faster.

I use
- File
- Export
- Messages
when I'm archiving. I also backup my addressbook and live mail to protect against hard disk crashes.

 

[ben67]

John

I find that when I key File Export Messages a window comes up saying that it will export to Outlook or Microsoft Exchange. Is there a way I can export to a folder on a separate disk drive.

 

[JohnD]

Sorry I can't seem to remember

 

[eggplant]

How do you mean by export them, export as in shove them in a safe place somewhere and "start again" in outlook? or just back them up?
either way, just find your store folder, tools,options, maintenance, store folder. Personally I change the store folder to something easier to manage such as X:\OutlookEx

 

[ben67]

Thanks for that. My store folder is on the C drive which is getting full. I also have an F drive which has lots of space. From what you say I can easily change the store folder to the F drive.

I can also do some compression of folders and / or archive to CD of old emails.

I think that solves my problem.

 

[eggplant]

You got the gist, best bet is to COPY your mail folder to say F:\outlook, then change the store folder in outlook express, check it works! then delete the one from C:

Please note that unless you changed it, your swap/page file is on C: and running low on space can seriously slow down your pc.