Stephen, I get the impression that your Outlook Express Local Folder is stuffed with sub-folders, each one overflowing with old mail that you can't bring yourself to throw away :--))

Here's a couple of suggestions:

First, if you go to Tools\Options\Maintenance and hit the 'Store Folder' button, you can change the location where your mail is stored.

If you type in C:\Mail\New Location for instance, then shut down Outlook Express and open it again, you'll have a whole new default set of mail folders, all of them empty, ready for you start all over again.

Your existing mail is still where you left it, so you can reverse the process to 'reclaim' your old mail at any time.  Just make sure you recorded the path to the first Store folder.

Prior to doing this, you could also tidy up your existing folders, of course.

Another way of compacting and storing your old mail would be to run something like eBackup, which very effectively compresses your address book, mail and Favorites into one file, which can be stored somewhere else or burnt to CD.

Ian Porter
Computer Guys Inc.
Arrowtown
New Zealand
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  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Stephen K. Brown 
  To: [log in to unmask] 
  Sent: Tuesday, September 02, 2003 5:00 PM
  Subject: [PCSOFT] E-mail files


  As a result of numerous reinstallations of Outlook Express over the past
  several years, I now have a lot of *.dbx files that contain old e-mail
  messages.  How can all these files be combined into one file?  Additionally,
  is it possible that each of these files be identified and stored in the a
  single file folder name as they were in originally such Sent Items, Inbox
  etc.  Detailed instructions greatly appreciated. Thanks to all for
  responses.

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