At 03:19 PM 2/25/99 -0400, you wrote:
>Hi: I have a problem with trying to back up my ICQ contact list on a
>floppy.At one time,I would simply go to my icq folder and send the Db
>folder to the floppy.I am now using icq 99a version and cannot get the
>New Db folder on a floppy.This folder is now
>2.9 megs and obviously won't go on a 1.4MB floppy. In the folder the
>.dat file is 438 kb and the .idx file is 2.38.Am I doing something wrong
>or is it possible to make these files smaller.When I go to the "message
>archive" and delete everything,the New Db folder increases in size?? And
>the small ICQ backup programs(like ICQ Rescue) always seem to want to
>backup the whole New Db folder.Any advice would be helpful as I don't
>want to lose my contact list if I have a system failure.   Thanks,Gary
>Burke.


Hi Gary,

I'm using the icq99a version of icq which was released on the icq site on
Tuesday....not the one which was floating around before the official release.

If my db folder were as large as yours, I would do the following:

1.   Delete messages you no longer need.  I know you say you have done that
and the db folder increases in size.  That's because they are not really
deleted but are still in the db folder but in a different place.

2.  Open up Message Archives.  Note the structure there...   message
dialogue,  received, sent items, sent and received and system.   Delete all
messages you no longer need in each category.

3.  Go to Deleted Items....that's where everything you've just deleted has
gone.  Categories are Messages, Chats and Notes.   Permanently delete there
the items you don't need.   Once you do this, I think your db folder will
decrease in size.

From my perspective, icq is now keeping several copies in the db folder of
messages and events sent/received .

Hope this helps.

Sue Na
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