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DADDY BOB'S COMPUTER Q & A
March 2,
2008
Q.
When I send an email, I get a yellow caution
triangle that indicates there was a problem
sending it. The email usually goes, but it
remains in the outbox and sends again and
again. The only way I can fix it is to
manually delete it from the outbox. How can
I fix this.
A.
This is a common problem that effects
Outlook Express and Windows XP. Your mail
folders or e-mail messages within the
folders may be damaged. There are two ways
you can try to fix this situation. The
first method is the easiest as it
concentrates only on the Outbox folder. The
second method will be more involved and will
create all new folders.
You can
create a new Outbox folder using the
following steps:
1. Exit
Outlook Express.
2. Search your hard drive for outbox.dbx. Since this is a
hidden folder, you will
have to adjust your search as
follows:
a. Click
Start, then Search
b. Select
"All files and folders"
c. Type in
outbox.dbx file to search for
d. "Look in"
Local hard drive
e. Click
"More advanced options"
f. Check
"Search system folders"
g. Check
"Search hidden files and folders"
h. Check "Search sub-folders"
i.
Click the Search button.
When the file name is displayed
in the right pane, highlight it and delete
it.
3. Restart Outlook Express. A new empty outbox folder will be
created
automatically.
Now try
to send an email and see if the problem has
been corrected. If not, then you will have
to create all new folders.
To do this,
you can create a new identity and then
import your old e-mail messages, addresses,
and other settings into your new identity.
Here's how to create a New Identity.
You will
need to know your email name, password, POP
server name, SMTP server name, and other
setup parameters. To find these, click
Tools, Accounts, then the Mail tab.
Highlight your email account, and click the
Properties button. Make a note of the all
information entered in the General and Sever
tabs. This will be needed in step 3 below.
1. On the File menu, point to Identity, and
then click Add New Identity.
2. Type a name for the new identity, and then click OK.
When you are prompted
to switch to the new
identity, click Yes. Outlook Express quits,
and then
restarts with the new
identity.
3. Follow the prompts in the Internet Connection
Wizard to configure Outlook
Express for your new
identity using the information you noted
from your
previous identity.
4. When the Outlook Express Import Wizard starts,
click “Do not import at this
time”. You can import
your files later.
5. Create a new e-mail message, and then send the
new e-mail message to
make sure that the new
identity is working correctly.
After you
send an e-mail message from the new
identity, you can import messages from your
old identity:
1. On the
File menu, point to Import, and then click
Messages.
2. Under “Select an e-mail program to import
from”, click your version of
Outlook Express, and then
click Next.
3. Under “Specify Location”, click your old
identity, click OK, and then click
Next.
4. Click All folders, click Next, and then
click Finish.
5. Repeat steps 1-5 for your address book
and other email settings.
Now, your
problem should be resolved, and after have
thoroughly check out your ability to send
and receive emails using your new identity,
you can delete your old identity.
NOTE:
In Vista, Outlook Express has been replaced
with Windows Mail which doesn't use email
Identities. To correct stuck emails in
Windows Mail, see my
previous article
covering this problem.
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