Found a way to deal with ghost emails...

It works -- but isn't a perfect solution by any means. First, enable view of
hidden files... and make sure Windows Mail is closed.

Go to your "C:\USERS\yourloginname\APPDATA\LOCAL\MICROSOFT\WINDOWS MAIL"
folder. Copy the entire folder somewhere else... another partition, a CD, a
thumb drive -- whatever. While you actually don't need the ENTIRE folder,
it's easier this way. Plus, you have a backup in case something goes
horribly wrong.

Next, delete "WindowsMail.MSMessageStore". I know -- but you copied it
above.

Start Windows Mail as you normally would. A new message store will be
created. All will be nice & clean; no ghost messages. In fact, NO messages,
period.

Go to your copied folder, and open the "Local Folders" subdirectory. Go
through the individual folders and delete any 0-byte "Windows Mail E-Mail
Message" files you see. Size this window so it's visible on top of your
Windows Mail application, and drag & drop all messages to the places they
should go. You can highlight and drag an entire group if you like, just be
sure that you don't accidentally bring along anything but "Windows Mail
E-Mail Message" files. It's easy to miss the "Winmail.fol" file at the end
of the list, which will cause an error if you miss it. Copy time may also be
lengthy, depending upon how many files you have and your choice of copy
media. Note that really long times may result in a "Not Responding" label at
the top, which isn't necessarily a true statement.

This worked for me. Good luck.

"jwardl" <jwardl@spamthis.com> wrote in message
news:OKdbN%23RAHHA.4212@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...
> It works -- but isn't a perfect solution by any means. First, enable view
> of hidden files... and make sure Windows Mail is closed.
>
> Go to your "C:\USERS\yourloginname\APPDATA\LOCAL\MICROSOFT\WINDOWS MAIL"
> folder. Copy the entire folder somewhere else... another partition, a CD,
> a thumb drive -- whatever. While you actually don't need the ENTIRE
> folder, it's easier this way. Plus, you have a backup in case something
> goes horribly wrong.
>
> Next, delete "WindowsMail.MSMessageStore". I know -- but you copied it
> above.
>
> Start Windows Mail as you normally would. A new message store will be
> created. All will be nice & clean; no ghost messages. In fact, NO
> messages, period.
>
> Go to your copied folder, and open the "Local Folders" subdirectory. Go
> through the individual folders and delete any 0-byte "Windows Mail E-Mail
> Message" files you see. Size this window so it's visible on top of your
> Windows Mail application, and drag & drop all messages to the places they
> should go. You can highlight and drag an entire group if you like, just be
> sure that you don't accidentally bring along anything but "Windows Mail
> E-Mail Message" files. It's easy to miss the "Winmail.fol" file at the end
> of the list, which will cause an error if you miss it. Copy time may also
> be lengthy, depending upon how many files you have and your choice of copy
> media. Note that really long times may result in a "Not Responding" label
> at the top, which isn't necessarily a true statement.
>
> This worked for me. Good luck.

The problem seems to be gone for me in 5744. At least, I haven't seen it
for a while.

--
Frank Saunders, MS-MVP OE/WM
http://www.fjsmjs.com
Answer in newsgroup. Don't send mail.

Thanks much, it worked fine.

"jwardl" wrote:

> It works -- but isn't a perfect solution by any means. First, enable view of
> hidden files... and make sure Windows Mail is closed.
>
> Go to your "C:\USERS\yourloginname\APPDATA\LOCAL\MICROSOFT\WINDOWS MAIL"
> folder. Copy the entire folder somewhere else... another partition, a CD, a
> thumb drive -- whatever. While you actually don't need the ENTIRE folder,
> it's easier this way. Plus, you have a backup in case something goes
> horribly wrong.
>
> Next, delete "WindowsMail.MSMessageStore". I know -- but you copied it
> above.
>
> Start Windows Mail as you normally would. A new message store will be
> created. All will be nice & clean; no ghost messages. In fact, NO messages,
> period.
>
> Go to your copied folder, and open the "Local Folders" subdirectory. Go
> through the individual folders and delete any 0-byte "Windows Mail E-Mail
> Message" files you see. Size this window so it's visible on top of your
> Windows Mail application, and drag & drop all messages to the places they
> should go. You can highlight and drag an entire group if you like, just be
> sure that you don't accidentally bring along anything but "Windows Mail
> E-Mail Message" files. It's easy to miss the "Winmail.fol" file at the end
> of the list, which will cause an error if you miss it. Copy time may also be
> lengthy, depending upon how many files you have and your choice of copy
> media. Note that really long times may result in a "Not Responding" label at
> the top, which isn't necessarily a true statement.
>
> This worked for me. Good luck.
>
>

shouldn't I see files that are O KB before I do this in my local folders? I
don't

"jwardl" wrote:

> It works -- but isn't a perfect solution by any means. First, enable view of
> hidden files... and make sure Windows Mail is closed.
>
> Go to your "C:\USERS\yourloginname\APPDATA\LOCAL\MICROSOFT\WINDOWS MAIL"
> folder. Copy the entire folder somewhere else... another partition, a CD, a
> thumb drive -- whatever. While you actually don't need the ENTIRE folder,
> it's easier this way. Plus, you have a backup in case something goes
> horribly wrong.
>
> Next, delete "WindowsMail.MSMessageStore". I know -- but you copied it
> above.
>
> Start Windows Mail as you normally would. A new message store will be
> created. All will be nice & clean; no ghost messages. In fact, NO messages,
> period.
>
> Go to your copied folder, and open the "Local Folders" subdirectory. Go
> through the individual folders and delete any 0-byte "Windows Mail E-Mail
> Message" files you see. Size this window so it's visible on top of your
> Windows Mail application, and drag & drop all messages to the places they
> should go. You can highlight and drag an entire group if you like, just be
> sure that you don't accidentally bring along anything but "Windows Mail
> E-Mail Message" files. It's easy to miss the "Winmail.fol" file at the end
> of the list, which will cause an error if you miss it. Copy time may also be
> lengthy, depending upon how many files you have and your choice of copy
> media. Note that really long times may result in a "Not Responding" label at
> the top, which isn't necessarily a true statement.
>
> This worked for me. Good luck.
>
>

You'll see eml files under the various directories under Local Folders that
match the WinMail folders. All you really need to do is to delete the
msmessagestore file in the top Windows Mail directory and then delete the
one in the backup\new directory and then restart WinMail.

See also www.oehelp.com/backup.aspx#wm for details on the message store
location.

steve

"jrh" <jrh@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:4C121B01-5594-4D23-83E4-84E2A7FF12BD@microsoft.com...
> shouldn't I see files that are O KB before I do this in my local folders?
> I
> don't
>
> "jwardl" wrote:
>
>> It works -- but isn't a perfect solution by any means. First, enable view
>> of
>> hidden files... and make sure Windows Mail is closed.
>>
>> Go to your "C:\USERS\yourloginname\APPDATA\LOCAL\MICROSOFT\WINDOWS MAIL"
>> folder. Copy the entire folder somewhere else... another partition, a CD,
>> a
>> thumb drive -- whatever. While you actually don't need the ENTIRE folder,
>> it's easier this way. Plus, you have a backup in case something goes
>> horribly wrong.
>>
>> Next, delete "WindowsMail.MSMessageStore". I know -- but you copied it
>> above.
>>
>> Start Windows Mail as you normally would. A new message store will be
>> created. All will be nice & clean; no ghost messages. In fact, NO
>> messages,
>> period.
>>
>> Go to your copied folder, and open the "Local Folders" subdirectory. Go
>> through the individual folders and delete any 0-byte "Windows Mail E-Mail
>> Message" files you see. Size this window so it's visible on top of your
>> Windows Mail application, and drag & drop all messages to the places they
>> should go. You can highlight and drag an entire group if you like, just
>> be
>> sure that you don't accidentally bring along anything but "Windows Mail
>> E-Mail Message" files. It's easy to miss the "Winmail.fol" file at the
>> end
>> of the list, which will cause an error if you miss it. Copy time may also
>> be
>> lengthy, depending upon how many files you have and your choice of copy
>> media. Note that really long times may result in a "Not Responding" label
>> at
>> the top, which isn't necessarily a true statement.
>>
>> This worked for me. Good luck.
>>
>>

I get this until the part where you delete WindowsMail.MSMessageStore

at this point I get "The action can't be completed because the file is open
in another program" but it isn't?

"jwardl" wrote:

> It works -- but isn't a perfect solution by any means. First, enable view of
> hidden files... and make sure Windows Mail is closed.
>
> Go to your "C:\USERS\yourloginname\APPDATA\LOCAL\MICROSOFT\WINDOWS MAIL"
> folder. Copy the entire folder somewhere else... another partition, a CD, a
> thumb drive -- whatever. While you actually don't need the ENTIRE folder,
> it's easier this way. Plus, you have a backup in case something goes
> horribly wrong.
>
> Next, delete "WindowsMail.MSMessageStore". I know -- but you copied it
> above.
>
> Start Windows Mail as you normally would. A new message store will be
> created. All will be nice & clean; no ghost messages. In fact, NO messages,
> period.
>
> Go to your copied folder, and open the "Local Folders" subdirectory. Go
> through the individual folders and delete any 0-byte "Windows Mail E-Mail
> Message" files you see. Size this window so it's visible on top of your
> Windows Mail application, and drag & drop all messages to the places they
> should go. You can highlight and drag an entire group if you like, just be
> sure that you don't accidentally bring along anything but "Windows Mail
> E-Mail Message" files. It's easy to miss the "Winmail.fol" file at the end
> of the list, which will cause an error if you miss it. Copy time may also be
> lengthy, depending upon how many files you have and your choice of copy
> media. Note that really long times may result in a "Not Responding" label at
> the top, which isn't necessarily a true statement.
>
> This worked for me. Good luck.
>
>

reboot the computer and try it again.

Don't open WinMail first.

steve

Hi there,

I seem to have a similar(?) problem to the one you've been discussing and
solving - which is that in Vista, Windows Mail has somehow decided that any
mail I write and try to send should stay stuck in my Outbox. Whenever and
however I try to send the contents of Outbox nothing happens, and neither can
I delete or move out any messages there which are waiting to be sent (I get
"an unknown error has occured").

Ah - latest news: although still nothing can be sent, I CAN now delete all
messages stuck in Outbox EXCEPT the first one, which perhaps triggered the
problem (its body shows "message could not be displayed"). Is this a 'ghost'
of the kind you've been referring to?

any tips very much appreciated!
Steve

"Steve Busby" wrote:

> Hi there,
>
> I seem to have a similar(?) problem to the one you've been discussing and
> solving - which is that in Vista, Windows Mail has somehow decided that any
> mail I write and try to send should stay stuck in my Outbox. Whenever and
> however I try to send the contents of Outbox nothing happens, and neither can
> I delete or move out any messages there which are waiting to be sent (I get
> "an unknown error has occured").
>
> Ah - latest news: although still nothing can be sent, I CAN now delete all
> messages stuck in Outbox EXCEPT the first one, which perhaps triggered the
> problem (its body shows "message could not be displayed"). Is this a 'ghost'
> of the kind you've been referring to?
>
> any tips very much appreciated!
> Steve
>