"Windows Mail can compact the message store"

I've had Vista installed for almost a month now and this evening I keep
getting a message when I close Windows Mail that says:

"Windows Mail can compact the message store. This can take a few minutes."
and asks "OK or Cancel"

What is this?

When you delete messages the space isn't necessarily freed up. By compacting
the store occasionally, every 100 shutdowns by default, it keeps the store
smaller than it otherwise would be. This is a good thing BTW.

Actually, WinMail does not keep the message itself in the database. It does
store all sorts of information about the message there, though, and that
space is not recovered until the database is compacted. Steve Cochran has
written a nice little free program dealing with the database, WMUtil:

Does Windows Mail compact everything, like inbox, outbox, sent, deleted,
drafts, etc. etc?

Also, when I had Win 98 SE I used to go in and delete the sent folder,
delete folder, and occasionally the outbox folder. I'd restart OE and the
files would recreate themselves, enabling me to have a cleaner and faster
database in OE.

Can I do this in Windows Mail? Will the folders recreate themselves when I
restart Win Mail?

What are the advantages of that program?

You can compact the DB yourself. To repair the DB, seems to me you are
better off just deleting it and letting it rebuild. Even with 7,000+ emails
it didn't take very long.

Clean blank files?

The messages are gone, but some references to them in the message
store file are not. That message will keep appearing until you let it
compact the message store file, then go away for a number of times
you close the program - usually 100 times.

By default, every 100 times you close Windows Mail, it will offer to
compact the message store (mostly removing references to deleted
messages), and then every time until you let it do so.

If you let it compact the message store, the message will go away
until you close the program that number of times again.

Windows Mail is offering to compact the index file for email messages, to
remove
the references to deleted messages, and will keep doing so until you let it
do this.
The actual messages are stored in separate files. Once you let it do this,
this
message will disappear until you close Windows Mail a certain number of
times -
usually 100 times.

Windows Mail (WM) uses a different storage method than OE.
In OE, all the messages were grouped together in .dbx files.
IN WM, each message occupies its own file, so no message
compaction needed. The 'compaction' mentioned in WM is
internal to the message database. Each time you delete a message,
it leaves in empty spot in the database (index). Compaction
removes the empty spaces, thereby speeding up database access.

I don't recommend deleting folders in WM.

Click on Tools>>options and go to the Advanced tab. Click on the Maintenance
button. Now uncheck the option to compact the database after x uses.

As Dave posted, you really should compact the database on a regular basis.
Change the number of uses to a higher number but let it compact when
prompted.

Try compacting and repairing the database with my Windows Mail utility

I have lost important information. Where does it go? How do I find it once I
compact?

my search 4 the answer is over. COMPACT= yes.

Compaction only affects the database which does not hold the messages. Its
more likely that something else is deleting the messages if that is what is
happening. It may be the messages are still there, but WinMail no longer
recognizes them.

You can open the directory of messages with Explorer and add columns such as
Author and Subject to examine what messages are actually in each folder.
The message store location is found via Tools | Options | Advanced |
Maintenance | Store Folder.

I don't want to compact the message store. Does anyone know how to get rid
of that annoying message????

Why don't you want to? It removes the dead space from the message store(
index). It does nothing to your email messages. It should speed up the
mail program.

Can you state the reason for your statement?
Eventually your message store would become so fragmented
as to severely slow down Windows Mail.

Yes, the message store needs to be compacted periodically.
By default, you will be prompted after 100 runs of Windows Mail, but
you can change that interval under Tools, Options, Advanced, Maintenance

Unfortunately, I had the same problem when letting it compact, and had
important email messages gone as well. Now, Hubby moves all past saved, sent,
etc. emails to a folder in documents to store them prior to letting the
compaction occur. That might be a good idea for folks who need to make sure
that their emails are safe and will not be lost??

I know you and others have said that emails should not go missing, so don't
know why that happened?

Thank you for explaining the process and sharing your time. I know more than
I did before about the process!!

I don't understand what this is all about, or even who I'm talking with, all
I want is help with how to remove this popup window for ever - i never want
to see it again

Depends on how much you want Windows Mail to slow down and
take extra disk space because its database hasn't been compacted.

I just clicked on OK to compact my WM message store & everything is still OK

I read all the threads on this subject and I think some people are still
confused. I didn't know what it means to compact the messages, but after
reading all of the threads, I think I understand it. I am going to compact
after this message. A good analogy that might help us (people who really
don't "get" computers) understand what it means to "compact the message
store" is:

Imagine you have a bookshelf (message store) filled with books (emails) with
bookends on each side. You are going to have a garage sale and pull out some
books for sale (deleted emails). Now, there are empty spaces on your
bookshelf where the old books used to be (leftover email stuff taking up
space). You squish the books together and move the bookends so there are no
more empty spaces (compacting the message store). Now you have more space
for new books.

Just thought this analogy would help. Thank you for taking the time and
having the patience to explain these "computer things" to us!

Let it do it, and then you won't see it for a while.
You can change the frequency at..
Tools - Options - Advanced - Maintenance
[x] Compact the database on shutdown every [xx] runs
The default is 100.

It's similar to getting a warning light on your dash that the oil pressure is
getting low. Are you sure you want to ignore that?

goto tools >> options >> advanced >> click on maintenance button, you will
see an checkbox compact database on every ... run make this value 100.

I said okay to the message and nothing happened to my old emails. But if you
want to be on the safe side, I'd back up your emails and contacts, just in
case something goes wrong you'll still have all your information. One way I
know of backing up emails and contacts is by exporting. I don't know if that
is the proper way, but that's how I do it. It takes a few minutes depending
on how much you have. Then after, if something happens and your information
and emails are gone, all you have to do is import what you saved and you
should be good. The import and export features are find under "file."

This is a great topic, I had no idea what the message was. I thought it was
something about a message I hadn't sent, or something, but when I looked
there was nothing in the drafts or outgoing part.

But one thing I'd like to know. If its compacting all the information, isn't
that going to make things still slow, why doesn't it just delete them? Or is
it doing that? I'm a little confused on that part

This is a great topic, I had no idea what the message was. I thought it was
something about a message I hadn't sent, or something, but when I looked
there was nothing in the drafts or outgoing part.

But one thing I'd like to know. If its compacting all the information, isn't
that going to make things still slow, why doesn't it just delete them? Or is
it doing that? I'm a little confused on that part. Compacting is just making
it smaller, but its not deleting it right?

Unlike OE, Windows Mail doesn't need message compaction, it only needs
message store (database) compaction. It compacts the database which is an
index or lookup table for the messages. Every time you delete an email, that
slot in the database is made into a blank. Compaction removes all the blank
spaces that have developed in the database. Periodic removal of the blanks
will make database accesses faster.

Compacting is not the same as compression.
Compacting cleans up the waste and allows the program to re-index the remaining contents for better use and access.

Compacting means that the data is moved in a manner that eliminates unused
space. Accessing the data requires the same amount of time, except a
possible reduction in time, but that reduction would be so slight as to be
non-existing.

Compression means changing the data in a manner that needs to be undone when
the data is accessed.

Just click OK. It won't bother you again for 100 more runs.

Windows Mail does not compact folders or messages.
The only thing it compacts is the index to the messages, which has
the deceptive name 'message store'.
What do you mean by your folders are "compacted"? Are any folders
missing or are messages inside the folders missing?

For each folder, make sure the view is set for "Read All Messages"
instead of "Hide Read Messages".

How can I undelete compacted messages? All of my folders in Windows Mail
have been compacted and I am unable to bring them back.

aha...now thats my problem! I didn't backup, need to read a "compacted"
attachment file and can't. Any known way to do this short of taking this
flippin thing into the shop?

What do you mean by "compacted attachment file"?
When WM compacts the message store, it only affects the index.
It doesn't touch the messages or the attachments.

how can i get rid of the message i don't want this message i don't keepmy
e-mails

I also have this message and carelessly picked the wrong reply to it & now
have lost important folders!-How can I get them back? I am shocked they have
disappeared entirely & I still keep getting this message which having
sufferred this blow I quickly type "Cancel" (instead of "ok).

If you allow it to do what it wants to do (compact the message store),
that message should go away.

Let it compact it. It compacts the index, not the messages.
When you delete your messages, the message store still contains info about
where the message was located, and it's state (deleted).. compacting will
remove this unnecessary info.
by default it offers to compact after 100 closings of the program.

Probably the reason you are more likely to get the message is because you
don't keep your messages. Since you don't, the index gets unused space more
often than for people that keep most of their messages.

Sounds like the compaction process did not complete.
Try running the various repair functions in the WMUtil program:

If no improvement, upgrade to Windows Live Mail:

Folders should not be removed from compacting unless some 3rd party program
interferes. Try searching the message store in Explorer for the various
folders and their eml files. See for more
information on where the messages are stored.

I have the same problem.Did you get help with this? If so, will you please
let me know.

Why is that a "problem"? Just click OK.

Windows does many things automatically that you have no knowledge of. Since
we don't know what Windows is doing, we cannot be sure that everything in
our system is valid. There is just too much of an opportunity for malicious
software to do things without our knowledge.

In this situation, Windows Mail is informing you that it needs to do
something. It is so unusual for Windows software to do that that some people
think it is a problem. It is a good thing that Windows is telling you what
it is doing. The problem is the many other times that Windows does things
that it does not tell you.

Sometimes people do many chores, but instead of getting credit for what they
do do, they get criticized for what they don't do. Don't be one of the do do
critics.

If compacting caused a problem for every person, then this newsgroup would
be so busy that it would be useless. If even a small percentage of Windows
Mail users had the problem, there would be multiple message every day.

What "recurring thread" are you referring to? I sure don't see one. As best
as I remember, there has not been any such messages in the past month. I
could be wrong but if there were more than a couple then I should remember
them.

Answers on what action to take/not take on the pop-up window "windows
mail can compact etc etc " aren't clear to me.

There seems to be a recurring thread of people losing their emails if
they DO compact. But then others say it's important to compact...

I have windows mail version 6.6 which i use on my home computer sync'd
(if that's the right word) with googlemail. so it looks like windows
mail but is actually googlemail.
i also acccess that mail via the googlemail website - from say the
office or when on holiday.

if i compact, -might- i lose mail? what impact will compacting have on
the mail i access via the web? if i do not compact, what are the
consequences, if any?

to be honest, i'm not going to go through the backing up email stuff
some people have suggested.

Compacting in Outlook Express resulted often in message loss. This does not
appear to be the case in WinMail due to the fact that only the database now
is compacted. However, its always important to backup as your hard drive
could fail. See and the section on WinMail to
see what to backup.

How do you delete the messages?

You let it compact.

Exactly WHAT did Microsoft PUT on my computer recently to cause these POP UPS
upon start-up. I've had this VISTA beast for two years now. I DO NOT USE
"Microsoft Mail". I do use Outlook. So, when I DID follow the instructions
to "compact myself" to get rid of the warnings...MS Mail of course started
downloading two years worth of mail from my mail server for crying out loud.
While it was doing that, I set it to "compact myself", and yet the box still
comes up. Exactly WHAT update did this of recent? I will UNDO that update.
- Signed, tired of MS after 30 years, thinking of Apple

"Bruce Hagen" wrote:

> You let it compact.
> --
> Bruce Hagen
> MS-MVP [Mail]
> Imperial Beach, CA
>
>
> "Gunner in Woodstock" <Gunner in Woodstock@discussions.microsoft.com>
> wrote in message
> news:191D4691-BEF5-4F37-BD6A-492A3E2F4D00@microsoft.com...
> > How do you delete the messages?
> >
> > "Carol in GA" wrote:
> >
> >> I've had Vista installed for almost a month now and this evening I
> >> keep
> >> getting a message when I close Windows Mail that says:
> >>
> >> "Windows Mail can compact the message store. This can take a few
> >> minutes."
> >> and asks "OK or Cancel"
> >>
> >> What is this?
>
> .
>