What are "Search Folders.dbx" and is it ok/safe to delete them?
 

Hi,
I want to backup OE, however, when I went to the store folder for my
identity I found about 52 "Search Folder.dbx". They have numbers after them,
i.e. "Search Folder (1).dbx" all the way up to "Search Folder (52).dbx.

What purpose do they serve, and can I safely delete them? Thanks in advance.

What are "Search Folders.dbx" and is it ok/safe to delete them?
 

Yes, you may safely delete them (with OE /closed/).

General OE Caveats:

- Don't use Inbox or Sent Items to archive messages. Move them to local
folders created for this purpose.

- Empty Deleted Items folder daily.

- Disable Background Compacting [N/A in SP2] and frequently perform a manual
compact of all OE folders while "working offline". More at
http://www.insideoe.com/files/maintain.htm = DO THIS BEFORE BACKING UP!

- WinXP SP2 only: Do not attempt to close OE via Task Manager or shutdown
your machine if Automatic Compacting is taking place.

- WinXP SP2 only: If your machine is fully up-to-date at Windows Update,
installing the following patch (KB918766) will help to avoid such data loss
in the futu
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/d...2-98af2256ccc3

This patch will be included in the next Cumulative Update for Outlook
Express/WinXP SP2.

- Your anti-virus application's email scanning feature can also cause
corruption. Disable it. It provides no additional protection.
--
~Robear Dyer (PA Bear)
MS MVP-Windows (IE, OE, Security, Shell/User)


sheana wrote:
Hi,
I want to backup OE, however, when I went to the store folder for my
identity I found about 52 "Search Folder.dbx". They have numbers after
them, i.e. "Search Folder (1).dbx" all the way up to "Search Folder
(52).dbx.

What purpose do they serve, and can I safely delete them? Thanks in
advance.

What are "Search Folders.dbx" and is it ok/safe to delete them
 

Does "N/A in SP2" mean "not available" or "not applicable"? Also, can you
tell me what creates the Search Folders?

Also, can you please tell me how many local folders OE can handle? I have
quite a few and am wondering if that can cause problems.

I'm a little concerned with installing the latest patch you recommend as my
system shows signs of corruption in general.

"PA Bear" wrote:

Yes, you may safely delete them (with OE /closed/).

General OE Caveats:

- Don't use Inbox or Sent Items to archive messages. Move them to local
folders created for this purpose.

- Empty Deleted Items folder daily.

- Disable Background Compacting [N/A in SP2] and frequently perform a manual
compact of all OE folders while "working offline". More at
http://www.insideoe.com/files/maintain.htm = DO THIS BEFORE BACKING UP!

- WinXP SP2 only: Do not attempt to close OE via Task Manager or shutdown
your machine if Automatic Compacting is taking place.

- WinXP SP2 only: If your machine is fully up-to-date at Windows Update,
installing the following patch (KB918766) will help to avoid such data loss
in the futu
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/d...2-98af2256ccc3

This patch will be included in the next Cumulative Update for Outlook
Express/WinXP SP2.

- Your anti-virus application's email scanning feature can also cause
corruption. Disable it. It provides no additional protection.
--
~Robear Dyer (PA Bear)
MS MVP-Windows (IE, OE, Security, Shell/User)


sheana wrote:
Hi,
I want to backup OE, however, when I went to the store folder for my
identity I found about 52 "Search Folder.dbx". They have numbers after
them, i.e. "Search Folder (1).dbx" all the way up to "Search Folder
(52).dbx.

What purpose do they serve, and can I safely delete them? Thanks in
advance.

What are "Search Folders.dbx" and is it ok/safe to delete them
 

NA can be taken either way. The Background Compaction was removed from
SP2 because it caused too many problems with corrupted files.

Search folders are created when you do a Edit, Find Message. Under
normal circumstances they are automatically deleted when you close out
the find.

I not aware of a specific limit on the number of local folders. A few
dozen shouldn't be a problem. What you need to watch out for is the
size of the corresponding DBX file for a folder. The design limit is 2
GB, but it's best to keep individual files under 100 MB. The larger the
files the more prone to corruption. Whether the folders are arranged as
subfolders not doesn't matter at all.



--

Mike - http://pages.prodigy.net/michael_santovec/techhelp.htm


"sheana" wrote in message
...
Does "N/A in SP2" mean "not available" or "not applicable"? Also, can
you
tell me what creates the Search Folders?

Also, can you please tell me how many local folders OE can handle? I
have
quite a few and am wondering if that can cause problems.

I'm a little concerned with installing the latest patch you recommend
as my
system shows signs of corruption in general.

"PA Bear" wrote:

Yes, you may safely delete them (with OE /closed/).

General OE Caveats:

- Don't use Inbox or Sent Items to archive messages. Move them to
local
folders created for this purpose.

- Empty Deleted Items folder daily.

- Disable Background Compacting [N/A in SP2] and frequently perform a
manual
compact of all OE folders while "working offline". More at
http://www.insideoe.com/files/maintain.htm = DO THIS BEFORE BACKING
UP!

- WinXP SP2 only: Do not attempt to close OE via Task Manager or
shutdown
your machine if Automatic Compacting is taking place.

- WinXP SP2 only: If your machine is fully up-to-date at Windows
Update,
installing the following patch (KB918766) will help to avoid such
data loss
in the futu
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/d...2-98af2256ccc3

This patch will be included in the next Cumulative Update for Outlook
Express/WinXP SP2.

- Your anti-virus application's email scanning feature can also cause
corruption. Disable it. It provides no additional protection.
--
~Robear Dyer (PA Bear)
MS MVP-Windows (IE, OE, Security, Shell/User)


sheana wrote:
Hi,
I want to backup OE, however, when I went to the store folder for
my
identity I found about 52 "Search Folder.dbx". They have numbers
after
them, i.e. "Search Folder (1).dbx" all the way up to "Search Folder
(52).dbx.

What purpose do they serve, and can I safely delete them? Thanks in
advance.