| > | | | | the messagesfor the item that is in the Trash Folder. |
| When so many of us rely so much on our email to | | | | In order to do thesame for your entire email system, |
| operate ourbusinesses or our personal lives, it is | | | | you must use the command |
| important to takepreventative measures to avoid the | | | | Compress Folders. |
| ultimate disaster ofunrecoverable email. | | | | The simple action of sending email to the trash |
| I come to this subject as a matter of multiple events | | | | withoutcompressing the folders or simply emptying |
| on mymachine where one day I would open my mail | | | | the trash can alsolead to great destabilization of your |
| to discover thatall has been lost. The pit that wells in | | | | email client. So pleasetake great care to maintain your |
| your stomach uponrealization of this occurrence can | | | | email client software as itshould be. |
| be overwhelming. To recoverin the event of future | | | | If there is one thing that I have learned with |
| losses, each of us should learn thebasics of | | | | computers, oneshould always prepare for the worst |
| maintaining and backing up our email. | | | | case scenario. Always! Inorder to be fully prepared |
| One of the important things to do in preventative | | | | for the worst case scenario withyour email, you |
| maintenance,is to clean your folders and to empty | | | | should do regular backups of your mail folders. |
| your trash. Most peopledo not realize that when the | | | | Here I will explain how to do that outside of the |
| number of messages in a specificfolder exceeds a | | | | emailclient's process for this purpose. I am also |
| certain threshold that they begin running onborrowed | | | | explaining howto do so only for Outlook Express and |
| time. | | | | Netscape Mail. I havenever ran an Eudora client at the |
| Exactly where that threshold is varies from email | | | | times I was exploring thisscenario. |
| client toemail client, so what may be true for mine | | | | FOR OUTLOOK EXPRESS USERS: |
| may be differentfor yours. Personally, I use the | | | | In your windows Explorer, you will find a folder, most |
| Netscape 4.x Email Clientfor security reasons more | | | | likelywith this precise name. The only difference you |
| than anything. The Netscape 4.x | | | | might see isin the Application Key as noted between |
| Email Client is less susceptible to JavaScript attacks | | | | the {}. |
| thanany other email client I have used. | | | | C:WINDOWSApplication DataIdentities |
| What I do know is that I have repeatedly pushed | | | | Outlook Express |
| my client toits limits to see where the threshold | | | | When you navigate to this folder, this is the default |
| might be. The Netscape | | | | locationwhere your Outlook Express Email is stored. |
| 4.x Email Client will generally break at around 4,500 | | | | Simply highlightthe last folder, "Outlook Express" and |
| emailmessages in one folder, though it will become | | | | copy it to anotherlocation. In most cases, this folder |
| shaky at around | | | | will be way too largeto copy to a Floppy Drive. Most |
| 2,000 messages. | | | | likely, you will need tocopy it to a Zip drive or |
| For users of other clients such as Outlook Express, | | | | another location on your hard drive. |
| Eudora andothers, I cannot tell you the top end of | | | | You can also save the individual *.dbx files, which |
| how well the softwarewill perform. | | | | outlinethe contents of each of your mail boxes, the |
| If there are more than 2,000 messages you wish to | | | | Inbox, the |
| hang on to,you should begin filing your messages in | | | | Outbox, etc. |
| separate foldersbelow the Inbox. This will help you to | | | | If you are really bored, you can send the *.dbx file |
| find your messagesquicker and it will provide more | | | | to Wordpadto view the actual format of a mailbox |
| stability to your emailclient. | | | | from a text standpoint. |
| There are three folders that you must pay regular | | | | You can use this only in a worst case scenario to |
| attentionto. They are the Inbox, Sent Mail Folder and | | | | attempt torebuild a broken mail box. Always make |
| Trash Folder. | | | | backups of the filebefore trying to repair it by hand |
| Most people fail to remember that their client is | | | | --- Always!!! |
| pre-configuredto save a copy of all outgoing email. As | | | | FOR NETSCAPE MAIL USERS: |
| a result, this foldercan grow to unbelievable sizes | | | | The location of the mail storage is: |
| before anyone thinks to clean itout. | | | | C:Program FilesNetscapeUsersusernameMail |
| It is important to mention the Trash Folder in more | | | | Of course, replace "username" with your username. |
| detailsince most people do not realize how it works. | | | | Within the Netscape Mail system, you will discover |
| Most email clients follow a general principle in | | | | three filetypes: *.sbd, *.snm, and (blank). |
| theiroperation. Each email box is generally represented | | | | The *.sbd is a folder that contains all of your |
| by twofiles. The first is a text rendering of all | | | | sub-folders. |
| messages in thebox. The second is an indexing file | | | | The *.snm is the indexing file of your email. The |
| that lists the title ofthe email and other identifying | | | | (blank), ie. |
| characteristics relative toeach individual message. | | | | "Inbox" without an extension, is your actual mail |
| When you look at the contents of your email box, | | | | messagesrecorded in plain text. You can also send |
| you areactually seeing the contents of the indexing | | | | these files to your |
| file. When youpull up the text of an actual message, | | | | Wordpad application to view the contents. Do not |
| the software is findingthe message in the message | | | | save thisfile when you close it unless you are trying |
| file according to the softwareassigned Email ID as | | | | to rebuild yourbox, and if so, always make sure you |
| listed in the indexing file. | | | | have a backup beforedoing so. |
| Now, when you move a message from one folder to | | | | If you delete the *.snm, the *.snm file will rebuild |
| another,including into the Trash Folder, the only thing | | | | itselfthe next time you open your Netscape Mail |
| that actuallymoves is the listing in the indexing file! | | | | application. |
| This is importantto understand. A message moved to | | | | Taking these precautions and knowing this |
| the Trash Folder has notbeen deleted from the | | | | information, you willnever have to chance losing all of |
| origination folder. In fact, the messageis just where it | | | | your important emails again. |
| originated until you do the command Compress | | | | The time you take today to backup your email box |
| Folders or Empty Trash Folder. | | | | can save youthe worst nightmare ever. Trust me, I |
| The Empty Trash Folder command will only compress | | | | have been there. |