Earlier this evening, my system locked, apparently while Entourage was downloading mail. Once restarted, Entourage would not open my mail, reporting an error in the 4000 range (maybe 4359, I am not sure at this point). Poking around the various files, it became clear that for the most part, all my data was still present. All forms of rebuild failed due to file in use errors, as did various combinations of deleting preference files and other, less essential files. (Time consuming!) A number of other tricks also failed.
Examining the disk revealed some problems from the crash, but after repair I still had the same problem. Further examination revealed that the Database and Database cache files were "in use" even though Entourage was not running. However, these files could be copied with the Finder!
The solution turned out to be:
- Copy the Database file, making a duplicate that was not in use.
- Delete the Database and Database cache files. (Note: the trash cannot be emptied until after a reboot as the files are marked in use.)
- I rebooted, and deleted the files in the trash, but this step may not be critical. Note that you should make sure Entourage will not be run at startup!
- Move the duplicate Database file into the identities folder.
- Start Entourage with the option key held down, and do an Advanced rebuild only. (A regular rebuild will fail, as will an advanced rebuild selected after a failed regular rebuild - this is a point where I got very unhappy!)
--
Eric Hildum
