On 3/31/07 1:45 PM, "Jan C." <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > I have a new malformed email message. It had inserted a new sender and > subject onto a message that I had received from someone else. The message > body was also scrambled up with text like this: "with an old old =20 >> > product." (I suppose it was changed from HTML to plain text.) The message > header seemed to be OK and the wrong sender didn't have any part in this. I > have seen this kind of thing before. > > I checked the Entourage database and was told it did need to be repaired. > It has been needing quite frequent repair lately. Sometimes after repair, a > few messages are downloaded for a second time and some are corrupted in some > way. I fear that I am in danger of losing the whole database. > > Is there some way of really stabilizing the database? Does it help to start > a new identity? Is there an easy way to import everything to it? I don't > want to start over. And I'd rather not resort to Apple Mail but peace of > mind has some benefit.
This is a whole big can of worms....Your problems could be a combination of corruption in your database, corrupt preferences, font issues, OS update, a third party application...the list goes on. If it's just a single message that is causing the problem, eliminating it could be all that is needed. Starting a new database from scratch is not something most users want to contemplate, but often it's the optimal solution. What you choose to do will depend on your time and how valuable your email is to you. 1. Backups are key. Backup often and keep snapshots of older backups in case corruption is not evident in the most recent backups. See my tips on using FolderOrgX to organize your backups chronologically. <http://www.entourage.mvps.org/database/backup.html#folderorg> 2. If you suspect database corruption, export your data immediately while Entourage can still open. Once Entourage gets to the point where it will not open, you can only access your data from a backup. Export as MBOX or .rge file. See how to export: <http://www.entourage.mvps.org/database/backup.html> 3. Don't use Entourage to store huge numbers of attachments, movies, screenshots etc. Even though Entourage's database is no longer limited by the old size limits of 2 & 4GB, it's really not meant to be a storage bin. The more extraneous stuff you have stored in Entourage the greater the possibility of problems. If you must keep a lot of stuff in Entourage create a separate Identity periodically so you are separating your data into smaller bits. Some users do this yearly. Switching Identity to access the old data is easy. Scripts can remove attachments to another location leaving a note in the message that the attachment was removed and where it can be found. See these tips for more was to reduce the size of your database. <http://www.entourage.mvps.org/database/reduce.html> 4. If you do decide it's time to start over. Create a template database. Set it up with your Accounts, folder structure, rules, Contacts...Once you have the base set up, duplicate it. Then if you need to start over, the hard work as been done. Obviously, your Identity changes over time and you would need to update it periodically or keep screen shots of your current rules, folders, backups of contacts to update your base whenever it would be needed. 5. Remember Entourage is not the only application that can get corrupted. Stuff happens with applications and hard drives all the time resulting in lost data. It's how you prepare that will make the difference. The old adages, "it's not if but when you will experience data loss". Three things are certain: Death, taxes, and lost data. Backup...backup...backup! -- Diane Ross, Microsoft Mac MVP Entourage Help Page <http://www.entourage.mvps.org/> One of the top five MS Entourage resources listed on the Entourage Blog. <http://blogs.msdn.com/entourage/> -- To unsubscribe: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> archives: <http://www.mail-archive.com/entourage-talk%40lists.letterrip.com/> old-archive: <http://www.mail-archive.com/entourage-talk%40lists.boingo.com/>
