Sandy, You are not paying attention to anything written by Microsoft in the reference links I provided in my previous posts; or did you even bother to read them?
My statements are not backpedaling in any form or manner. Merely QUOTATIONS from the MICROSOFT TECHNICAL SUPPORT WEBSITE. I never debated you on the detail of the original file formats DBX of PST file formats, only stated that the DBX format was used in OUTLOOK EXPRESS and PST format was used in all versions of OUTLOOK. Nothing more, nothing less. To again provide my original references, as supplied in my original post: - Microsoft states in their July 1, 2005, Technet article at: http://support.microsoft.com/?scid=kb;en-us;903095&spid=2578&sid=265, which clearly states that Outlook Express uses a DBX file to store the data. - Microsoft Outlook technet article at: http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;830336, which clearly states that Outlook uses a PST file to store the data. In addition, there are at least 270 website and blog postings that will beg to differ with your claim that there is no difference between the two formats of the DBX and PST file formats, ie: http://groups.google.com/groups?q=difference+between+dbx+and+pst+file+format &hl=en&lr=&sa=N&tab=gg&oi=groupst&q=difference+between+dbx+and+pst+file+form at I have never debated you on the file formats, until NOW, and am only doing so because you brought it up. That having been said, as far as Microsoft is concerned, the two products DO differ in the way they store the data within the file formats and, thus, DBX and PST files are two different formats. I also have evidence of this based upon previous reconstructions of user's data files where an analysis of the two different file formats clearly indicates that these two file format are indeed used in differing manners between the two products, to wit: A. PST (Personal Folder) files are the data store used by Outlook, a part of the Microsoft Office suite of programs. B. DBX files are the data store used by Outlook Express, part of Internet Explorer and Windows. They do not have the same internal structure at all. C. The only commonly shared characteristic of both PST and DBX files is that they are ANSI based and have a TWO (2) GIGABYTE file size limit. D. For PSTs: 1. There is both an index and a pointer to the message. 2. When a messages is deleted or moved, the message is both moved from the original container to the new container AND the pointer is updated to change the original "containing folder" field from the original folder to the new folder. 3. When the Deleted Items folder is emptied, the message pointer is deleted, with the data representing the original message staying in the original folder within the PST. 4. The message data gets physically deleted (or overwritten) when the PST is compacted (using the EXTERNAL tool provided for that purpose) or a new message overwrites the old data. E. For DBX files: 1. Received messages are created within the IN-Box DBX container. 2. When moved or deleted, the message is physically moved from the original DBX container, to the new container within the DBX folder. 3. If a message is deleted, the pointer is deleted, but the message data itself remains in the original folder until it gets overwritten by new data or deleted by emptying the deleted items container, either manually, selection, by right clicking on the Deleted Items menu or by the automated command that is issued when closing Outlook Express. F. While not part of the disputed question, under Microsoft Office 2003 changes to the format of the DBX file are: 1. changed form ANSI (with a natural 2 GIG file size limitation) to UNICODE with NO size limitation, although, for both performance and practical purposes, the file is kept to a 20 gigabyte size limit. 2. takes the housekeeping of the PST folder a step further by auto-compressing the folder, upon the deletion of a message from a container within the file, thus providing additional safeguards and keeping the PST folder as small as possible after deleting the data. 3. introduces TWO new registry keys that help with the housekeeping. Those keys are: a. The "MaxFileSize" registry entry which determines the absolute maximum size that both the .PST and the .OST files can grow to. After this maximum size is reached, Outlook 2003 does not permit the size of the file to grow beyond this size. b. The "WarnFileSize" registry entry which determines the maximum data that both the .PST and the .OST files can have. After this maximum data is reached, neither the .PST nor the .OST files are permitted to add any more data. However, the size of the physical file may still increase because of internal processes. G. They KEEP the two registry keys from the old versions of Office, ie: pre 2003, to assist the new version of Office in the housekeeping process, ie: 1. The "MaxLargeFileSize" registry entry 2. The "WarnLargeFileSize" registry entry 3. The function of the two new registry entries is as follows: "If .OST files or .PST files reach the limit that is specified in the WarnFileSize or the WarnLargeFileSize registries, the compaction function is triggered to try to reduce the size of the file to a usable level. When the WarnFileSize or the WarnLargeFileSize limit is reached, e-mail messages cannot be sent (provided that sent e-mail messages are stored in the Sent Items folder), and items cannot be copied or moved within the file. If the file is an archive .pst file that is used for AutoArchive, the AutoArchive operation will fail. However, e-mail messages can be deleted or archived from a .PST or from an .OST file that is currently being used as the default delivery location." For more information, including recommended maximum file sizes and relative file size percentages of key entry data to other key file size items, see: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/832925/ Granted, I have never been able to speak directly to a Microsoft engineer, however, using a HEX editor, I am certain you will be able to explore both file formats and see what I am addressing in my statements above. Ergo, as far as I am concerned, when it comes to the DBX and PST files they are two different file formats, and, even though they are within the same "product family" Outlook Express and Outlook are two different products, just as even though I am within the same sibling family of my 7 brothers and sisters, I am still completely different from any of them. I have all of my posts. I have not backpedaled on anything. I have stated nothing differently in any of my posts. Please feel free to go reread all of them. Bruce Barnes -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Sanford Whiteman Sent: Saturday, March 04, 2006 11:21 To: Bruce Barnes Subject: Re[4]: Know Outlook Limitations and recovery tools (WAS RE: [IMail Forum] Imail mail box size limit) > ... clearly states that Outlook Express uses a DBX file to store the > data. > ... clearly states that Outlook uses a PST file to store the data. Good God, who on Earth disputes this? Are you within your senses? This is some of the most stark backpedaling I've ever seen! The part of your largely ridiculous post that both John and I are disputing here is the part where you say "Outlook 1997, 2000 and 2002 completely change the manner in which data is stored on the local user's machine." There is no such "change" within the products under discussion, because DBX does not predate PST. Not only are they not within the same product line -- which means that the term "change" would never apply anyway -- but the PST format is significantly older than DBX, so there could be neither evolutionary nor revolutionary "change" from DBX to PST. --Sandy ------------------------------------ Sanford Whiteman, Chief Technologist Broadleaf Systems, a division of Cypress Integrated Systems, Inc. e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] SpamAssassin plugs into Declude! http://www.imprimia.com/products/software/freeutils/SPAMC32/download/release / Defuse Dictionary Attacks: Turn Exchange or IMail mailboxes into IMail Aliases! http://www.imprimia.com/products/software/freeutils/exchange2aliases/downloa d/release/ http://www.imprimia.com/products/software/freeutils/ldap2aliases/download/re lease/ To Unsubscribe: http://www.ipswitch.com/support/mailing-lists.html List Archive: http://www.mail-archive.com/imail_forum%40list.ipswitch.com/ Knowledge Base/FAQ: http://www.ipswitch.com/support/IMail/ To Unsubscribe: http://www.ipswitch.com/support/mailing-lists.html List Archive: http://www.mail-archive.com/imail_forum%40list.ipswitch.com/ Knowledge Base/FAQ: http://www.ipswitch.com/support/IMail/
