To free up disk space, Outlook Express can compact messages.

[Will Rickards]

I get a prompt that says the following when I start my computer.
"To free up disk space, Outlook Express can compact messages. This may take up to a few minutes."

I know how to get rid of it temporarily by resetting the "Compact Check Count" in the registry to 0. When it gets over 100 it prompts you. But I don't use outlook express! I think I even tried to uninstall it. I even removed the outlook express index from windows desktop search. And I configured the file types in the same to ignore all outlook express type file types!

So what is incrementing that stupid count?!?
All the articles I find in google seem to be about resetting that registry key but I want a permanent solution.

 

[Bozo]

Did you try removing it from Add/Remove programs>Add/Remove Windows components?

 

[Will Rickards]

Yes I removed it long ago. It is listed as 0.0MB in that screen.
But the directory still exists in program files.
And I can't delete the files in there. I tried. I get a system error and they come back.

 

[Will Rickards]

Using process explorer I see that windowssearch.exe is using msoe.dll. This is the dll I couldn't delete. So I shut down windows search and deleted the outlook express directory. It initally was empty and then all the files just came back like a zombie.

 

[P5-133XL]

I would suggest that you use a registry monitor to monitor that specific registry key to find out what specific program is modifying it.

If you do a google search on your error message (In quotes) you will find several good forum threads on this and the solutions depend on what is modifying that key (There are multiple possible items).

 

[stevejack]

hi there...

Every time my computer starts up I get the message, "To free up disk space outlook express can compact messages" Problem is, I don't even use Outlook Express, I use Outlook 2007. I know how to stop the message from coming up, by going into the registry and resetting the counter but, what I would like to do is solve the problem, what is this doing this.

Thanks

 

[Mercutio]

Maybe uninstall Windows Search? It's an optional component and you can get the same functionality from Google Desktop if you actually use it.

 

[Howell]

I would suggest that you use a registry monitor to monitor that specific registry key to find out what specific program is modifying it.

If you do a google search on your error message (In quotes) you will find several good forum threads on this and the solutions depend on what is modifying that key (There are multiple possible items).

10charrrr

 

[Will Rickards]

I had forgotten about this thread but my compact check count is increasing. Currently at 69. Problem with registry monitor (process monitor) is I'd need it to start when the computer starts as it seems to occur right after/during login. But I'll give it a whirl anyway.

 

[Will Rickards]

Confirmed with process monitor, it is definitely windows search that is incrementing it.

 

[Will Rickards]

Found a solution from millerswing85 here. It basically denies permission to OE. Windows Search no longer increments the value when it starts.

The Fix:

0. Exit Windows Desktop Search
1. Locate the msoe.dll file at C:\Program Files\Outlook Express
2. Right click on the file and go to Properties.
3. On the Security Tab, click the Advanced button.
4. On the Permissions Tab, uncheck "Inherit from parent..." and choose copy permissions when prompted.
5. Click Apply or OK.
6. Remove all the entries under Groups or User names. (This will prevent any program/user from access the DLL)
7. Click OK.
8. Restart Windows Desktop Search

 

[Will Rickards]

And just to clarify what was happening. Windows Desktop Search was incrementing the value everytime it started up. So I exited windows desktop search and started process monitor with registry events shown. Then I started windows search. Sure enough a search for "Compact Check Count" in process monitor revealed windows desktop search was reading and incrementing the value. Even though I told it not to index outlook express explicitly through Indexing Options -> Modify -> Uncheck Outlook Express. And Even when I went into advanced and had it not index the outlook express file types (dbx, eml, nws). If you ask me this is a bug in windows desktop search.

 

[Mercutio]

Does Windows search do anything useful, ever?

I don't understand why anyone would voluntarily install it.

 

[Will Rickards]

You need it if you want outlook to index your archived e-mails. I have huge pst folders with my archive messages that I search at least once a day. I can only keep so much mail in my main outlook folder due to size restrictions.

 

[Mercutio]

1. Why doesn't Outlook do that itself?
2. Why not use Google Desktop? It seems to have less of a performance penalty.

Personally I wouldn't install Google Desktop, either, but Windows Search seems to be part of the path to maddening slowness on Vista and Windows 7, let alone behaviors like this.

 

[Will Rickards]

I also have search in windows defaulted to the old search not windows desktop search. This is because most times I know where the file is approximately and I need to search inside the file for a specific function name or some bit of text.

So I only use windows desktop search to index my outlook archives because I'm basically forced to. Before this I used a lookout plugin to outlook to do it.

 

[Mercutio]

This of course leads to the obvious question of why you're using Outlook in the first place, but I'm guessing it's because of the poor judgment of your employer or someone in your IT department rather than personal preference.

 

[Will Rickards]

Well yes, it is employer mandated. We make heavy use of the outlook public folders and calendars too.

 

[Mercutio]

Outlook Web Access is your friend.

 

[Will Rickards]

And it can't access my archived pst files.

Anyway so there is an issue with the solution.
Now windows wants to install KB973354 over and over and over again.

 

[Will Rickards]

If instead of changing the permissions on the dll, I change permissions on the registry tree, I get a different message:
Outlook Express could not be started. The application was unable to initialize the global options manager. Your computer may be out of memory or your disk is full. Contact Microsoft support for further assistance. (0x80004005)

 

[Will Rickards]

I just removed OE via these instructions. Though I didn't delete all those dlls. Just the ones from the program files\outlook express folder.

Problem seems to be solved now. I'll reboot and see if it is gone.

 

[Will Rickards]

It seems to be working fine now. That Compact Check Count registry key hasn't reappeared. Problem solved.