Help... deleting 12,000 emails doesn't shrink database?

R

Robert

I saw that my Entourage data base had grown to 1.65 gig. So, it was
time to delete emails. I deleted 12,000 emails and their attachments -
then deleted the delete file. To my surprise, the database was still
1.65 gigs - even after restarting computer.

Any ideas on why the database did not reduce in size?
 
T

Tim Lapin

Robert said:
I saw that my Entourage data base had grown to 1.65 gig. So, it was
time to delete emails. I deleted 12,000 emails and their attachments -
then deleted the delete file. To my surprise, the database was still
1.65 gigs - even after restarting computer.

Any ideas on why the database did not reduce in size?
Click to expand...
If it were any other email client, I would advise you to compact your
mail folders. With Entourage, the suggested approach is to invoke
Entourage's database utilities and select "compact".

To do this, quit Entourage and restart it while holding down the
"Option" key with "CAPS LOCK" *OFF*. Select "Compact database" and
click "Continue".

NOTE: The instructions listed above are for Entourage 2004, NOT
Entourage X.
 
R

Robert

Thanks - did it - done. You bought me a gig on my laptop.

Now... would you happen to know how to do the same trick on X - I've
got it on another laptop.
 
M

Michel Bintener

Basically the same idea. You restart Entourage with the option key and
then choose "typical rebuild".

Here is the link:
http://www.microsoft.com/mac/resources/resources.aspx?pid=resourcekits&rk=offi
cex&article=/mac/officex/ork/Configure_Entourage.xml
Click to expand...

Robert, you might also be interested to know why exactly the database size
doesn't shrink when you delete messages. Here's an explanation from the
Entourage help page:
Emptying the cache does not reduce the database size itself. The database will
be left with 'wasted' space in it every time you delete something. However,
this is not all bad, since the wasted space is used up with new data as it is
added. This way, over a period of time (assuming that you are deleting stuff
as you go) the database will probably reach an optimum size, after which the
stuff you delete is roughly equal to the stuff you add, and no further growth
takes place.
Click to expand...

http://www.entourage.mvps.org/database/rebuild.html
 
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