Messages may be stuck in the Outbox when you use Windows Mail on a computer that is running Windows Vista

These methods are intended for intermediate to advanced computer users. If you are not comfortable with advanced troubleshooting, you might want to ask someone for help, use the Microsoft Customer Support Services Web site to find other solutions, or contact Support. For more information, please see the "Next steps" section for help.

Important The following methods include steps that directly copy or delete the file that is used by the Windows Mail application. If you change the file or folder by mistake, then the message data may be erased. Therefore, we recommend that you back up your messages for safekeeping. Then, if it is necessary, you can use the restore feature in Windows Mail to import the backup. Steps to back up your messages are provided in Method 1.



If you tried to install the update but it did not resolve the issue, start with the first method. If method 1 does not resolve the issue, try the second method.

Method 1: Rebuild the message store of Windows Mail

This method will help you rebuild the message store. By rebuilding the message store, only messages that have no errors can be loaded and the messages that have errors should be deleted.

To delete the Windows Mail message store file and then rebuild it, follow these steps.

Step 1: Locate the message store

Find the folder that contains your personal message store. The message store is typically located in:If it is not located there, you can find its location through Windows Mail. Follow these steps.

1. In Windows Mail, click Tools, and then click Options.
2. In the Option dialog box, click the Advanced tab, and then click the Maintenance button.
3. In the Maintenance dialog box, click the Store Folder button.
4. In the Store Location dialog box, right-click Your personal message store is located in the following folder, and then click Select All.
5. Right-click Your personal message store is located in the following folder, and then click Copy.
6. Click Cancel or Close to close all the dialog boxes.
7. Click Start, right-click the Start Search box, and then click Paste to paste the location of your personal message store into the Start Search box.
8. Press ENTER. The folder that contains your personal message store opens.

Step 2: Create a backup of your messages (optional)

If you want, you can create a backup of your message store before you rebuild it. To back up the message store, follow these steps.

1. Create a new folder on your hard disk for the backup.
2. Copy all the contents of the Windows Mail folder.
3. Paste the contents into the folder that you created on your hard disk.
4. Go back to the Windows Mail folder that you located in step 1.

Step 3: Delete the message store and rebuild it

Delete the message store and rebuild it.

1. In the folder that contains your personal message store, right-click the WindowsMail.MSMessageStore file, and then click Delete.
   
   If you cannot delete the file and you receive the following message, then start Windows Vista in safe mode and try to delete the file. If you were able to delete the file, go to step 2.
   The action can't be completed because the file is open in another program. Close the file and try again.
   1. Restart the computer and press the F8 key repeatedly while the computer is starting. The Advanced Boot Options screen appears.
   2. Select Safe Mode by using arrow keys ([↑]、[↓]), and then press ENTER.
   3. Log on to the system by using your user account when the user selection screen appears.
      
      Note Safe mode is used for diagnostics purposes. It starts Windows Vista with limited functionality. Because it starts the computer by using a minimal set of drivers, the screen display will be in VGA mode (640x480). Icons and windows appear larger than usual.
   4. Locate the Windows Mail folder (that you located in step 1), and delete the WindowsMail.MSMessageStore file. If you are successful in deleting the file, go to step 4. Otherwise, see “Method 2: Rebuild the Windows Mail folder” for help.
2. Open the Backup folder, and then open the New folder.
3. Press CTRL+A to select all files in the New folder, and then press DELETE.
4. Close all folders.
5. Start Windows Mail to rebuild the message store database. After you restart Windows Mail, the message store file should be successfully repaired.
6. Now, check whether the messages are removed. If they are still stuck, try to send or delete them.
   • If the messages are removed, then this problem is resolved and you are finished.
   • If the messages are not removed, then rebuilding the message store did not resolve the problem. The next step is to see the “Method 2: Rebuild the Windows Mail folder” for help.
7. If you started Vista in safe mode, you can restart your computer normally to exit safe mode.

Method 2: Rebuild the Windows Mail folder

If rebuilding the message store does not resolve the issue, follow these steps to rebuild the Windows Mail folder.

Step 1: Rename the Windows Mail folder and create a new folder

1. Exit Windows Mail.
2. Locate the Windows Mail folder. See "Step 1: Locate the message store" from Method 1 for information about finding this folder. It is typically located in:
   hard disk\Users\user\AppData\Local\Microsoft\
3. Right-click the Windows Mail folder, and then click Rename.
4. Add old to the end of the folder name so that the folder is now named Windows Mailold.

Step 2: Create a new Windows Mail folder and copy the contents from the previous folder

1. Start Windows Mail so that it can automatically create the new Windows Mail folder, and then exit Windows Mail.
2. Located the new Windows Mail folder to confirm it is created. See "Step 1: Locate the message store" from Method 1 for information about finding this folder. It is typically located in:
   hard disk\Users\user\AppData\Local\Microsoft\
   Note If the new Windows Mail folder is compressed, you have to uncompress this folder. To uncompress it, right-click the Windows Mail folder, and then select Extract.
3. Open the Windows Mailold folder.
4. Open the Local Folder and copy the account{xxxxxxxxxxxxx}.oeaccount file. Notice that xxxxxxxxxxxxx represents numbers or letters.
5. Paste the file into the Local Folder in the new Windows Mail folder (that was created in step 1 of this procedure).
   
   
6. If the following folders are present in the Windows Mailold folder, copy each folder and paste it into the new Windows Mail folder.
   • Stationery
   • Microsoft Community
7. Close all folders.

Step 3: Import messages in Windows Mail

1. Start Windows Mail.
2. Import the messages from the previous Windows Mail folder to the new folder. To import the messages, follow these steps.
   1. Click File, point to Import, and then click Message.
   2. Click Microsoft Windows Mail 7 in Select Program, and then click Next.
   3. Click Browse, select the location of Windows Mailold, and then click Next.
   4. Click All folders in Select the folder, and then click Next.
   5. Click Complete, and then the messages will be imported to Imported Folder.
3. Move the messages that were imported to the Imported Folder to the appropriate folder under the Local Folder. For example, move messages located in the Inbox folder under the Imported Folder to the Inbox folder under the Local Folder.
4. Check whether the stuck messages are removed. If not, try to send or delete the messages.

If you still have messages that cannot be deleted, then rebuilding the Windows Mail folder did not resolve the problem. See the “Next steps” section for other ways that you that might find help for this problem.