OLEXP: Cannot Access a Store Folder in Outlook Express When Importing

When you try to open or import messages in Outlook Express, you may not be able to gain access to one of your store folders (.dbx files). Neither renaming the Folders.dbx nor trying to copy this file and then import it has any effect.

This behavior can occur if the folder file (.dbx file) is damaged.

To work around this behavior, rename the Folders.dbx and Inbox.dbx files:

1. Quit Outlook Express.
2. In Windows Explorer, locate and rename the Folders.dbx file to OldFolders.dbx and the Inbox.dbx file to OldInbox.dbx.
3. Move the OldInbox.dbx file to a different folder, and then start Outlook Express to generate new Inbox.dbx and Folders.dbx files. (The new Inbox.dbx file contains no messages.)

You can use a third-party utility called Dbxtract.exe to recover lost messages. This utility extracts individual e-mail messages from Outlook Express 5.x and stores the files in a specified folder as individual .msg files. You can then drag the messages to a specific Outlook Express folder, such as Inbox.dbx.

The Dbxtract.exe utility and instructions for using it are available at the following Web site:
The third-party products that are discussed in this article are manufactured by companies that are independent of Microsoft. Microsoft makes no warranty, implied or otherwise, regarding the performance or reliability of these products.