OLEXP: Users Seem to Lose Messages or Attachments When Logging Off Windows NT

When you are using Outlook Express with roaming profiles on Microsoft Windows NT 4.0, users may seem to lose e-mail messages and attachments when they log off Windows NT.

The file date and time of the Outlook Express database (.dbx) files are not being updated with the date and time when Outlook Express quits. This prevents the operating system from identifying the .dbx files as being updated; they are not uploaded to the users' home folders during the logoff process. If a subsequent logon occurs from another computer, the .dbx files do not contain any updates because they were not synchronized during the previous logoff.

To resolve this problem, obtain Outlook Express 5.5. For additional information about Outlook Express 5.5 and how to download it, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

To work around this behavior, compact all your folders before quitting Outlook Express:

1. On the File menu, click Folder.
2. Click Compact All Folders.

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed at the beginning of this article.

This problem was corrected in Microsoft Outlook Express 5.5.