When I open my Outlook Express 6.0029 running XP SP3 IE 8.0.6001, I am able to look at my emails and read them. But there are six emails dated 3-5-09 and 3-6-09 two of which I sent to myself that when I click on them they freeze up Outlook Express, I can't open or delete them. Everytime I click on any one of them my Outlook Express freezes up and I have to shut it down and restart Outlook Express. It is a problem only with these six messages.1 person needs an answerI do too

Have you tried deleting them when OE is working offline? If not, start OE and immediately go to File>Work Offline and click that. You'll get a message that OE is now working offline. Now try to delete the messages. If successful, you can go back to File>Work Offline and click it to starting working online again.MS-MVP - Elephant Boy Computers - Don't Panic!

If Malkeleah's suggestion doesn't work, disable OE's preview pane so that OE doesn't try to display the messages when you select them and try to delete them then. Hold down Shift when you press Delete. I believe that bypasses Deleted Items.Brian Tillman [MVP-Outlook]

Assuming these are in your Inbox:See if they will delete while working offline. File | Work Offline & View | Layout: Uncheck the Preview Pane. If not, move all the messages you wish to save from the Inbox to a local folder you create. Then create a new, empty Inbox. Tools | Options | Maintenance | Store Folder will reveal the location of your Outlook Express files. Write the location down and navigate to it in Windows Explorer or, copy and paste it into Start | Run. In WinXP, Win2K & Win2K3, the OE user files (DBX and WAB) are by default marked as hidden. To view these files in Windows Explorer, you must enable Show Hidden Files and Folders under Start | Control Panel | Folder Options Icon | View, or in Windows Explorer | Tools | Folder Options | View. With OE closed, find the DBX file for the Inbox.dbx and delete it. A new, empty one will be created automatically when you open OE. Do not archive mail in the Inbox or Sent Items. Create your own user defined folders and move the messages you wish to save to them. Empty Deleted Items folder daily. Although dbx files have a theoretical capacity of 2GB, I recommend about a 300MB max for less chance of corruption. Information about the maximum file size of the .dbx files that are used by Outlook Express:http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=903095 After you are done, follow up by compacting your folders manually while working *offline* and do it often. Click on Outlook Express at the top of the folder tree so no folders are open. Then: File | Work Offline (or double click Bruce Hagen MS-MVP [Mail]

BRUCE:I EXPERIENCED THE SAME PROBLEM WITH OUTLOOK EXPRESS FREEZING UP AND TRIED EVERYTHING I COULD THINK OF. NOTHING WORKED UNTIL I FOLLOWED YOUR SOLUTION. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THIS INFO.FRANK

You're welcome, Franko41. Glad it worked for you & thanks for the feedback.Bruce HagenMS-MVP Oct. 1, 2004 ~ Sept. 30, 2010Imperial Beach, CA

Hey it worked. Thanks