Recovering Dbx Files When Folders.dbx File Is Corrupted In Outlook Express 5.0

By Author: John Peter
Total Articles: 70
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Outlook Express is an email application from Microsoft that is included with Internet Explorer though 4.0 to 6.0 versions. All the information in Outlook Express is stored in the DBX files. These files are named according to the specific folder viz. the emails in the Inbox folder are stored in the Inbox.dbx and so on. Of these DBX files, the folders.dbx file is the master file of all the DBX file that contains the structure of all the mail folders, news groups, and synchronization data. When this folders.dbx file gets corrupted, then Outlook Express becomes inaccessible or starts behaving abnormally. To resolve this issue, you should perform appropriate methods to rectify the problem. If you are unable to do so, then you should use a third-party repair outlook express software to recover Outlook folders.

Consider a scenario wherein you are using Outlook Express 5.0. When you start Outlook Express, it fails to start and an error message is displayed, that is:

This program has performed an illegal operation and will be shut down.
If the problem persists, contact ...
... the program vendor.

Furthermore, when you click the Details button, the following information message may be displayed:

MSIMN caused an invalid page fault in module Msoe.dll at address.

It may also happen that Outlook Express may start but the following error message is displayed:
Outlook Express could not be started. It may not be installed correctly. Make sure that your disk is not full or that you are not out of memory. Contact Microsoft support for further assistance. (0x800c012e)Outlook Express could not be started because Msoe.dll could not be initialized. Outlook Express may not be installed correctly.

And finally, when you view the preview pane of the emails the following error message is displayed:
Folder could not be displayed.Outlook express could not open this folder.
Possible causes are: Low disk space. Low memory.

Cause:
There could be following causes for the mentioned behavior of Outlook Express:
1)The attributes of one or all DBX files is set to read-only.
2)The folder.dbx file is corrupted or damaged.

Resolution:
To resolve each of the aforementioned reasons, you should perform the following methods, respectively:
1)To remove the read-only attribute, perform the following steps:
I.Search all the DBX files in your system using Start | Search.
II.Right-click on each DBX file and click Properties.
III.Clear the Read-only check box, if it is selected.
IV.Click Apply, and close the dialog box.
2)To recreate the folders.dbx file, perform the following steps:
I.Search the folders.dbx file.
II.Rename the folders.dbx file to any other name.
III.Start Outlook Express.

The problem should be resolved using the aforementioned methods. However, if the issue is still not sorted then you should use a third-party DBX recovery tool to perform Outlook Express recovery. Such mail recovery tools are read-only in nature and do not overwrite the original content while scanning the corrupted DBX file.

Stellar Phoenix Outlook Express Recovery is a DBX recovery software that restores corrupted DBX files. It supports mail recovery of DBX files created in Outlook Express 5.0 and 6.0. It is compatible with Windows 7, Vista, Server 2003, XP, and Server 2000.