Cannot empty trash, emails with links stuck

[Brassen]

Version: 2008
Operating System: Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard)
Processor: Intel
Email Client: pop

Hello,

I decided to do a clean up of my older emails, so yesterday I deleted over 3,000 emails of my folders, especially the "Sent items".

When emptying the trash, Entourage freezes. As simple as that. After some trial and error, I'm left with 116 emails that won't delete. The common thing about them is that they have links (that symbol).

I've tried everything I could find in forums and google, even a delete sample script posted here.

Via Active Monitor, I'm able to see that Microsoft Sync Services freezes first. I have to force quit it in able to regain control of Entourage and quit it.

I've also tried to compact, rebuild the database, nothing helps...

please help me, thanks in advance!

 

[Diane Ross]

I decided to do a clean up of my older emails, so yesterday I deleted over
3,000 emails of my folders, especially the "Sent items".

Have you tried to delete smaller numbers to see if they will delete? What
about deleting just one of these messages?

Via Active Monitor, I'm able to see that Microsoft Sync Services freezes
first. I have to force quit it in able to regain control of Entourage and quit
it.

Turn of Sync Services in Entourage preferences before trying to delete.

It's possible that you will have to move your data into a new Identity.
You'll have to manually move all your mail out by folders and subfolders.
The scripts that help with this will not work because of the corruption.

You should be able to get the other items (events, notes, contacts, tasks)
out using export --> Entourage archive (.rge) file .

How to manually move your data. (when import fails and/or you need to move
to a new Identity same version or revert to an older version)

<http://www.entourage.mvps.org/install/manual_install.html>

 

[Brassen]

Thank you for your reply Diane.

Even deleting a single email at a time freezes Entourage. I made a mistake, its not sync services that freezes, its the database daemon.

The script I mentioned helped with some other email stuck, but not with these 116 email with links. These are impossible to delete. The script is this:

tell application "Microsoft Entourage"
set theItem to selection
delete theItem
end tell

I had to export to .rge and import manually to a new identity.

It's all working now, and Entourage feels much faster now, switching folders, browsing emails and contacts.

Can you teach me how to completely disable links in emails? I don't need this feature and I don't want my new identity to have this problem again...

Thank you!

 

[Diane Ross]

It's all working now, and Entourage feels much faster now, switching folders,
browsing emails and contacts.

Good news! Did those messages come over in the export? Were you able to
delete then?

Can you teach me how to completely disable links in emails? I don't need this
feature and I don't want my new identity to have this problem again...

You can't disable links in messages. The fact those messages exported as
MBOX files is strange. If they were corrupt, they wouldn't export.

If you want to send a couple of examples to me off list, I'll look at the
source. Use "Forward as Attachment." or put in a folder and zip.

The daemon has several functions. Evidently there was some corruption
causing the daemon to freeze that was fixed by creating a new Identity. See
this page for more info:

<http://www.entourage.mvps.org/glossary/daemon.html>

If you still have the old Identity you could see if quitting the daemon
would allow the messages to delete.

tell application "Microsoft Database daemon" to quit

Open 'Activity Monitor' look for 'database daemon', double click to open
window and select quit or forced quit.

 

[Brassen]

Hello Diane,

Yes the stuck messages were exported but in the new identity I was able to delete them normally.

Unfortunately I have deleted them, but if it happens again I'll post here and send you an email with the problematic email.

Thank you for your help.

 

[Diane Ross]

Yes the stuck messages were exported but in the new identity I was able to
delete them normally.

Interesting.... Usually corruption like this the messages fail to export.
You're save using the new Identity from the exported data. Rebuilds often
fail to clear all problems. This way you start from a clean Identity.