Desperate: Entourage Database Rebuild Error

[yl3]

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

I have been using Entourage for 5 years. Even though it crashed on me from time to time, I always tried to rebuild and never gave up using it. This time I am afraid I have to switch but hopefully not. Need some specific advice on what to do as I have searched all over internet finding solutions but with no luck.

Here is the problem I encountered:
OS 10.5.5
Entourage: 12.0.0
Database size: 17.5G
When I tried to open entourage last Friday, I got an error message saying there is any error and database needs to be rebuilt. Fine, not a big deal. I've done it before. But I always got an error message once the rebuild reached 4/5 step.

I can not open the entourage any more so the manual move of mailbox doesn't work unless I missed some steps there.

Can anyone please help me out by giving some specific step-by-step instructions?

Thanks a million!

 

[Ed Kimball]

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

I have been using Entourage for 5 years. Even though it crashed on me from
time to time, I always tried to rebuild and never gave up using it. This time
I am afraid I have to switch but hopefully not. Need some specific advice on
what to do as I have searched all over internet finding solutions but with no
luck.

Here is the problem I encountered:
OS 10.5.5
Entourage: 12.0.0
Database size: 17.5G
When I tried to open entourage last Friday, I got an error message saying
there is any error and database needs to be rebuilt. Fine, not a big deal.
I've done it before. But I always got an error message once the rebuild
reached 4/5 step.

I can not open the entourage any more so the manual move of mailbox doesn't
work unless I missed some steps there.

Can anyone please help me out by giving some specific step-by-step
instructions?

Thanks a million!

Since your database is 17.5G, you will need at least 35G of free storage on
your hard drive in order to rebuild it. Do you have that much?

 

[Corentin Cras-Méneur]

Entourage: 12.0.0

You need to update. Update all the way to 12.1.2 (or 12.1.3 if you don;t
really need to send calendar invitations through an Exchange server) and
try rebuilding again,

Corentin

 

[yl3]

I tried to rebuild with 76G avail on HDD but still failed. In the middle of updating to 12.1.3. Will let you know if I get lucky this time.

 

[yl3]

Here comes a new problem. I used Microsoft AutoUpdate to download the 12.1.0 update package and the installer moves correctly through selecting the destination drive but then it hangs forever at the beginning of the "Running AutoUpdate Installer script" window.

I tried to quit AutoUpdate but it popped a message: The window cannot be closed because the Installer is busy.

I read on the web there were other people having the same problem. If they force to quit, it just made things worse as they will receive error message when they open any office files.

Please help! Thanks a lot!

 

[yl3]

Ok, here is the latest. I finally had a turn in my luck today:

It turned out that there is a 12.0.1 version I need to install first. After I install 12.0.1, 12.1.0 installer is progressing. now I can install the rest of updates.

Will keep you posted.

 

[Diane Ross]

Ok, here is the latest. I finally had a turn in my luck today:

It turned out that there is a 12.0.1 version I need to install first. After I
install 12.0.1, 12.1.0 installer is progressing. now I can install the rest of
updates.

Will keep you posted.

Be sure you install with all applications quit. Restart between updates. Do
not install the 12.1.3 update if you have an Exchange account. To get the
12.1.2 update see this page:

<http://www.entourage.mvps.org/downloads/mactopia_dl.html>

 

[yl3]

Hi all, I am thrilled to let you know that my database was rebuilt successfully!! I got all my emails, contacts, notes back. If anyone has problems rebuilding the database or can not even update the office, here is my experience to share:

1. Definitely update the office to the latest. I was running 12.0.0 when I had the issue. I managed to go through each update: 12.0.1, 12.1.0, 12.1.1, 12.1.2, 12.1.3. It is tedious to do it one by one but I guess it is the way it is designed. I downloaded 12.0.1 from the web as the autoupdater for some reason didn't detect it at all. Once I got 12.0.1 figured out, 12.1.0 thru 12.1.3 all became easy.

Thanks Diane for the tips. But I saw your note too late. Fortunately I don't use Exchange account otherwise I probably figure out how to back off from 12.1.3. Also I didn't restart between updates. And it didn't seem to be an issue, at least for me, when I rebuilt the entourage database.

2. Once you got the office updates, then the rebuild becomes easy. Just hold down the Option key and launch Entourage. I almost cried in tears when I saw the message saying the rebuild is successful. Finally my trials and errors over the past 5 days yielded positive results.

I immediately created a new entity because the rebuilt database is still large-15G. I don't want to grow it any further. Even though I may have to switch between entities, I have not complaints.

I am a happy Entourage user again.

 

[Diane Ross]

Hi all, I am thrilled to let you know that my database was rebuilt
successfully!!

Great news and thanks for sharing your experience. I'm sure it will help
another user.

I downloaded 12.0.1 from the web as the autoupdater for some
reason didn't detect it at all.

That's because the AutoUpdater changed and it had to be updated to the new
one to see the new updates. Office 2008 switched to packages.

Office 2008 AutoUpdate (MAU) updated to 2.1.1 (The Entourage Help Blog)
<http://blog.entourage.mvps.org/2008/02/office_2008_autoupdate_mau_updated_t
o_211.html>

The Office 2008 MAU is now hidden away.

/Library/Application Support/Microsoft/MAU2.0

If you are running 04 and 08, then you need the old application for MAU and
the new one.

I immediately created a new entity because the rebuilt database is still
large-15G. I don't want to grow it any further. Even though I may have to
switch between entities, I have not complaints.

Since you've already created a new Identity this is probably too late, but a
good way to start fresh is to duplicate the Identity then use a custom view
to show all older mail (I generally advise leaving the last 90 days) then
delete it from the custom view. Now you have all your old folders etc and
the last 90 days of emails. The database will still show 15GB, but the space
will be used over and over as new emails come in. think of it as a partition
for your emails. You can compact the database and it will reduce the size.

Archive Your Data <http://www.entourage.mvps.org/database/archive.html>

 

[yl3]

Thanks for the tips. Learnt something new.

I got to say all the MVP's are quite helpful. Why aren't you guys are Microsoft employees? You're better than them. If the SW was designed by you guys, probably it wouldn't have been so painful for me to jump through all the hoops.

 

[FSZJW]

I restarted my computer after ignoring an Office 2008 up-date and found that my Entourage has gone right back to the beginning "Welcome to etc." no database at all!

I have tried re-bulding database butof cours eit rebuilds the NEW entourage which contains nothing. When I import data it imports from Office 2004 and not Office 2008.

Any ideas....disaster!! All emails and dates have vanished! Alan.

 

[Adam Bailey]

I restarted my computer after ignoring an Office 2008 up-date and found
that my Entourage has gone right back to the beginning "Welcome to etc."
no database at all!

This is not a rebuild error and has nothing to do with the post to which you
replied. In the future please start a new thread with your question.

I have tried re-bulding database butof cours eit rebuilds the NEW
entourage which contains nothing. When I import data it imports from
Office 2004 and not Office 2008.

Entourage expects your data to be in your Documents folder under Microsoft
User Identities > Office 2008 Identities. If this has been moved, Entourage
will no longer be able to find it. Check there to see what's there, and do a
search on your hard drive to see if it has been moved.

If it *is* still in Microsoft User Data and, perhaps, has been renamed; you
can switch back to it via Switch Identities in the Entourage menu.

 

[Diane Ross]

If it *is* still in Microsoft User Data and, perhaps, has been renamed; you
can switch back to it via Switch Identities in the Entourage menu.

See this link for a couple of other suggestions.

<http://www.entourage.mvps.org/troubleshoot/crashes.html#crash15>