Error messages prevent using the program

[Roberta_McBride]

Version: Older version
Operating System: Mac OS X 10.2 (Jaguar)
Email Client: pop

I have an imac that is about 6 years old. My Entourage program is version 10.1.6 . As I am working on things in the program, suddenly an error message appears. If I click OK it goes away and sometimes I am able to continue. However, sooner or later the error message will just continually appear, preventing me from doing anything more. After i force quit and re-open the program I can do something until the process begins again.
The error messages vary. They began when it would not send, but now they often will not let me access my sent mail or try to forward an email or get into some other part of the program. They always end with "Mail error" but sometimes they say something like "Cannot complete this operation" , or "Cannot open that item" . Now they always refuse to let me purge any more of my deleted emails.

I suspect the problem may lie with my deleted emails. I had a schedule set up for them to be permanently deleted from the computer after 60 days. I recently discovered that they had not been deleted since July, 2008. I began deleting them manually, but came to some that triggered the error message. Now there are sections of the remaining list where the emails should still remain, but the spaces are empty and I am no longer able to purge a single deleted email.
It would appear that there is at least one "corrupt" email that may be causing the problem, but as I cannot figure out how to get rid of anything, I have no solution.
I do hope someone can help, as none of the tech support options are available to me and I am very anxious that the program may quit altogether. I cannot afford to lose my address book and seemingly I have no way to transfer it to the Apple mail program which I have been using as a backup .

I will be so grateful for any suggestions.

(e-mail address removed)_SPAM

 

[Diane Ross]

It definitely sounds like database corruption. Under File --> Export, can
you export your contacts as a tab delimited file? Do that now before you
can't open Entourage to salvage your contacts.

Make a copy of your Identity. Do everything off a copy. As long as you have
an Identity that will open, you have a better chance of recovering your
data.

Next to your messages. Try dragging each folder to the desktop to create an
MBOX file. This will fail on a folder with corruption. You can try this
script, Archive Message Folders by Jolly Roger. It does this for you
automatically.

Export folders as MBOX files using a script
<http://www.entourage.mvps.org/database/export_mbox.html>

If that fails, read this article.

Rebuilding a damaged database that exceeded size limit

<http://blog.entourage.mvps.org/2007/09/rebuilding_a_damaged_database_that_e
xceeded_size_limit.html>

In case the above link does not work:

<http://tinyurl.com/4s6qv3>

If you are unable to rebuild I have been very successful as a consultant
recovering Entourage X Identities. I suspect that with a 6 year old Mac your
hard drive is pretty full and/or fragmented.

--
Diane Ross, Microsoft Mac MVP
Entourage Help Page <http://www.entourage.mvps.org/>
Entourage Help Blog <http://blog.entourage.mvps.org/>
YouTalk <http://tinyurl.com/bzcrjy> <-- Entourage mailing list
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