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E-mails won’t delete in Outlook

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I have one workstation in the network that has over 4000 e-mail messages to load. Although they can be deleted, they never finish loading before an error message occurs. Then, even after deleting them, they come back when Outlook is reopened. The e-mail account and computer have been in service quite a while, and this just started. Ideas??

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Clarifications

In reply to E-mails won’t delete in Outlook

Clarifications

Are you deleting from the client or the server?

In reply to E-mails won’t delete in Outlook

The only time I have had this happen, something was set improperly at the server and I had to have the files purged from there. I was never told what the issue was exactly, it sounded as if the server was ignoring my “delete” at the client side.

Has anything changed in the environment? Has the end user changed archive settings recently? When I had this happen, an upgrade had occurred and several of us had a similar issue.

Good luck!

I would try

In reply to E-mails won’t delete in Outlook

moving all of the emails to a .pst file and then checking to see if it continues to happen. When moved or deleted, the client should send notification to the server.
It may be a broken profile, or Outlook is damaged. Try the detect and repair option. Also, if it is coming from a POP server, then there may be an option to keep the mail on the server, which means that it wont send delete or move requests to the server and you are only getting a local ‘copy’.

Re: E-mails won’t delete in Outlook

In reply to E-mails won’t delete in Outlook

Hello Jimw,

Post some more information.. How you are downloading your mail? Do you have any Exchange server or only Outlook Client?
1. If you have Exchange Server, then delete the mails from the Exchange Server..
2. If you have only Outlook Client, then Choose the mails and Press (SHIFT + DEL) instead of DEL.

Thanx
GK Rath

Spam e-mail won’t delete in Outlook

In reply to Re: E-mails won’t delete in Outlook

I have a similar problem. We have an Exchange 2003 server and the Client computer is running Outlook 2003. Since last week, the user received over 4000 spam messages. He has deleted all of them but there is one email that will not delete. It gives an error saying that the message cannot be moved or deleted. We have closed and re-opened Outlook, restarted his computer, done a repair/re-install on Outlook, removed his profile from Outlook and added it back and still the same e-mail will not budge! Does anyone have any solutions?

Try this…

In reply to E-mails won’t delete in Outlook

It is also possible to set Outlook to clean out your deleted items directory when you close Outlook. This option can be set in Outlook main options, under Other – General. This option should be used with care, as each time you exit Outlook, anything in the deleted items folder will be deleted. If you frequently delete things in error, then this option is not for you.

Please post back if you have any more problems or questions.

Try this…

In reply to Try this…

Thanks, unfortunately we have tried this option and have it already set on most of our users machines. Our IT Manager has opted to re-build the laptop on Monday instead to see if this will help.

Thanks 🙂

What’s the error?

In reply to E-mails won’t delete in Outlook

Please post the full error message.
Also, does pressing SHIFT+DELETE delete the message?

You fixed it!

In reply to What’s the error?

I have read and re read all sorts of fancy fixes and yes SHIFT+DELETE works.
Well done – you saved me hours. Still chuckling over the IT guy rebuilding the laptop.
Thanks!

[Author]

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