Problem:
When you try to receive mail in Outlook Express, you can't and you received the following error message:
"An unknown error has occurred. Account: 'your-account-name', Server: 'pop.mail.mail-server.com', Protocol: POP3, Port: 110, Secure (SSL): No, Error Number: 0x800C0133"
This problem usually occurs, due to a corrupted or oversized* "inbox.dbx" file.
*As you might know, the maximum file size of the .dbx files that are used by Outlook Express is 2 gigabytes.
(see: Microsoft's article)
Solution:
1. First find out, the store folder path of Outlook Express, following these steps:
When you are in Outlook Express, from the menu bar navigate to:
Tools > Options > Maintenance > Store Folder.
From the window that opens remember or copy the store path somewhere else e.g.notepad.
Usually the Outlook Express Folder path is:
"C:\Documents and Settings\%your-account-name%\Local Settings\Application Data\Identities\{%A0E036CF-6344-4DDB-9BC9-20773415FA24%}\Microsoft\Outlook Express"
2. Then close outlook express and navigate to that path.
As you can see there, you find all your Outlook Express folders with a dbx file format like Inbox.dbx or Outbox.dbx.
3. Go one level up in your explorer's window, and copy the "Outlook Express" folder into another location in your drive and rename that folder into something else: e.g. "Outlook ExpressOLD"
4.Then go back at the original Outlook Express folder container and delete the corrupted or oversized file, e.g. inbox.dbx
5. Now open Outlook Express. When Outlook Express opens, it creates automatically a new empty "Inbox" folder and if you try now to receive mail, the operation completes without errors.
The next step is, to recover your mails from the old oversized or corrupted Inbox.dbx file.
Within outlook express go to
1. File > Import > Messages
2. Microsoft Outlook Express 6
3. At next window choose: Import mail from an OE6 store directory and press OK
5. Then browse and choose the "Outlook ExpressOLD" folder and press Next
6. In the next screen, choose the inbox folder as the folder to import e-mails from and press Next.
The import process should be start and when it finishes you should see all of your e-mails in your new created "inbox folder" inside Outlook Express.
