Troubleshooting the Inbox in Outlook Express Part 2
Now that you have copied those files to OE Backup, go back to the new Outlook Express Store folder, open it and DELETE the Inbox.dbx. Outlook Express must be closed. Screenshot
Now open Outlook Express and you will have a brand new and empty, uncorrupted Inbox! If you had no messages in the old corrupted Inbox, you are finished
If you did have messages you need, now you can try to retrieve them using File/Import/Messages Screenshot
Select 'Outlook Express 6'. Screenshot
On the screen for Import From OE6, put a dot where it says Import mail from an OE store directory. Screenshot
Now you tell Outlook Express Import where the messages are located. (In your new OE Backup folder) Screenshot
Choose which folder/folders to import. Here you want just the Inbox. Screenshot
If all goes well, you will see the Import Complete screen. Screenshot and should see all of your missing messages appear in the Inbox.
It is entirely possible the Inbox was too corrupted for this procedure to work. If this is the case you can try some third party fixes, DBExtract. This utility isn't free, but costs only $7.00. Another option is Macallan's Outlook Express Extraction.