OLEXP: The Index for the "Trash" Mail Folder Is Out of Date (225122)

For information about the differences between Microsoft Outlook Express and Microsoft Outlook e-mail clients, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

257824 OL2000: Differences Between Outlook and Outlook Express

SYMPTOMS

When you attempt to import messages into Outlook Express 4.5 from Netscape Communicator 4.5, you may receive the following error message:

The index for mail folder "Trash" is out of date. Run Netscape and open the mail folder "Trash" before importing.

You may also see this error message for other folders, such as the Inbox, Outbox, Sent, Unsent, Drafts, or Templates folder.

CAUSE

This behavior occurs if the Netscape Communicator .snm file cannot be parsed correctly. If the .snm file becomes damaged, Outlook Express cannot read it correctly when you are importing messages. Netscape Communicator may still be able to read the damaged .snm file and display the messages.

RESOLUTION

To resolve this issue, rebuild the .snm files:

Quit Netscape Communicator 4.5.
Delete all of the .snm files in the following folder:
System Folder: Preference: Netscape Users: Username: Mail
NOTE: Do not delete the associated files that do not have an extension; these contain your actual messages. For example, delete the Trash.snm file, but do not delete the Trash file.
To rebuild the .snm files, restart Netscape Communicator and click each folder under the Local Mail folder. When you click a folder, Netscape Communicator checks for that folder's .snm file. If the file does not exist, Netscape communicator re-creates it automatically.

After you click all the folders and the .snm files are rebuilt, Outlook Express should be able to import the messages from Netscape Communicator correctly.

MORE INFORMATION

There are two files for each folder in Netscape Communicator. For example, one is named Inbox and the other is named Inbox.snm. The Inbox file is a text file that contains the e-mail messages, and the Inbox.snm file is a binary index of the e-mail messages.

The third-party products that are discussed in this article are manufactured by companies that are independent of Microsoft. Microsoft makes no warranty, implied or otherwise, regarding the performance or reliability of these products.