"The folder "Inbox" cannot be compacted because ..."

[danll]

"The folder "Inbox" cannot be compacted because another operation is in progress." I've started getting that error message always, on one TB account (and not on other accounts), when I delete an e-mail in that account and when I command a compaction on that account. I've tried trashing all the msf files in that account, but it doesn't help. What's going on, and how do I fix it??

[DanRaisch]

If that account is set up as a POP type account:

First, backup your Profile ( http://kb.mozillazine.org/Profile_backup )

Create a new sub-folder under Local Folders. Move all of the messages currently in your Inbox to that new subfolder.

Confirm that you have made the recommended backup of your Profile.

Close Thunderbird and navigate to the \Mail sub-folder of your Profile folder. Delete both the file Inbox.msf and the file Inbox with no extension.

Restart Thunderbird and you should find a new, empty Inbox folder in place. Copy any messages you MUST have in your Inbox from the sub-folder created above to the Inbox. Compact the Inbox after those messages are copied in.

The "Real Fix" entry in this article -- http://kb.mozillazine.org/Compacting_folders#Real_fix also describes this process.

[danll]

Thanks. That did the trick. Actually, the account folders were almost empty, so I guess I really didn't need to make a backup. I just moved the Inbox content (just a few e-mails) to a folder on Local Folders, and deleted Inbox and Inbox.msf. Restarted TB, and pulled that Inbox content back to the Inbox.

Am I supposed to make a backup of the Profile because there is some risk that the whole Profile file will get screwed up?

[DanRaisch]

To be honest, the back up step is there in case a user makes a mistake and deletes files they didn't intend to, losing messages from folders they had not moved under Local Folders.