Error Deleting OE Messages 'The selected message(s) could not be moved.'

The Outlook Express Store Folder contains all the folders that you see in Folder list of application window. The files are stored with .dbx file extension. The odds are that these files may get corrupt because of unexpected shutdown, antivirus scanning, network issues and other factors. A temporary workaround to this problem can be to rename the corrupted file. But to repair them and for Outlook Express Recovery, you will need to use your backup or a third-party tool.

For example, consider a scenario when you try to delete an email in Outlook Express. In an attempt of deleting an email message from a mail folder, you may receive an error such as:

“The selected message(s) could not be moved. There is not enough memory.”

You cannot use the Delete key to delete it, drag the message to Deleted Items folder or Recycle Bin.

Cause

If you encounter this with a specific folder, the mail folder might be corrupted. But if it is a consistent error message that occurs with each folder in Outlook Express, it could be due to corruption in Deleted Items folder or the Store Folder.

Solution

You should try these fixes to solve the above behavior:

(1) If the corruption is minor, it can be resolved by compaction. For this, click File | Work Offline to prevent OE from receiving new emails. Close all the emails, new folders and Folders List. Next, click File | Folder | Compact All Folders. Make sure you don't interrupt while it is compacting the folders.
(2) To ensure about Deleted Items folder corruption, try to move the messages to a different folder. If you can move the messages, Deleted Items folder is corrupt. However, if you notice that messages could not be deleted only from a specific mail folder, the folder is corrupt.
(3) You can delete the corrupted folder if it contains no important emails or you have a backup. Alternatively, you can opt to rename it and repair the corrupted folder by Outlook Express Recovery software. Outlook Express will recreate the deleted or renamed folders when you will restart it. The third-party tools can Recover Outlook Express using advanced and file-aware scanning algorithms.

Stellar Phoenix Outlook Express Recovery is a powerful utility that repairs damaged Outlook Express folders created with Outlook Express 5.x and 6x. The effective Outlook Express Recovery solution preserves the original formatting and content of the recovered contents. The tool is compatible with Windows 7, Vista, XP, 2003 and 2000.