How to stop Windows Mail asking you to compress the database

QUESTION A message appears on startup and on closing down Windows Mail that reports: ‘Windows Mail can compress the message store. This may take up to a few minutes’. It’s becoming annoying. Could you help me get rid of it please? Peter Scadding

HELPROOM ANSWER The best way to get rid of this message is to let Windows do what it’s afterwards: compress the message store. This process has no adverse effect and will simply reduce the amount of space available on your hard drive for storing email messages.

The compression

To prevent the compression, nevertheless, first check that you are using the latest version of Live Mail. You can update your copy at Windows Live Essentials 2011. Open the blue ‘Windows Live Mail’ tab, at that time click Options, Mail, Advanced, Maintenance. Deselect the option to ‘Compact the database on shutdown’.