Solutions: Error isn't really a resource problem

By JOHN TORRO
© St. Petersburg Times
published January 21, 2002

Q. I use Microsoft Outlook from Office 97. I receive this error message when I open a contact: "Can't Open This Item. Out of Memory or System Resources. Close some windows or Programs and try again." I don't have any other windows open or programs running when I get this message.

I deleted some contacts out of the manager. There were 299 when this started and I thought I had heard that the 97 version could handle only 299, so I now have 117 contact items. But I still have the problem.

When I try to export the file as an Access file type the system hangs. When I try to print the items, in case I break it while trying to fix it, the system hangs. I get the same message when I try to archive it.

I have more than 1 gigabyte of space available on the hard drive. Does Outlook have a size limit? How can I export the list to a Microsoft Access file?

A. Almost any time you get an out-of-memory or system resource error, it's because application components are mismatched or missing, rather than a resource issue. Since the components, or dependant code libraries, may be mismatched and returning unexpected results, the program assumes that there must be some resource or memory shortage causing the errant action. Sometimes uninstalling, then reinstalling Outlook will fix whatever the problem is. There is also some mention in Microsoft's knowledge base about "Journaling" causing similar problems. Check to see if Journaling is turned on in your Office applications. If so, turn it off. In the Outlook Tools menu, click Options, then the Journal tab. In the "Also record files from" list, click to clear the Microsoft Word or Microsoft Excel check boxes, then click OK.

Deleting data for good

Q. I replaced the computer that I use for my business accounting and correspondence. I am donating this computer and I want to be sure data is completely erased from the hard drive. I have deleted all programs with the Installation Wizard. How can I make sure the data is completely erased and can't be recovered?

A. You are correct in assuming that the data is still there on your hard disk. Until the contents are completely written over, parts of the original contents will remain and be readable by low-level disk-reading tools. In some cases, even when this information has been overwritten, it may remain visible to advanced data forensic tools. There are many programs available that you can run to securely delete data on your hard drive. Search for Secure Delete in any Internet search engine and you will find freeware, shareware and professional secure file deletion software utilities.

Is deleted e-mail really deleted?

Q. When I delete my mail in Outlook Express, empty the Deleted Items folder, then Compact All folders, where does the compacted mail go and how much, if any, of this is still somewhere on my hard disk?

A. Compacting your folders with Outlook Express removes any space used by items that have since been deleted. The file sectors that are freed up by the process of reducing individual file sizes are returned to the file systems free space pool, making it available again. If you are asking if the contents of this reclaimed disk space is erased, it's not. It is just pointed to as available space. Until it is requested by another process and written over, the original contents of these sectors are still on the disk and could be read by low-level disk editing tools.

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