Thank you very much Bruce for your careful and thorough explanation.
Fred

It very well could be a corrupt Inbox. If the Inbox file size below
is large, the mail may be able to be retrieved with either if these
tools:

DBXtract: {Cost: $5.00}
http://www.oehelp.com/DBXtract/Default.aspx

DBXpress: {$24.95, but much faster for large files}
http://www.oehelp.com/DBXpress/Default.aspx

If mail is present, and you want to retrieve it, rather than deleting
the file as described below, rename it to Inbox.old for later
retrieval and *Do Not* compact the folders until you get the mail
back.

Tools>Options>Maintenance>Store folder will reveal the location
of your Outlook Express files. Press the Tab key to highlight the
folder location, then Ctrl+C. Close OE, then Start>Run>Ctrl+V will
put the location in the box - Click OK and you'll see the OE files.
Otherwise, write the location down and navigate to it in Windows
Explorer.

In WindowsXP, the OE user files (DBX and WAB) are by default
marked as hidden. To view these files in Explorer, you must enable
Show Hidden Files and Folders under Start>Control Panel>Folder
Options>View.

With OE closed, find the DBX file for the folder in
question {.dbx} and delete it.  A new one will be created
automatically when you open OE.

Do not archive mail on default OE folders. They will eventually
become corrupted. Create your own user defined folders for storing
mail and move your mail to them. Empty Deleted Items folder
regularly.

After you are done, follow up by compacting your folders manually
while working *offline* and do it often.

File>Work Offline (or double click Working Online in the Status Bar).
File>Folder>Compact all folders.

In Tools>Options>Maintenance: Uncheck Compact messages in background
and leave it unchecked. {N/A if running XP/SP2}.

An XP Home friend of mine complains that everytime she closes OE she
loses all the messages in her inbox.  How can she create a new
inbox.dbx file? (Or do you think a different fix is in order?)

Thanks.

Fred

Thanks PaPa Bear.

Fred
 Print out this reply and give it to your friend:

 OE Caveats:
   a.. Don't use Inbox or Sent Items to archive messages.  Move them to local folders created for this purpose.
   b.. Disable Background Compacting [N/A in SP2] and frequently perform a manual compact of all OE folders while "working offline".  More at http://www.insideoe.com/files/maintain.htm 
   c.. Your anti-virus application's email scanning feature can also cause such corruption.  Disable it.  It provides no additional protection.

 --
 ~Robear Dyer (PA Bear)
 MS MVP-Windows (IE/OE), AH-VSOP

 WinXP SP2: What's New for Internet Explorer and Outlook Express
 http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/sp2/ieoeoverview.mspx

 What You Should Know About Spyware
 http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/spyware/devioussoftware.mspx

 "There is no 'silver bullet' solution."
 http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=33131
   "Fred Hembree" <drinking@thebar.net> wrote in message news:uN7ZttkpEHA.3640@tk2msftngp13.phx.gbl...
   An XP Home friend of mine complains that everytime she closes OE she loses all the messages in her inbox.  How can she create a new inbox.dbx file? (Or do you think a different fix is in order?)

   Thanks.

   Fred