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Q122065: WFWG Mail Causes Unexpected Hard Disk Activity

Article: Q122065
Product(s): Microsoft Windows 3.x Retail Product
Version(s): WINDOWS:3.1,3.11
Operating System(s): 
Keyword(s): 
Last Modified: 23-OCT-1999

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The information in this article applies to:

- Microsoft Windows for Workgroups versions 3.1, 3.11 
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SYMPTOMS
========

When you run Windows for Workgroups Mail, hard disk drive access begins with no
apparent cause or result.

CAUSE
=====

By default, Mail compresses the mail message file (.MMF) during periods of
inactivity.

RESOLUTION
==========

To disable this feature, you can either increase the Secs_till_Fast_Compress
entry, or disable the automatic compression feature.

Increasing the Secs_till_Fast_Compress Entry
--------------------------------------------

To change the period of time Mail waits before automatically compressing the .MMF
file, edit the MSMAIL.INI file as follows:

1. Open the MSMAIL.INI file in a text editor such as Windows Notepad.

2. Add the following entry to the [mmf] section:

        Secs_till_Fast_Compress=<number of seconds desired>

  NOTE: The [mmf] section may not exist. If does not, simply add it.

The Secs_till_Fast_Compress default is 600 seconds. Use a higher value if you
want Mail to compress the Mail file less frequently. For example, if you want
Mail to wait for 30 minutes before compressing the .MMF file, changing the
Secs_till_Fast_Compress entry to 1800.

Disabling Automatic MMF Compression
-----------------------------------

Although you can disable automatic compression of .MMF files, Microsoft does not
recommend doing so because it can lead to abnormally large message files.

To disable the automatic compression of an MMF file:

1. Open the MSMAIL.INI file in a text editor such as Windows Notepad.

2. Add the following entry to the [mmf] section:

        No_Compress=1

  NOTE: The [mmf] section may not exist. If does not, simply add it.

More information about message file compression can be found in the "Windows for
Workgroups Resource Kit for operating system version 3.1" manual, sections 6-92
and 6-93.

Additional query words: 3.11 excessive disk system inactivity

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Keywords          :  
Technology        : kbAudDeveloper kbWFWSearch kbWFW310 kbWFW311
Version           : WINDOWS:3.1,3.11

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