Member Avatar for Shallow

Afternoon all...

Small things annoy me the most, paper cuts, splinters, Tony Blair etc...now Outlook Express, the list has ended.

When I go into my sent items folder it lays out my emails as if I've clicked 'to' at the top so as to order them alphabetically in order of the recipients address. I don't want that I want them ordered by date...but it keeps resetting.

Any ideas why is this is?

Sorry for waffling, cheers for reading

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Dani AI

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— quick expert note on what was happening and what to do if it returns. Outlook/Outlook‑Express style mail lists remember the last column/arrangement you used: clicking a column header (Date, From, To) or choosing Arrange By → Current View → Customize Current View → Sort changes that folder’s sort order. If the list keeps jumping back to “To,” it’s usually either the folder’s view wasn’t reset properly or the folder’s index/store is having trouble. (flylib.com)

Practical, safe troubleshooting (do these in order):

  1. Click the Date column header once or twice (toggles newest/oldest).
  2. If that fails, use View → Arrange By → Current View → Customize Current View → Sort and set “Sent” (descending) and OK.
  3. If the folder still won’t remember the setting, back up the message store first: Tools → Options → Maintenance → Store Folder (copy that path), quit OE, copy the .dbx files out to a safe folder, then rename the problematic Folders.dbx (or the specific folder .dbx) to .old and restart Outlook Express so it rebuilds. (flylib.com)

Why the stubborn reset can happen and how to prevent it: Outlook Express stores per‑folder views and small corruptions or oversized .dbx files can make those settings misbehave. Compact folders regularly and archive/move old mail into separate folders so individual .dbx files don’t grow huge (Microsoft docs point out .dbx size/compact concerns). Keeping a current backup of the store folder before any changes avoids accidental data loss. If view problems persist across folders or identities, rebuilding the identity or importing backed‑up .dbx files into a fresh identity is the next step. (learn.microsoft.com)

Credit to for pointing to Customize Current View and to for flagging version details as useful — those diagnostic steps are exactly where to start if the “gremlins” come back.

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Member Avatar for TallCool1

When I go into my sent items folder it lays out my emails as if I've clicked 'to' at the top so as to order them alphabetically in order of the recipients address. I don't want that I want them ordered by date...but it keeps resetting.

Which version of Windows? Which version of OE? This information is needed for further exploration into your problem.

Member Avatar for Shallow

It's Windows 2000

and

Outlook Express 6

And I'm 26 years old and a half

Cheers

Member Avatar for DMR

So, are you saying that when you go to View->Customize Current View, it's set to sort by "sent" date, but still sorts by "To" instead? Have you tried setting up a new custom view and seeing what happens there?

Member Avatar for Shallow

Weirdness :eek: It's fixed itself by itself...

I came in this morning and went to sent items and then headed straight for the sent button as has become habit.

But all was normal as it was a few months ago before the trouble began.

This place is amazing thankyou!!!

Member Avatar for DMR

Weird indeed.

Looks like the Software Gremlins got bored and went to find someplace else to play... :D

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