Article 124684 of comp.os.vms:
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From: tillman@swdev.si.com (Brian Tillman)
Subject: RE: MAIL:  Bad Records
Message-ID: <11JUL95.10464977@swdev.si.com>
Sender: news@esseye.si.com
Nntp-Posting-Host: terwed.si.com
Organization: Smiths Industries Aerospace
References: <1995Jul10.102759.3236@bbs.sd68.nanaimo.bc.ca>
Date: Tue, 11 Jul 1995 10:46:49 GMT
Lines: 46

In a previous article, DUFRESPR@NORTHERNC.ON.CA (Paul Dufresne) wrote:
->	I have had many problems with users and their MAIL files.  Every so
->often, I get users who cannot delete MAIL from their accounts because
->of bad records.  Is there any solution to the problem, or some way of
->preventing it from happening?  The following is an example of the
->error the users encounter:
-> 
->%MAIL-W-WRITEERR, error writing DR1:[VILWEFFV]MAIL.MAI;1
->-RMS-F-IRC, illegal record encountered; VBN or record number = 581

This is documented in the DSNlink OpenVMS database article entitled "MAIL.MAI
Can Become Corrupted After Upgrade to OpenVMS V6.1".  It's caused by a bug in
CONVERT.  To avoid the problem in future, get and install ECO AXPRMS02_061 for
Alpha or VAXRMS01_061 (CSCPAT_1181 V1.0) for VAX.  To correct corrupt mail
files, do one of the following:

1. Issue a CONVERT command at the DCL prompt.  For example:

     $ convert mail.mai mail.mai

2. Issue a COMPRESS command in MAIL, which performs a CONVERT.
   After the COMPRESS command, MAIL.OLD will be the corrupted file and MAIL.MAI
   will be correct.  MAIL.OLD may be deleted.  For example:

     $ mail
     MAIL> compress
     %MAIL-S-CREATED, DISK:[USER]MAIL_00A1_COMPRESS.TMP;1 created
     %MAIL-S-COPIED, DISK:[USER]MAIL.MAI;1 copied to
		     DISK:[USER]MAIL_00A1_COMPRESS.TMP;1 (nn records)
     %MAIL-S-RENAMED, DISK:[USER]MAIL.MAI;1 renamed to
		      DISK:[USER]MAIL.OLD;1
     %MAIL-S-RENAMED, DISK:[USER]MAIL_00A1_COMPRESS.TMP;1 renamed to
		      DISK:[USER]MAIL.MAI;1
     MAIL> exit
     $ delete mail.old;*

There's a possibility that orphaned external mail files may exist  There is
another OpenVMS database article, entitled: "Example DCL How Find Lost MAIL$xxx
Files Mail Directory" that describes how to locate them.

-----------------------------+--------------------------------
 Brian Tillman               | Internet: tillman@swdev.si.com
 Smiths Industries, Inc.     |           tillman_brian@si.com
 4141 Eastern Ave., MS129    | Hey, I said this stuff myself.
 Grand Rapids, MI 49518-8727 | My company has no part in it.
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