Db just get bigger and bigger and bigger

Dear friends,

I'm very worried about my forum and I'm desperate for any help you guys can offer me (just don't tell me I'll have to reinstall the forum and lose all msgs, because the users would kill me - I lost everything when I changed from Access to SQL Server and they were pretty pissed).

The thing is: I have 782 members, 44418 messages, 1377 topics. But my SQL Server DB size is 1493.19 MB; my Log file size is 1441.31 Mb and my Database file size is 51,88 Mb. It's nos proportional.

And the worst thing is: I've batch delected topics a few times now, but the db sizes never decreases. It keeps growing, growing, growing.

Help!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ok, Borg, thanks.

I did just as you said, but the DB remained huge, it didn't shrink. AND after that I deleted 175 topics (older than a month without any new post) and it didn't decrease a single byte.

What can I do?????

Yes! It worked!

SQL Server db: BEFORE: 1493.19 MB   
                      AFTER 43.56 MB     (wow!)

Log file size:  BEFORE: 1441.31 Mb 
                   AFTER: 1 MB                       (woooow!!!!)

DB file size: BEFORE: 51,88 Mb
                 AFTER: 42.56 MB

Last question? Could those old settings and huge DB size be responsible for slowing the forum (and, consequently, my whole server) down?

Thanks, you guys!