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#1
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Messages Disappear when OE6 compacts
For the 3rd time in 3 years, approximately 2 months worth of messages
just disappeared from my Outlook Express Inbox following a compact process. I cannot find them anywhere, but perhaps I don't know the correct place to look? All messages older than 2 months are still there in the Inbox. I compact somewhat routinely, therefore this isn't a frequent or consistent problem. And since it has occurred over a 3-year window, it spans various update versions. I am currently using OE6, 6.00.2900.2180 on a Dell XPS 400 PC (Windows XP Home). Thanks for any help or suggestions! |
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#2
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Messages Disappear when OE6 compacts
The third time and you still don't back up OE? It would be less likely to
happen if you kept the Inbox empty. The two most common reasons for what you describe is disruption of the compacting process, (never touch anything until it's finished), or bloated folders. More on that below. Why does OE insist on compacting folders when I close it?: http://www.insideoe.com/faqs/why.htm#compact Why Mail Disappears: http://www.insideoe.com/problems/bugs.htm#mailgone About File Corruption: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/IE/...orruption.mspx Recovery tools: If you are running XP/SP2, or SP3, and are fully patched, then you should have a backup of your dbx files in the Recycle Bin, (or possibly the message store), copied as bak files. To restore a bak folder to the message store folder, first find the location of the Message Store. Tools | Options | Maintenance | Store Folder will reveal the location of your Outlook Express files. Write the location down and navigate to it in Windows Explorer or, copy and paste it into Start | Run. In WinXP, the .dbx files 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. Close OE and then in Windows Explorer, click on the dbx file for the missing, or empty, folder and drag it to the Desktop. It can be deleted later once you have successfully restored the bak file. Minimize the Message Store. Open OE and, if the folder is missing, create a folder with the *exact* same name as the bak file you want to restore but without the .bak. Eg: If the file is Saved.bak, the new folder should be named Saved. Open the new folder and then close OE. If the folder is there, but just empty, continue on to the next step. First, check if there is a bak file already in the message store. If there is, and you removed the dbx file, go ahead and rename it to dbx. If it isn't already in the message store, open the Recycle bin and right click on the bak file for the folder in question and click Restore. Open the message store back up and change the file extension from .bak to .dbx. Close the message store and open OE. The messages should now be back in the folder. If the messages are successfully restored, you can go ahead and delete the old dbx file that you moved to the Desktop. If you do not have bak copies of your dbx files in the Recycle Bin, then: DBXpress run in Extract From Disk Mode is the best chance to recover messages: http://www.oehelp.com/DBXpress/Default.aspx And see: http://www.oehelp.com/OETips.aspx#4 A general warning to help avoid this in the futu Do not archive mail in 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. Keep user created folders under 100MB, and Default folders as empty as is feasible. Turn off e-mail scanning in your anti-virus program. It is a redundant layer of protection that eats up CPUs, slows down sending and receiving, and causes a multitude of problems such as time-outs, account setting changes and has even been responsible for lose of messages. Your up-to-date A/V program will continue to protect you sufficiently. For more, see: http://www.oehelp.com/OETips.aspx#3 And backup often. Backup and Resto http://www.insideoutlookexpress.com/backup/ And this good one click backup program. Outlook Express Quick Backup (OEQB): http://www.oehelp.com/OEBackup/Default.aspx -- Bruce Hagen MS-MVP Outlook Express Imperial Beach, CA wrote in message ... For the 3rd time in 3 years, approximately 2 months worth of messages just disappeared from my Outlook Express Inbox following a compact process. I cannot find them anywhere, but perhaps I don't know the correct place to look? All messages older than 2 months are still there in the Inbox. I compact somewhat routinely, therefore this isn't a frequent or consistent problem. And since it has occurred over a 3-year window, it spans various update versions. I am currently using OE6, 6.00.2900.2180 on a Dell XPS 400 PC (Windows XP Home). Thanks for any help or suggestions! |
#3
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Messages Disappear when OE6 compacts
Why it happens:
http://insideoe.tomsterdam.com/probl...s.htm#mailgone http://www.microsoft.com/windows/IE/...orruption.mspx Recovering the missing data: http://www.oehelp.com/OETips.aspx (#2 and #4) and http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=918069 (see Notes section under Resolution) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ DBXpress (faster, more powerful, with even greater functionality) http://www.oehelp.com/DBXpress/Default.aspx ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Avoiding Such Corruption in Futu - Don't use Inbox or Sent Items to archive messages. Move them to local folders created for this purpose. - Empty Deleted Items folder daily. - Frequently perform a manual compact of all OE folders while "working offline". More at http://www.insideoe.com/files/maintain.htm - Do not cancel Automatic Compacting, should it occur, and do not attempt to close OE via Task Manager or shutdown your machine if Automatic Compacting is taking place. - Disable email scanning by your anti-virus application. It can cause corruption (i.e., loss of messages) and provides no additional protection: Why you don't need your anti-virus to scan your email http://thundercloud.net/infoave/tuto...ning/index.htm -- ~Robear Dyer (PA Bear) MS MVP-IE, Mail, Security, Windows Desktop Experience - since 2002 AumHa VSOP & Admin http://aumha.net DTS-L http://dts-l.net/ wrote: For the 3rd time in 3 years, approximately 2 months worth of messages just disappeared from my Outlook Express Inbox following a compact process. I cannot find them anywhere, but perhaps I don't know the correct place to look? All messages older than 2 months are still there in the Inbox. I compact somewhat routinely, therefore this isn't a frequent or consistent problem. And since it has occurred over a 3-year window, it spans various update versions. I am currently using OE6, 6.00.2900.2180 on a Dell XPS 400 PC (Windows XP Home). Thanks for any help or suggestions! |
#4
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Messages Disappear when OE6 compacts
Whereas I can't help you with your problem, I have a similar one. Everytime
OE decides to do a compact / compression to save disc space, I end up losing a complete month or two worth of (read) messages from my "IN" box. Today's compression cost me the entire contents for October and November (2008). This happens EVERY time OE compacts things. OE version 6.00.290o.5512. XP Media Edition SP3 |
#5
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Messages Disappear when OE6 compacts
Who were you replying to? Never mind.
First, check the obvious. Go to the Inbox and click View | Current View | Show All Messages. If that was checked, then read on. The two most common reasons for what you describe is disruption of the compacting process, (never touch anything until it's finished), or bloated folders. More on that below. Why does OE insist on compacting folders when I close it?: http://www.insideoe.com/faqs/why.htm#compact Why Mail Disappears: http://www.insideoe.com/problems/bugs.htm#mailgone About File Corruption: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/IE/...orruption.mspx Recovery tools: If you are running XP/SP2, or SP3, and are fully patched, then you should have a backup of your dbx files in the Recycle Bin, (or possibly the message store), copied as bak files. To restore a bak folder to the message store folder, first find the location of the Message Store. Tools | Options | Maintenance | Store Folder will reveal the location of your Outlook Express files. Write the location down and navigate to it in Windows Explorer or, copy and paste it into Start | Run. In WinXP, the .dbx files 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. Close OE and then in Windows Explorer, click on the dbx file for the missing, or empty, folder and drag it to the Desktop. It can be deleted later once you have successfully restored the bak file. Minimize the Message Store. Open OE and, if the folder is missing, create a folder with the *exact* same name as the bak file you want to restore but without the .bak. Eg: If the file is Saved.bak, the new folder should be named Saved. Open the new folder and then close OE. If the folder is there, but just empty, continue on to the next step. First, check if there is a bak file already in the message store. If there is, and you removed the dbx file, go ahead and rename it to dbx. If it isn't already in the message store, open the Recycle bin and right click on the bak file for the folder in question and click Restore. Open the message store back up and change the file extension from .bak to .dbx. Close the message store and open OE. The messages should now be back in the folder. If the messages are successfully restored, you can go ahead and delete the old dbx file that you moved to the Desktop. If you do not have bak copies of your dbx files in the Recycle Bin, then: DBXpress run in Extract From Disk Mode is the best chance to recover messages: http://www.oehelp.com/DBXpress/Default.aspx And see: http://www.oehelp.com/OETips.aspx#4 A general warning to help avoid this in the futu Do not archive mail in 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. Keep user created folders under 100MB, and Default folders as empty as is feasible. Turn off e-mail scanning in your anti-virus program. It is a redundant layer of protection that eats up CPUs, slows down sending and receiving, and causes a multitude of problems such as time-outs, account setting changes and has even been responsible for lose of messages. Your up-to-date A/V program will continue to protect you sufficiently. For more, see: http://www.oehelp.com/OETips.aspx#3 And backup often. Outlook Express Quick Backup (OEQB Freeware) http://www.oehelp.com/OEBackup/Default.aspx -- Bruce Hagen MS-MVP Outlook Express Imperial Beach, CA "PhotoMan" wrote in message ... Whereas I can't help you with your problem, I have a similar one. Everytime OE decides to do a compact / compression to save disc space, I end up losing a complete month or two worth of (read) messages from my "IN" box. Today's compression cost me the entire contents for October and November (2008). This happens EVERY time OE compacts things. OE version 6.00.290o.5512. XP Media Edition SP3 |
#6
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Messages Disappear when OE6 compacts
Don't WAIT for it to compact.
Compact it YOURSELF -- frequently. And move important messages to a unique folder you create -- as well as backing them up. -- DSH Lux et Veritas et Libertas Vires et Honor "PhotoMan" wrote in message ... Whereas I can't help you with your problem, I have a similar one. Everytime OE decides to do a compact / compression to save disc space, I end up losing a complete month or two worth of (read) messages from my "IN" box. Today's compression cost me the entire contents for October and November (2008). This happens EVERY time OE compacts things. OE version 6.00.290o.5512. XP Media Edition SP3 |
#7
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Messages Disappear when OE6 compacts
Hello Bruce,
-XP w / SP3 and fully patched. All setting correct to show "all mesages". -No work done on computer while (auto) compacting. -Error message re can not compact -file is in use by another application comes up twice. Click on "ok". -Message Store is empty but .bak files are in the "Recycle Bin". -There is no folder / entry there for OE's "Inbox" (Hotmail, yes, but not OE. "Drafts" and "Sent Items" folders under Outlook Express / Local Folders are also absent from the Recycle Bins' .bak entries). Ted "Bruce Hagen" wrote: Who were you replying to? Never mind. First, check the obvious. Go to the Inbox and click View | Current View | Show All Messages. If that was checked, then read on. The two most common reasons for what you describe is disruption of the compacting process, (never touch anything until it's finished), or bloated folders. More on that below. Why does OE insist on compacting folders when I close it?: http://www.insideoe.com/faqs/why.htm#compact Why Mail Disappears: http://www.insideoe.com/problems/bugs.htm#mailgone About File Corruption: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/IE/...orruption.mspx Recovery tools: If you are running XP/SP2, or SP3, and are fully patched, then you should have a backup of your dbx files in the Recycle Bin, (or possibly the message store), copied as bak files. To restore a bak folder to the message store folder, first find the location of the Message Store. Tools | Options | Maintenance | Store Folder will reveal the location of your Outlook Express files. Write the location down and navigate to it in Windows Explorer or, copy and paste it into Start | Run. In WinXP, the .dbx files 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. Close OE and then in Windows Explorer, click on the dbx file for the missing, or empty, folder and drag it to the Desktop. It can be deleted later once you have successfully restored the bak file. Minimize the Message Store. Open OE and, if the folder is missing, create a folder with the *exact* same name as the bak file you want to restore but without the .bak. Eg: If the file is Saved.bak, the new folder should be named Saved. Open the new folder and then close OE. If the folder is there, but just empty, continue on to the next step. First, check if there is a bak file already in the message store. If there is, and you removed the dbx file, go ahead and rename it to dbx. If it isn't already in the message store, open the Recycle bin and right click on the bak file for the folder in question and click Restore. Open the message store back up and change the file extension from .bak to .dbx. Close the message store and open OE. The messages should now be back in the folder. If the messages are successfully restored, you can go ahead and delete the old dbx file that you moved to the Desktop. If you do not have bak copies of your dbx files in the Recycle Bin, then: DBXpress run in Extract From Disk Mode is the best chance to recover messages: http://www.oehelp.com/DBXpress/Default.aspx And see: http://www.oehelp.com/OETips.aspx#4 A general warning to help avoid this in the futu Do not archive mail in 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. Keep user created folders under 100MB, and Default folders as empty as is feasible. Turn off e-mail scanning in your anti-virus program. It is a redundant layer of protection that eats up CPUs, slows down sending and receiving, and causes a multitude of problems such as time-outs, account setting changes and has even been responsible for lose of messages. Your up-to-date A/V program will continue to protect you sufficiently. For more, see: http://www.oehelp.com/OETips.aspx#3 And backup often. Outlook Express Quick Backup (OEQB Freeware) http://www.oehelp.com/OEBackup/Default.aspx -- Bruce Hagen MS-MVP Outlook Express Imperial Beach, CA "PhotoMan" wrote in message ... Whereas I can't help you with your problem, I have a similar one. Everytime OE decides to do a compact / compression to save disc space, I end up losing a complete month or two worth of (read) messages from my "IN" box. Today's compression cost me the entire contents for October and November (2008). This happens EVERY time OE compacts things. OE version 6.00.290o.5512. XP Media Edition SP3 |
#8
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Messages Disappear when OE6 compacts
Its likely your antivirus software is responsible for this. Next time you
wish to compact, disable the antivirus software completely and then try compacting and see if that fixes it. See www.oehelp.com/OETips.aspx#3 steve "PhotoMan" wrote in message ... Hello Bruce, -XP w / SP3 and fully patched. All setting correct to show "all mesages". -No work done on computer while (auto) compacting. -Error message re can not compact -file is in use by another application comes up twice. Click on "ok". -Message Store is empty but .bak files are in the "Recycle Bin". -There is no folder / entry there for OE's "Inbox" (Hotmail, yes, but not OE. "Drafts" and "Sent Items" folders under Outlook Express / Local Folders are also absent from the Recycle Bins' .bak entries). Ted "Bruce Hagen" wrote: Who were you replying to? Never mind. First, check the obvious. Go to the Inbox and click View | Current View | Show All Messages. If that was checked, then read on. The two most common reasons for what you describe is disruption of the compacting process, (never touch anything until it's finished), or bloated folders. More on that below. Why does OE insist on compacting folders when I close it?: http://www.insideoe.com/faqs/why.htm#compact Why Mail Disappears: http://www.insideoe.com/problems/bugs.htm#mailgone About File Corruption: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/IE/...orruption.mspx Recovery tools: If you are running XP/SP2, or SP3, and are fully patched, then you should have a backup of your dbx files in the Recycle Bin, (or possibly the message store), copied as bak files. To restore a bak folder to the message store folder, first find the location of the Message Store. Tools | Options | Maintenance | Store Folder will reveal the location of your Outlook Express files. Write the location down and navigate to it in Windows Explorer or, copy and paste it into Start | Run. In WinXP, the .dbx files 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. Close OE and then in Windows Explorer, click on the dbx file for the missing, or empty, folder and drag it to the Desktop. It can be deleted later once you have successfully restored the bak file. Minimize the Message Store. Open OE and, if the folder is missing, create a folder with the *exact* same name as the bak file you want to restore but without the .bak. Eg: If the file is Saved.bak, the new folder should be named Saved. Open the new folder and then close OE. If the folder is there, but just empty, continue on to the next step. First, check if there is a bak file already in the message store. If there is, and you removed the dbx file, go ahead and rename it to dbx. If it isn't already in the message store, open the Recycle bin and right click on the bak file for the folder in question and click Restore. Open the message store back up and change the file extension from .bak to .dbx. Close the message store and open OE. The messages should now be back in the folder. If the messages are successfully restored, you can go ahead and delete the old dbx file that you moved to the Desktop. If you do not have bak copies of your dbx files in the Recycle Bin, then: DBXpress run in Extract From Disk Mode is the best chance to recover messages: http://www.oehelp.com/DBXpress/Default.aspx And see: http://www.oehelp.com/OETips.aspx#4 A general warning to help avoid this in the futu Do not archive mail in 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. Keep user created folders under 100MB, and Default folders as empty as is feasible. Turn off e-mail scanning in your anti-virus program. It is a redundant layer of protection that eats up CPUs, slows down sending and receiving, and causes a multitude of problems such as time-outs, account setting changes and has even been responsible for lose of messages. Your up-to-date A/V program will continue to protect you sufficiently. For more, see: http://www.oehelp.com/OETips.aspx#3 And backup often. Outlook Express Quick Backup (OEQB Freeware) http://www.oehelp.com/OEBackup/Default.aspx -- Bruce Hagen MS-MVP Outlook Express Imperial Beach, CA "PhotoMan" wrote in message ... Whereas I can't help you with your problem, I have a similar one. Everytime OE decides to do a compact / compression to save disc space, I end up losing a complete month or two worth of (read) messages from my "IN" box. Today's compression cost me the entire contents for October and November (2008). This happens EVERY time OE compacts things. OE version 6.00.290o.5512. XP Media Edition SP3 |
#9
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Messages Disappear when OE6 compacts
I thought of that as well....about 10 seconds AFTER the last compacting (
running Norton Internet Security 2009. I was using Kaspersky & Spysweeeper....with the same results) Ted "Steve Cochran" wrote: Its likely your antivirus software is responsible for this. Next time you wish to compact, disable the antivirus software completely and then try compacting and see if that fixes it. See www.oehelp.com/OETips.aspx#3 steve "PhotoMan" wrote in message ... Hello Bruce, -XP w / SP3 and fully patched. All setting correct to show "all mesages". -No work done on computer while (auto) compacting. -Error message re can not compact -file is in use by another application comes up twice. Click on "ok". -Message Store is empty but .bak files are in the "Recycle Bin". -There is no folder / entry there for OE's "Inbox" (Hotmail, yes, but not OE. "Drafts" and "Sent Items" folders under Outlook Express / Local Folders are also absent from the Recycle Bins' .bak entries). Ted "Bruce Hagen" wrote: Who were you replying to? Never mind. First, check the obvious. Go to the Inbox and click View | Current View | Show All Messages. If that was checked, then read on. The two most common reasons for what you describe is disruption of the compacting process, (never touch anything until it's finished), or bloated folders. More on that below. Why does OE insist on compacting folders when I close it?: http://www.insideoe.com/faqs/why.htm#compact Why Mail Disappears: http://www.insideoe.com/problems/bugs.htm#mailgone About File Corruption: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/IE/...orruption.mspx Recovery tools: If you are running XP/SP2, or SP3, and are fully patched, then you should have a backup of your dbx files in the Recycle Bin, (or possibly the message store), copied as bak files. To restore a bak folder to the message store folder, first find the location of the Message Store. Tools | Options | Maintenance | Store Folder will reveal the location of your Outlook Express files. Write the location down and navigate to it in Windows Explorer or, copy and paste it into Start | Run. In WinXP, the .dbx files 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. Close OE and then in Windows Explorer, click on the dbx file for the missing, or empty, folder and drag it to the Desktop. It can be deleted later once you have successfully restored the bak file. Minimize the Message Store. Open OE and, if the folder is missing, create a folder with the *exact* same name as the bak file you want to restore but without the .bak. Eg: If the file is Saved.bak, the new folder should be named Saved. Open the new folder and then close OE. If the folder is there, but just empty, continue on to the next step. First, check if there is a bak file already in the message store. If there is, and you removed the dbx file, go ahead and rename it to dbx. If it isn't already in the message store, open the Recycle bin and right click on the bak file for the folder in question and click Restore. Open the message store back up and change the file extension from .bak to .dbx. Close the message store and open OE. The messages should now be back in the folder. If the messages are successfully restored, you can go ahead and delete the old dbx file that you moved to the Desktop. If you do not have bak copies of your dbx files in the Recycle Bin, then: DBXpress run in Extract From Disk Mode is the best chance to recover messages: http://www.oehelp.com/DBXpress/Default.aspx And see: http://www.oehelp.com/OETips.aspx#4 A general warning to help avoid this in the futu Do not archive mail in 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. Keep user created folders under 100MB, and Default folders as empty as is feasible. Turn off e-mail scanning in your anti-virus program. It is a redundant layer of protection that eats up CPUs, slows down sending and receiving, and causes a multitude of problems such as time-outs, account setting changes and has even been responsible for lose of messages. Your up-to-date A/V program will continue to protect you sufficiently. For more, see: http://www.oehelp.com/OETips.aspx#3 And backup often. Outlook Express Quick Backup (OEQB Freeware) http://www.oehelp.com/OEBackup/Default.aspx -- Bruce Hagen MS-MVP Outlook Express Imperial Beach, CA "PhotoMan" wrote in message ... Whereas I can't help you with your problem, I have a similar one. Everytime OE decides to do a compact / compression to save disc space, I end up losing a complete month or two worth of (read) messages from my "IN" box. Today's compression cost me the entire contents for October and November (2008). This happens EVERY time OE compacts things. OE version 6.00.290o.5512. XP Media Edition SP3 |
#10
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Messages Disappear when OE6 compacts
Do you or do you not have bak files in the Recycle Bin? You contradict
yourself. Any bak files in the message store? We are talking non-Hotmail folders. If you do not have bak files for the folders with missing messages, you will need DBXpress. Are you using Kaspersky's anti-virus or just firewall? You do /not/ want two AVs or firewalls running at the same time. Also, Norton is not compatible with OE and I would advise it be removed. -- Bruce Hagen MS-MVP Outlook Express Imperial Beach, CA "PhotoMan" wrote in message ... Hello Bruce, -XP w / SP3 and fully patched. All setting correct to show "all mesages". -No work done on computer while (auto) compacting. -Error message re can not compact -file is in use by another application comes up twice. Click on "ok". -Message Store is empty but .bak files are in the "Recycle Bin". -There is no folder / entry there for OE's "Inbox" (Hotmail, yes, but not OE. "Drafts" and "Sent Items" folders under Outlook Express / Local Folders are also absent from the Recycle Bins' .bak entries). Ted "Bruce Hagen" wrote: Who were you replying to? Never mind. First, check the obvious. Go to the Inbox and click View | Current View | Show All Messages. If that was checked, then read on. The two most common reasons for what you describe is disruption of the compacting process, (never touch anything until it's finished), or bloated folders. More on that below. Why does OE insist on compacting folders when I close it?: http://www.insideoe.com/faqs/why.htm#compact Why Mail Disappears: http://www.insideoe.com/problems/bugs.htm#mailgone About File Corruption: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/IE/...orruption.mspx Recovery tools: If you are running XP/SP2, or SP3, and are fully patched, then you should have a backup of your dbx files in the Recycle Bin, (or possibly the message store), copied as bak files. To restore a bak folder to the message store folder, first find the location of the Message Store. Tools | Options | Maintenance | Store Folder will reveal the location of your Outlook Express files. Write the location down and navigate to it in Windows Explorer or, copy and paste it into Start | Run. In WinXP, the .dbx files 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. Close OE and then in Windows Explorer, click on the dbx file for the missing, or empty, folder and drag it to the Desktop. It can be deleted later once you have successfully restored the bak file. Minimize the Message Store. Open OE and, if the folder is missing, create a folder with the *exact* same name as the bak file you want to restore but without the .bak. Eg: If the file is Saved.bak, the new folder should be named Saved. Open the new folder and then close OE. If the folder is there, but just empty, continue on to the next step. First, check if there is a bak file already in the message store. If there is, and you removed the dbx file, go ahead and rename it to dbx. If it isn't already in the message store, open the Recycle bin and right click on the bak file for the folder in question and click Restore. Open the message store back up and change the file extension from .bak to .dbx. Close the message store and open OE. The messages should now be back in the folder. If the messages are successfully restored, you can go ahead and delete the old dbx file that you moved to the Desktop. If you do not have bak copies of your dbx files in the Recycle Bin, then: DBXpress run in Extract From Disk Mode is the best chance to recover messages: http://www.oehelp.com/DBXpress/Default.aspx And see: http://www.oehelp.com/OETips.aspx#4 A general warning to help avoid this in the futu Do not archive mail in 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. Keep user created folders under 100MB, and Default folders as empty as is feasible. Turn off e-mail scanning in your anti-virus program. It is a redundant layer of protection that eats up CPUs, slows down sending and receiving, and causes a multitude of problems such as time-outs, account setting changes and has even been responsible for lose of messages. Your up-to-date A/V program will continue to protect you sufficiently. For more, see: http://www.oehelp.com/OETips.aspx#3 And backup often. Outlook Express Quick Backup (OEQB Freeware) http://www.oehelp.com/OEBackup/Default.aspx -- Bruce Hagen MS-MVP Outlook Express Imperial Beach, CA "PhotoMan" wrote in message ... Whereas I can't help you with your problem, I have a similar one. Everytime OE decides to do a compact / compression to save disc space, I end up losing a complete month or two worth of (read) messages from my "IN" box. Today's compression cost me the entire contents for October and November (2008). This happens EVERY time OE compacts things. OE version 6.00.290o.5512. XP Media Edition SP3 |
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OE messages disappear again! | Outlook Express | 5 | June 21st 06 06:33 PM |