I have run the Compact all folders (archive) function but now cannot find my
old emails (sent). In Outlook (Office '03) you can still access the archived
emails if you need too. Does anyone know how to retrieve the compacted
messages in Outlook Express 6.0? I'm grateful for any help on this

Compacting a folder is not an archive function. Compacting removes the
space created when a message is deleted.
I assume that you are talking about the Sent Items folder? Move any
messages in Sent Items to another folder. Go to the Recycle Bin and see if
you have Sent Items.bak .

If yes, right click on Sent Items.bak and click Restore.
Open the OE message store.
Tools, Options, Maintenance, Store Folder reveals the location.

Delete Sent Items.dbx . Rename Set Items.bak to Sent Items.dbx. Close the
message store and open OE. The messages should now be back in the folder.
--
Ron Sommer

The following is from another post.
If this method doesn't work, then the file was too corrupted and your
only hope is a recovery tool.

DBXpress: {much faster for large files}
http://www.oehelp.com/DBXpress/Default.aspx

If the file in question has been compacted, run DBXpress in Extract From
Disk mode.


To help avoid this in the future, please do the following, especially
backing up OE.

Do not archive mail in default OE folders. They will eventually become
corrupt. 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 300MB, and Default folders as empty as is feasible.

After you are done, follow up by compacting your folders manually while
working *offline* and do it often.

Click on Outlook Express at the top of the folder tree so no folders are
open. Then: File | Work Offline (or double click Working Online in the
Status Bar). File | Folder | Compact all folders. Don't touch anything until
the compacting is completed.

Turn off e-mail scanning in your anti-virus program. It is a redundant layer
of protection that eats up CPUs and causes a multitude of problems such as
time-outs and account setting changes. 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 & Resto
http://www.insideoe.com/backup/

This is a great two click program:

Outlook Express Quick Backup (OEQB)
http://www.oehelp.com/OEBackup/Default.aspx
--
Bruce Hagen
MS-MVP Outlook Express
Imperial Beach, CA


"Haydn Down Under" Haydn Down wrote in
message ...
I have run the Compact all folders (archive) function but now cannot find
my
old emails (sent). In Outlook (Office '03) you can still access the
archived
emails if you need too. Does anyone know how to retrieve the compacted
messages in Outlook Express 6.0? I'm grateful for any help on this

Compacting a folder is not an archive function. Compacting removes the
space created when a message is deleted.
I assume that you are talking about the Sent Items folder? Move any
messages in Sent Items to another folder. Go to the Recycle Bin and see if
you have Sent Items.bak .

If yes, right click on Sent Items.bak and click Restore.
Open the OE message store.
Tools, Options, Maintenance, Store Folder reveals the location.

Delete Sent Items.dbx . Rename Set Items.bak to Sent Items.dbx. Close the
message store and open OE. The messages should now be back in the folder.
--
Ron Sommer

The following is from another post.
If this method doesn't work, then the file was too corrupted and your
only hope is a recovery tool.

DBXpress: {much faster for large files}
http://www.oehelp.com/DBXpress/Default.aspx

If the file in question has been compacted, run DBXpress in Extract From
Disk mode.


To help avoid this in the future, please do the following, especially
backing up OE.

Do not archive mail in default OE folders. They will eventually become
corrupt. 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 300MB, and Default folders as empty as is feasible.

After you are done, follow up by compacting your folders manually while
working *offline* and do it often.

Click on Outlook Express at the top of the folder tree so no folders are
open. Then: File | Work Offline (or double click Working Online in the
Status Bar). File | Folder | Compact all folders. Don't touch anything until
the compacting is completed.

Turn off e-mail scanning in your anti-virus program. It is a redundant layer
of protection that eats up CPUs and causes a multitude of problems such as
time-outs and account setting changes. 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 & Resto
http://www.insideoe.com/backup/

This is a great two click program:

Outlook Express Quick Backup (OEQB)
http://www.oehelp.com/OEBackup/Default.aspx
--
Bruce Hagen
MS-MVP Outlook Express
Imperial Beach, CA


"Haydn Down Under" Haydn Down wrote in
message ...
I have run the Compact all folders (archive) function but now cannot find
my
old emails (sent). In Outlook (Office '03) you can still access the
archived
emails if you need too. Does anyone know how to retrieve the compacted
messages in Outlook Express 6.0? I'm grateful for any help on this

Why messages go missing:

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 than
DBXtract)
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

Haydn Down Under wrote:
I have run the Compact all folders (archive) function but now cannot find
my
old emails (sent). In Outlook (Office '03) you can still access the
archived
emails if you need too. Does anyone know how to retrieve the compacted
messages in Outlook Express 6.0? I'm grateful for any help on this

Why messages go missing:

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 than
DBXtract)
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

Haydn Down Under wrote:
I have run the Compact all folders (archive) function but now cannot find
my
old emails (sent). In Outlook (Office '03) you can still access the
archived
emails if you need too. Does anyone know how to retrieve the compacted
messages in Outlook Express 6.0? I'm grateful for any help on this