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January 15th, 2006 09:00

What Could have happened

I'm using Outlook Express. 
I have a folder that has a lot of personal email in it.  When I went to bed last night it was there, and I had a lot in my inbox.  When I got up this morning, turned my computer on.  The folder with the personal email is empty and the folder is moved down to the bottom of the folders list and my inbox is empty.  I checked to see if it was in my deleted folder checked my recycling bin. 
Ughh that personal email is notes from my husband in Iraq....
Maybe someone can help me thanks
Angie

34 Posts

January 15th, 2006 09:00

I tried that went back a few days. Nothing.  that's the only thing I can see is gone my messages in my in box and the other folder.  Of course all my deleted stuff is there. ;)

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January 15th, 2006 09:00

Try system restore.

34 Posts

January 15th, 2006 10:00

No I'm the only user.
Ok I just looked back through my messages on here and I see this happened to me one other time.  I'm following these instructions

The standard way of moving message folders from Outlook Express on one computer to another computer is to copy the files on the old computer to removable media and use the File|Import facility on the new one.  There are times, however, when this method does not work, such as when an error message is displayed when attempting to export the message folder or when the folders have been copied to removable media rather than exported and the disk on which they originally resided has been formatted.  This viewlet demonstrates a method which can be used to move these folders into the new Outlook Express installation.

The first part of the viewlet merely shows how to copy a folder to a floppy disk and then remove the folder from Outlook Express.  The purpose of this is merely to establish a scenario such as a user might encounter if the message folder exists only as a copy and not within Outlook Express.

Message folders, which have the extension .dbx, in Windows 9X reside on the hard disk in C:\Windows\Application Data\Identities\{---alphanumerics--}\Microsoft\Outlook Express.   In Windows XP they are at C:\Documents and Settings\Your account name\Local Settings\Application Data\Identities\{--alphanumeric--}\Microsoft\Outlook Express.   In order to move a copied folder into this folder and have Outlook Express recognize it simply copying it into the folder will not work.  Rather, it must be copied into a folder of the same name established in Outlook Express.

The first step in the process is to open Outlook Express.  Go to File|New|Folder.  When the Create Folder dialog opens, enter the name of the folder.  The name must be the name of the saved file without the extension.  The saved folder in the example is called 1Example.dbx so in the Create Folder dialog, 1Example is entered as the name of the folder.  In the folder tree below, click on the location within the hierarchy where the new folder is to be located.  Click OK and the new folder will appear in the listing.  Click the new folder to activate it then close Outlook Express.

Open Windows Explorer.  Scroll to the drive where the removable media is located.  Click the name of the saved file (1Example.dbx) to select it, then click File|Copy (or Ctrl-C) to copy the file to the Clipboard.  Now scroll down to the folder where the *.dbx files are stored.  Click to select the folder.  Then click File|Paste (or Ctrl-V) to paste the stored file into the folder.  Windows will display a warning that a file by that name already exists in the folder and ask if you wish to overwrite it.  Click "Yes" and the file will be copied. 

Now when you open Outlook Express and click on the copied folder, it will open and display the contents which were saved.  Note that this procedure will have to be done with each folder which has been saved to removable media.  It is not as effortless as the standard Export/Import but will prove invaluable if using the standard procedure is impossible for some reason.

To see these procedures illustrated in  a viewlet, go here.

However now I'm stuck as to where it says scroll down to where the dbx files are stored.  I don't know where to paste it. 

Thanks so much for your help

Angie

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2K Posts

January 15th, 2006 10:00

I knew system restore could not restore email. I found that sometimes, Windows will lose the path to the files due to corruption. So I suggested System Restore in case it may restore the paths.
 
GoBack will restore files.
 
I guess you did a search for *.dbx files, right??
 
Start--Run--All files and folders
 
Type in     *.dbx        OK.
 
See if you can locate any.
 
If you already did that, disregard.

Message Edited by msil217 on 01-15-2006 06:35 AM

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January 15th, 2006 10:00

System Restore doesn't do anything for e-mail messages.  Did you log on as a different user?  If you are not the "Administrator", try logging on as the Administrator and see if the data shows up. 

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January 15th, 2006 10:00

34 Posts

January 15th, 2006 10:00

I did do that.  The missing folder is there. but I'm not sure where to paste it to bring it the messages back into outlook express
Thank you very much for your help. 

34 Posts

January 15th, 2006 11:00

So I found the folder I want back I clicked on it, clicked copy and then tried pasting it in the same place where the dbx files are. and it just says "copy of name of file" but nothing shows up in Outlook Express.  Ughhhh what do I do???

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2K Posts

January 15th, 2006 12:00

They might be gone for good.

There is a slight possiblilty of recovering them, but i cannot guarantee it.

 

http://aumha.org/downloads/restoration.exe

 

Other than that, I don't know. But from now on, try to save the emails to CD. In outlook express, there are at least 2 ways: Backing up the dbx files, or, on a message, go to File--Save as-- save as type .eml.

Also, who is your mail provider?? If it's MSN, or Hotmail, there is a chance the emails are still on the web. Unless you set outlook to delete them when downloaded.

34 Posts

January 15th, 2006 12:00

What could have happened to the folder?  It's listed when I go to C:/documentsandsettings/accountname/localsettings/applications data /identities/{alphanumeric--}/microsoft/outlookexpress.  When searched and found the file it allowed me to copy it to a cd.  and it says when I paste it back into that folder where all the other folders are and it says are you sure you want to replace the old file with the new one and but still nothing shows up....
ughh I am just sick over this.
No unfornately I don't have hotmail or msn for my email. 
thanks again.  I appreciate all the suggestions.

34 Posts

January 15th, 2006 12:00

I have followed the instructions to the letter.  about copying the file onto cd and then pasting it back into the dbx files and when I click on Outlook express they messages are still not there.  Anyone have any suggestions what I might be doing wrong?
 

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2K Posts

January 15th, 2006 14:00

You have to have some email account in order to receive email. Yahoo, and gmail also keep the messages on their servers "I think".

I am sorry if you cannot retrieve it. It's a hard lesson, that everyone learns. :(

34 Posts

January 15th, 2006 14:00

Hawkdriver.dbx

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18.8K Posts

January 15th, 2006 14:00

wwmd,

I edited my last post. See if the new information makes any difference.

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18.8K Posts

January 15th, 2006 14:00

wwmd,

What is the name of the folder which was missing and which you have now copied to CD? I take it that it does not use one of the default names (Inbox, Delete Items). When you create the new folder in Outlook Express do you then open it within OE (by clicking on it) before closing OE? That is a step that many miss.

Message Edited by Denny Denham on 01-15-2006 08:55 AM

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