[crosspost to OE General]

Assuming WinXP SP2 or SP3...

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 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

--
~Robear Dyer (PA Bear)
MS MVP-IE, Mail, Security, Windows Client - since 2002


dave_jacobson wrote:
After exiting Outlook Express 6 I was prompted to compact my folders. My
"Sent Messages" folder failed to compact. I got an error message that the
folder is in use by Outlook Express or another application. After the
system finished compacting all my folders I went back into Outlook
Express.
I am now missing almost two years of messages from my Sent Messages
folder.

I looked in my directory C:\Documents and Settings\[my name]\Local
Settings\Application
Data\Identities\{2C7A8CD0-78FA-427F-BF86-AE333A20DC52}\Microsoft\Outlook
Express

I only see one folder for my "Sent Hotmail Messages." Do you have any
idea
what happened to all my email messages and how I can retrieve them?