Thank You, Bruce, for responding to my request for help.

You wrote, "You will only have a backup in the Recycle Bin if you are using
XP/SP2
*fully patched*."

What do you mean by "fully patched?"

Is "fully patched" the same as "updated to the current date?"

I am running XP/SP2 and my computer is set to be automatically updated by
Microsoft every night.

Am I wrong to assume that Microsoft keeps my computer updated to the max?
Please respond to this question.
Thank You,
--
Ray10X10


"Bruce Hagen" wrote:

You will only have a backup in the Recycle Bin if you are using XP/SP2
*fully patched*.

I don't know what Best Buy did, but DBXpress run in Extract From Disk mod is
the only tool that has a chance once messages were compacted, (not
compressed). Bloated folders cause loss of messages as well. Here is my
standard reply. Please heed the part about archiving messages to prevent
this in the future.

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, and are fully patched, then you should have a
backup of your dbx files in the Recycle Bin, copied as bak files.

To restore a bak folder to the message store folder, first close OE and
locate the Message Store in Windows Explorer.

Tools | Options | Maintenance | Store Folder will reveal the location of
your Outlook Express files. Press the Tab key to highlight the folder
location, then Ctrl+C. Close OE, then Start | Run | Ctrl+V will put the
location in the box - Click OK and you'll see the OE files. Otherwise, write
the location down and navigate to it in Windows Explorer.

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.

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.

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 if you don't want to lose your messages 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.

And backup often.

Backup and Resto

http://www.insideoutlookexpress.com/backup/

http://www.oehelp.com/backup.aspx

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
~IB-CA~

"Ray10X10" vacantlot.com wrote in message
...
Which application DBXpress or DBXtract is better . . .

1. to recover missing Emails when they do not show up in the Recycle Bin?
OE6 compressed my E-mails. I was not using my computer.
There were no programs running, and no interruptions.
When the compressing was finished my Inbox Emails from January to
March
were missing. Sent Emails were still present.
There were no Emails in my recycle bin.

2. to recover data from a hard drive that a computer store - Best Buy
formatted after failing to recover my data?
I had given them clear instructions to call me and to not do anything
to my
hard drive, but they changed shifts and formatted my hard drive.

Can one of these two applications still recover my missing Emails?

Can one of these two applications recover data from my formatted hard
drive?

Your knowledgeable advice will really be appreciated.
Thank You,
--
Ray10X10

Visit Windows Updates manually and see if there is any updates that weren't
downloaded.

Also, Open OE | Help | About and scroll down to msoe.dll. If it starts:
6.00.2900.3028, then OE is up-to-date and copies of your dbx files will be
created in the Recycle Bin when you compact.
--
Bruce Hagen
MS-MVP Outlook Express
~IB-CA~

"Ray10X10" vacantlot.com wrote in message
...
Thank You, Bruce, for responding to my request for help.

You wrote, "You will only have a backup in the Recycle Bin if you are
using
XP/SP2
*fully patched*."

What do you mean by "fully patched?"

Is "fully patched" the same as "updated to the current date?"

I am running XP/SP2 and my computer is set to be automatically updated by
Microsoft every night.

Am I wrong to assume that Microsoft keeps my computer updated to the max?
Please respond to this question.
Thank You,
--
Ray10X10


"Bruce Hagen" wrote:

You will only have a backup in the Recycle Bin if you are using XP/SP2
*fully patched*.

I don't know what Best Buy did, but DBXpress run in Extract From Disk mod
is
the only tool that has a chance once messages were compacted, (not
compressed). Bloated folders cause loss of messages as well. Here is my
standard reply. Please heed the part about archiving messages to prevent
this in the future.

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, and are fully patched, then you should have a
backup of your dbx files in the Recycle Bin, copied as bak files.

To restore a bak folder to the message store folder, first close OE and
locate the Message Store in Windows Explorer.

Tools | Options | Maintenance | Store Folder will reveal the location of
your Outlook Express files. Press the Tab key to highlight the folder
location, then Ctrl+C. Close OE, then Start | Run | Ctrl+V will put the
location in the box - Click OK and you'll see the OE files. Otherwise,
write
the location down and navigate to it in Windows Explorer.

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.

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.

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 if you don't want to lose your messages 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.

And backup often.

Backup and Resto

http://www.insideoutlookexpress.com/backup/

http://www.oehelp.com/backup.aspx

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
~IB-CA~

"Ray10X10" vacantlot.com wrote in message
...
Which application DBXpress or DBXtract is better . . .

1. to recover missing Emails when they do not show up in the Recycle
Bin?
OE6 compressed my E-mails. I was not using my computer.
There were no programs running, and no interruptions.
When the compressing was finished my Inbox Emails from January to
March
were missing. Sent Emails were still present.
There were no Emails in my recycle bin.

2. to recover data from a hard drive that a computer store - Best Buy
formatted after failing to recover my data?
I had given them clear instructions to call me and to not do
anything
to my
hard drive, but they changed shifts and formatted my hard drive.

Can one of these two applications still recover my missing Emails?

Can one of these two applications recover data from my formatted hard
drive?

Your knowledgeable advice will really be appreciated.
Thank You,
--
Ray10X10

Bruce, I followed your instructions for verifying that my computer is "fully
patched."
Yes, the right codes were there. So I should be "fully patched."

I wonder why no copies of my files showed up in my recycle bin.

Again, Thank you, Bruce, for your help.
--
Ray10X10


"Ray10X10" wrote:

Thank You, Bruce, for responding to my request for help.

You wrote, "You will only have a backup in the Recycle Bin if you are using
XP/SP2
*fully patched*."

What do you mean by "fully patched?"

Is "fully patched" the same as "updated to the current date?"

I am running XP/SP2 and my computer is set to be automatically updated by
Microsoft every night.

Am I wrong to assume that Microsoft keeps my computer updated to the max?
Please respond to this question.
Thank You,
--
Ray10X10


"Bruce Hagen" wrote:

You will only have a backup in the Recycle Bin if you are using XP/SP2
*fully patched*.

I don't know what Best Buy did, but DBXpress run in Extract From Disk mod is
the only tool that has a chance once messages were compacted, (not
compressed). Bloated folders cause loss of messages as well. Here is my
standard reply. Please heed the part about archiving messages to prevent
this in the future.

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, and are fully patched, then you should have a
backup of your dbx files in the Recycle Bin, copied as bak files.

To restore a bak folder to the message store folder, first close OE and
locate the Message Store in Windows Explorer.

Tools | Options | Maintenance | Store Folder will reveal the location of
your Outlook Express files. Press the Tab key to highlight the folder
location, then Ctrl+C. Close OE, then Start | Run | Ctrl+V will put the
location in the box - Click OK and you'll see the OE files. Otherwise, write
the location down and navigate to it in Windows Explorer.

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.

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.

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 if you don't want to lose your messages 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.

And backup often.

Backup and Resto

http://www.insideoutlookexpress.com/backup/

http://www.oehelp.com/backup.aspx

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
~IB-CA~

"Ray10X10" vacantlot.com wrote in message
...
Which application DBXpress or DBXtract is better . . .

1. to recover missing Emails when they do not show up in the Recycle Bin?
OE6 compressed my E-mails. I was not using my computer.
There were no programs running, and no interruptions.
When the compressing was finished my Inbox Emails from January to
March
were missing. Sent Emails were still present.
There were no Emails in my recycle bin.

2. to recover data from a hard drive that a computer store - Best Buy
formatted after failing to recover my data?
I had given them clear instructions to call me and to not do anything
to my
hard drive, but they changed shifts and formatted my hard drive.

Can one of these two applications still recover my missing Emails?

Can one of these two applications recover data from my formatted hard
drive?

Your knowledgeable advice will really be appreciated.
Thank You,
--
Ray10X10

Somehow, the Recycle Bin must have been emptied before you checked it. As
you see, Steve's tool is your only hope now.

When things are back to normal, I would suggest backing up OE daily.

This freeware tool backs up everything in OE in seconds. Disregard what is
written in red. That is referring to a different program.

Outlook Express Quick Backup (OEQB):
http://www.oehelp.com/OEBackup/Default.aspx

After you are set, do a manual compact and see if you now get copies in the
Recycle Bin.

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.
--
Bruce Hagen
MS-MVP Outlook Express
~IB-CA~

"Ray10X10" vacantlot.com wrote in message
...
Bruce, I followed your instructions for verifying that my computer is
"fully
patched."
Yes, the right codes were there. So I should be "fully patched."

I wonder why no copies of my files showed up in my recycle bin.

Again, Thank you, Bruce, for your help.
--
Ray10X10


"Ray10X10" wrote:

Thank You, Bruce, for responding to my request for help.

You wrote, "You will only have a backup in the Recycle Bin if you are
using
XP/SP2
*fully patched*."

What do you mean by "fully patched?"

Is "fully patched" the same as "updated to the current date?"

I am running XP/SP2 and my computer is set to be automatically updated by
Microsoft every night.

Am I wrong to assume that Microsoft keeps my computer updated to the max?
Please respond to this question.
Thank You,
--
Ray10X10


"Bruce Hagen" wrote:

You will only have a backup in the Recycle Bin if you are using XP/SP2
*fully patched*.

I don't know what Best Buy did, but DBXpress run in Extract From Disk
mod is
the only tool that has a chance once messages were compacted, (not
compressed). Bloated folders cause loss of messages as well. Here is my
standard reply. Please heed the part about archiving messages to
prevent
this in the future.

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, and are fully patched, then you should have
a
backup of your dbx files in the Recycle Bin, copied as bak files.

To restore a bak folder to the message store folder, first close OE and
locate the Message Store in Windows Explorer.

Tools | Options | Maintenance | Store Folder will reveal the location
of
your Outlook Express files. Press the Tab key to highlight the folder
location, then Ctrl+C. Close OE, then Start | Run | Ctrl+V will put the
location in the box - Click OK and you'll see the OE files. Otherwise,
write
the location down and navigate to it in Windows Explorer.

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.

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.

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 if you don't want to lose your messages 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.

And backup often.

Backup and Resto

http://www.insideoutlookexpress.com/backup/

http://www.oehelp.com/backup.aspx

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
~IB-CA~

"Ray10X10" vacantlot.com wrote in message
...
Which application DBXpress or DBXtract is better . . .

1. to recover missing Emails when they do not show up in the Recycle
Bin?
OE6 compressed my E-mails. I was not using my computer.
There were no programs running, and no interruptions.
When the compressing was finished my Inbox Emails from January to
March
were missing. Sent Emails were still present.
There were no Emails in my recycle bin.

2. to recover data from a hard drive that a computer store - Best
Buy
formatted after failing to recover my data?
I had given them clear instructions to call me and to not do
anything
to my
hard drive, but they changed shifts and formatted my hard drive.

Can one of these two applications still recover my missing Emails?

Can one of these two applications recover data from my formatted hard
drive?

Your knowledgeable advice will really be appreciated.
Thank You,
--
Ray10X10