Hello All,
I will start with, I am using Outlook Express 6 (I tried upgrading to a
newer version and hated it) (I don't like for my computer to tell me what I
want to do). I have an eMachine T2085 running Windows XP w/SP2. Yesterday as
I closed OE, the "OE will compact messages to make room" box popped up. I
have always said OK to this in the past without problem. So, I clicked OK.
When I went into OE today several of my messages and FOLDERS were gone. I
mean GONE. You may say "that's OK they're in the recycle bin", NOT. One of my
grandkids emptied the recycle bin for me (wish they would take out the real
garbage as quickly). I did manage to find all (I think) of the stuff deeply
hidden in an Identities folder with .dbx extentions. However, I have no idea
how to restore them. PLEASE HELP!!! I really need some of this stuff. And
yes, Grandchildren are forevermore forbidden to empty recycle bin. Thank you,
--
Lou

I don't know what version of OE you tried to upgrade to. OE6, (As long as
you keep it patched), is the newest, and the last version you will see. Some
of the below may be repetitive, but check it out.

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 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/

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
Imperial Beach, CA


"Lou" wrote in message
...
Hello All,
I will start with, I am using Outlook Express 6 (I tried upgrading to a
newer version and hated it) (I don't like for my computer to tell me what
I
want to do). I have an eMachine T2085 running Windows XP w/SP2. Yesterday
as
I closed OE, the "OE will compact messages to make room" box popped up. I
have always said OK to this in the past without problem. So, I clicked OK.
When I went into OE today several of my messages and FOLDERS were gone. I
mean GONE. You may say "that's OK they're in the recycle bin", NOT. One of
my
grandkids emptied the recycle bin for me (wish they would take out the
real
garbage as quickly). I did manage to find all (I think) of the stuff
deeply
hidden in an Identities folder with .dbx extentions. However, I have no
idea
how to restore them. PLEASE HELP!!! I really need some of this stuff. And
yes, Grandchildren are forevermore forbidden to empty recycle bin. Thank
you,
--
Lou