All Emails Have Disappeared

I can't give you any guarantees, but many people have used DBXpress
successfully. I haven't, because I have never needed it.

DBXpress will not screw up your computer, but if you feel uncomfortable
using the tool, then the only other option would be to take your chances and
bring your machine to a Computer *Doc*.

Whatever you decide to do, I hope in the future you backup not only OE, but
all other personal files such as in My Documents on a regular basis. I do at
least once a week and if I lost everything, all I would not be able to
restore is the last few days.

There are many things that can cause you to lose important files at any
time. Be safe and backup.
--
Bruce Hagen
MS MVP - Outlook Express
~IB-CA~

wrote in message
nk.net...
when I do a search for .dbx files, it shows them all, with their file
paths...but there is no way I can see to print that out or cut and paste
it...I have read all the information at the link you provided and I fear
it is going to just be too complicated for me. I am low tech, sad but
true. I find when I try things like this, it starts asking me questions I
don't know the answers to, and telling me to do things I don't know how to
do. I can follow line by line directions, but not when there are commands
and ideas I am not familiar with.
I do not wish to waste $25 and screw up my computer still more.
Are you sure this is going to be easy to do?
"Bruce Hagen" wrote in message
...
If there are no files in the recycle bin, then the download is a moot
point at this time. Worry about that later.

Your only chance of recovery is DBXpress run in disk mode.
http://www.oehelp.com/DBXpress/Default.aspx
--
Bruce Hagen
MS MVP - Outlook Express
~IB-CA~

wrote in message
link.net...
There are no files in my recycle bin that have anything to do with this
situation...also I cannot see any DOWNLOAD button in the upper right
hand corner of the page that is the link you recommended. This is so
pathetic.

"Bruce Hagen" wrote in message
...
I can tell you are using XP/SP2, so see this link:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/918069/en-us

If you have copies of the dbx files in the recycle bin, this link will
show you how to recover them. If you don't, check Windows Updates. If
you have no updates waiting, download the Hotfix from the above link.

That will only help for future problems. For now, if there are no
backup files in the recycle bin, then you will need;

DBXpress run in Disk Mode is the best chance to recover messages:
http://www.oehelp.com/DBXpress/Default.aspx
--
Bruce Hagen
MS MVP - Outlook Express
~IB-CA~

wrote in message
k.net...
well, it's not bloated folders, as I keep the default folders trim and
lean...I think it is going to be the disruption during compacting...
I will try to do what you mention below, BUT...how do I know if I am
"fully patched?"


"Bruce Hagen" wrote in message
...
The two most common reasons for what you describe is disruption of
the compacting process, (never touch anything until it's finished),
and 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 using a fully patched version of XP/SP2, see:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/918069/en-us

If not:

DBXpress run in 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

http://www.oehelp.com/OEBackup/Default.aspx
--
Bruce Hagen
MS MVP - Outlook Express
~IB-CA~

wrote in message
link.net...
I have read for 2 hours on this ng to see if this question has
already been answered, and saw bits and pieces of info, but not
enough to apply to my situation.
All of a sudden today, almost all my email folders were totally
empty. It has been suggested to me that the OE was corrupted during
a compacting that went awry somehow.
I did a search on .dbx files and I can see all the files, with their
folder locations, but I cannot print out that listing or figure out
how to get the "stuff" in there into the appropriate OE folders.
"Import" does not seem to allow files to come in, but only items
from other email set-ups...
I am fairly low tech but very frustrated.
I found a file called ARCHIVE and somehow (don't ask me how) was
able to get that in to OE, but it is not the emails that disappeared
today; it is a folder that was created for me when I bought a new
computer 2 years ago.
HELP!

Bela0730 is just sending blank replies. He/She has been in my kill-file for
some time for doing this. Pay no attention.
--
Bruce Hagen
MS MVP - Outlook Express
~IB-CA~

wrote in message
news
Bela0730, I don't see any reply from you...???

"bela0730" wrote in message
...

az alábbiakat írta a következõ hírüzenetben:
. net...
I have read for 2 hours on this ng to see if this question has already
been answered, and saw bits and pieces of info, but not enough to apply
to my situation.
All of a sudden today, almost all my email folders were totally empty.
It has been suggested to me that the OE was corrupted during a
compacting that went awry somehow.
I did a search on .dbx files and I can see all the files, with their
folder locations, but I cannot print out that listing or figure out how
to get the "stuff" in there into the appropriate OE folders. "Import"
does not seem to allow files to come in, but only items from other email
set-ups...
I am fairly low tech but very frustrated.
I found a file called ARCHIVE and somehow (don't ask me how) was able to
get that in to OE, but it is not the emails that disappeared today; it
is a folder that was created for me when I bought a new computer 2 years
ago.
HELP!

thank you for the info!

"Bruce Hagen" wrote in message
...
Bela0730 is just sending blank replies. He/She has been in my kill-file
for some time for doing this. Pay no attention.
--
Bruce Hagen
MS MVP - Outlook Express
~IB-CA~

wrote in message
news
Bela0730, I don't see any reply from you...???

"bela0730" wrote in message
...

az alábbiakat írta a következõ hírüzenetben:
. net...
I have read for 2 hours on this ng to see if this question has already
been answered, and saw bits and pieces of info, but not enough to apply
to my situation.
All of a sudden today, almost all my email folders were totally empty.
It has been suggested to me that the OE was corrupted during a
compacting that went awry somehow.
I did a search on .dbx files and I can see all the files, with their
folder locations, but I cannot print out that listing or figure out how
to get the "stuff" in there into the appropriate OE folders. "Import"
does not seem to allow files to come in, but only items from other
email set-ups...
I am fairly low tech but very frustrated.
I found a file called ARCHIVE and somehow (don't ask me how) was able
to get that in to OE, but it is not the emails that disappeared today;
it is a folder that was created for me when I bought a new computer 2
years ago.
HELP!

wrote in message
ink.net...
thank you for the info!


You are not fully patched. There is at least one optional patch for Outlook
Express waiting for you at
Windows Update. Since it is an optional patch it will never be downloaded
by Automatic Updates. This patch is only for OE on WinXP SP2, which you
have and has several bug fixes. The fix relative to this thread is that
before compacting folders it copies them to the Recycled Bin with a BAK
extension. You should get it.

--
Frank Saunders, MS-MVP, OE/WM
Please reply in newsgroup.

I went to windows update and the only update it had for me was one I had
downloaded previously, but I did it again, it did not appear to have
anything to do with OE...

"Frank Saunders, MS-MVP, OE/WM" wrote in message
news
wrote in message
ink.net...
thank you for the info!


You are not fully patched. There is at least one optional patch for
Outlook Express waiting for you at
Windows Update. Since it is an optional patch it will never be downloaded
by Automatic Updates. This patch is only for OE on WinXP SP2, which you
have and has several bug fixes. The fix relative to this thread is that
before compacting folders it copies them to the Recycled Bin with a BAK
extension. You should get it.

--
Frank Saunders, MS-MVP, OE/WM
Please reply in newsgroup.

You're probably missing this:

If you are fully patched, the Compact Check Count in the registry should now
be reset to 0 (zero) when you compact manually. Double check at Windows
Updates. If there is nothing available, download the patch at this link and
a manual compact will reset the counter so you don't see the prompt.

http://tinyurl.com/mx3r2
--
Bruce Hagen
MS MVP - Outlook Express
~IB-CA~

wrote in message
nk.net...
I went to windows update and the only update it had for me was one I had
downloaded previously, but I did it again, it did not appear to have
anything to do with OE...

"Frank Saunders, MS-MVP, OE/WM" wrote in message
news
wrote in message
ink.net...
thank you for the info!


You are not fully patched. There is at least one optional patch for
Outlook Express waiting for you at
Windows Update. Since it is an optional patch it will never be
downloaded by Automatic Updates. This patch is only for OE on WinXP SP2,
which you have and has several bug fixes. The fix relative to this
thread is that before compacting folders it copies them to the Recycled
Bin with a BAK extension. You should get it.

--
Frank Saunders, MS-MVP, OE/WM
Please reply in newsgroup.

we are right back to when I said "I don't see any 'download now' button on
the page," this is true of the link you provided as well...

"Bruce Hagen" wrote in message
...
You're probably missing this:

If you are fully patched, the Compact Check Count in the registry should
now be reset to 0 (zero) when you compact manually. Double check at
Windows Updates. If there is nothing available, download the patch at this
link and a manual compact will reset the counter so you don't see the
prompt.

http://tinyurl.com/mx3r2
--
Bruce Hagen
MS MVP - Outlook Express
~IB-CA~

wrote in message
nk.net...
I went to windows update and the only update it had for me was one I had
downloaded previously, but I did it again, it did not appear to have
anything to do with OE...

"Frank Saunders, MS-MVP, OE/WM" wrote in message
news
wrote in message
ink.net...
thank you for the info!


You are not fully patched. There is at least one optional patch for
Outlook Express waiting for you at
Windows Update. Since it is an optional patch it will never be
downloaded by Automatic Updates. This patch is only for OE on WinXP
SP2, which you have and has several bug fixes. The fix relative to this
thread is that before compacting folders it copies them to the Recycled
Bin with a BAK extension. You should get it.

--
Frank Saunders, MS-MVP, OE/WM
Please reply in newsgroup.

Look in Add/Remove Programs. If KB918766 is not listed, then download it
from the link I provided. Besides what the KB article says, it is also the
one that is responsible for creating backup folders in the Recycle Bin when
you compact.

It will not get your current missing messages back, you need DBXpress for
that, but it will prevent this scenario in the future.

I don't know why you can't see the Download button in the article from the
link I provided. See the attached screen shot. It is plainly visible.
--
Bruce Hagen
MS MVP - Outlook Express
~IB-CA~

wrote in message
link.net...
we are right back to when I said "I don't see any 'download now' button on
the page," this is true of the link you provided as well...

"Bruce Hagen" wrote in message
...
You're probably missing this:

If you are fully patched, the Compact Check Count in the registry should
now be reset to 0 (zero) when you compact manually. Double check at
Windows Updates. If there is nothing available, download the patch at
this link and a manual compact will reset the counter so you don't see
the prompt.

http://tinyurl.com/mx3r2
--
Bruce Hagen
MS MVP - Outlook Express
~IB-CA~

wrote in message
nk.net...
I went to windows update and the only update it had for me was one I had
downloaded previously, but I did it again, it did not appear to have
anything to do with OE...

"Frank Saunders, MS-MVP, OE/WM" wrote in
message news wrote in message
ink.net...
thank you for the info!


You are not fully patched. There is at least one optional patch for
Outlook Express waiting for you at
Windows Update. Since it is an optional patch it will never be
downloaded by Automatic Updates. This patch is only for OE on WinXP
SP2, which you have and has several bug fixes. The fix relative to
this thread is that before compacting folders it copies them to the
Recycled Bin with a BAK extension. You should get it.

--
Frank Saunders, MS-MVP, OE/WM
Please reply in newsgroup.

wrote in message
nk.net...
I went to windows update and the only update it had for me was one I had
downloaded previously, but I did it again, it did not appear to have
anything to do with OE...

"Frank Saunders, MS-MVP, OE/WM" wrote in message
news
wrote in message
ink.net...
thank you for the info!


You are not fully patched. There is at least one optional patch for
Outlook Express waiting for you at
Windows Update. Since it is an optional patch it will never be
downloaded by Automatic Updates. This patch is only for OE on WinXP SP2,
which you have and has several bug fixes. The fix relative to this
thread is that before compacting folders it copies them to the Recycled
Bin with a BAK extension. You should get it.

--
Frank Saunders, MS-MVP, OE/WM
Please reply in newsgroup.



Are you sure you looked at the optional patches?
See he
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/d...DisplayLang=en

--
Frank Saunders, MS-MVP, OE/WM
Please reply in newsgroup.

On a blue bar between a third and halfway down the page it says Download
near the left end.

--
Frank Saunders, MS-MVP, OE/WM
Please reply in newsgroup.

wrote in message
link.net...
we are right back to when I said "I don't see any 'download now' button on
the page," this is true of the link you provided as well...

"Bruce Hagen" wrote in message
...
You're probably missing this:

If you are fully patched, the Compact Check Count in the registry should
now be reset to 0 (zero) when you compact manually. Double check at
Windows Updates. If there is nothing available, download the patch at
this link and a manual compact will reset the counter so you don't see
the prompt.

http://tinyurl.com/mx3r2
--
Bruce Hagen
MS MVP - Outlook Express
~IB-CA~

wrote in message
nk.net...
I went to windows update and the only update it had for me was one I had
downloaded previously, but I did it again, it did not appear to have
anything to do with OE...

"Frank Saunders, MS-MVP, OE/WM" wrote in
message news wrote in message
ink.net...
thank you for the info!


You are not fully patched. There is at least one optional patch for
Outlook Express waiting for you at
Windows Update. Since it is an optional patch it will never be
downloaded by Automatic Updates. This patch is only for OE on WinXP
SP2, which you have and has several bug fixes. The fix relative to
this thread is that before compacting folders it copies them to the
Recycled Bin with a BAK extension. You should get it.