Outlook Express compressed several email folders - where are they now?
Csaba Ban Hungary Local time: 07:14 Member (2002) English to Hungarian + ...
May 20, 2007
My Outlook Express started an automated process to compress the content of several email folders. Luckily enough, I interrupted the process at some point.
Several email cubfolders are now completely empty, while the Inbox, for example, includes emails only up to a certain date.
When I discovered this last night, the last email in my Inbox was dated April 15th. Now I have all incoming mail until about May 12th, but nothing after that.
Any idea where these compressed folders are stored now? Is there any default path where the seemingly lost items can tracked down?
thank you in advance,
Csaba
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Henrik Pipoyan Armenia Local time: 10:14 Member (2004) English to Armenian
Hi Csaba
May 20, 2007
Normally MS Outlook Express stores the folders on the system drive. You can see the complete path by going to Tools > Options > Maintenance and clicking on the "Store folder" button. Follow that path and open that folder. Each Outlook folder is a file in this folder with the extension *.dbx. It is possible that Outlook Express has created another file with the same name and replaced the existing one. For example it may have created another file for Inbox and the older one renamed to Inbox(1).dbx. If this is the case, than at least you haven't lost your messages. First copy all these files to a safe place, so that you have them if something happens to the files. Than exit Outlook Express, so that you can rename the files. After exiting, rename the files and reopen Outlook Express. Make sure to copy all the files to a safe place before renaming. You may need these files again, if Outlook Express behaves in a strange manner, which is possible.
Henry
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Vesna Zivcic Croatia Local time: 07:14 Member German to Croatian + ...
Never interrupt the compression process once it has started
May 20, 2007
Hi Czaba,
Before the compression, you have the option to accept or to decline it. But once it gets started, my advice is never to interrupt it because you are most likely going to lose the data processed up to the point of interruption.
They are not "seemingly lost", they are just... lost.
If you would like to allow the compression, prior to that you may want to backup the Outlook Express store folder just to be on the safe side.
BR,
Vesna
[Edited at 2007-05-20 17:21]
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i encountered the same issue. this may help you with your problem:
first, search the folder with ".bak" extenscion (inbox.bak) usually you may see this on your recycle bin folder.
2nd, changed the ".bak" to ".dbx" (inbox.bak --> inbox.dbx)
3rd, copy the "inbox.dbx" to your OE's store folder.
note: make to backup first your outlook express email before doing this instruction..
PEACE!..
by the way, im from philippines, not from peru.
[Edited at 2007-08-07 02:08]
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Roberta Anderson Italy Local time: 07:14 Member (2001) English to Italian
retrieving emails from corrupted dbx files
Sep 20, 2007
I just spent the past couple of days struggling with a corrupted inbox .dbx file - the file size was ok (enormous... I'm too embarassed to admit here how large it got it, due my poor email organisation ) but OE could not see any of the messages in it.
I tried the tool they recommend (DBXtract), which did not work, probably due to the size of my .dbx file.
I then tried this other tool, OE-Mail Recovery, and was able to retrieve the whole lot. It costs 20$, but you can use the free trial version first, to see if it can actually read your damaged dbx files - once you see that all your precious emails are recognised and listed, you can then buy the product to enable to save feature, save them, then ctrl-drag them back in a new .dbx file.
With luck, not all lost emails are actually lost
HtH,
Roberta
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Dan Brennan United Kingdom Local time: 06:14 Member (2006) Russian to English + ...
Retrieving OE inbox files wiped during compacting
Sep 26, 2007
Roberta Anderson wrote:
I then tried this other tool, OE-Mail Recovery, and was able to retrieve the whole lot. It costs 20$, but you can use the free trial version first, to see if it can actually read your damaged dbx files - once you see that all your precious emails are recognised and listed, you can then buy the product to enable to save feature, save them, then ctrl-drag them back in a new .dbx file.
With luck, not all lost emails are actually lost
HtH,
Roberta
Hi Roberta et al,
I am sorry to say I have just joined the missing emails club. Three years worth of messages from my inbox wiped in one foul swoop when I did the compacting, which I thought would help resolve other irregularities I was experiencing with OE. All the content of my subfolders has remained unharmed. I tried to find this program that you mentioned Roberta, but to no avail. Could you possibly post a link to their website, or email me at dan@liberos.com
Any further tips on retrieval will be much appreciated. I cannot believe, given that it is possible to retrieve all kinds of lost data these days, that these messages have been permanently and irretrievably wiped...
Cheers,
Dan
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Roberta Anderson Italy Local time: 07:14 Member (2001) English to Italian
for Dan
Sep 27, 2007
Hi Dan
I sent you an email with details of the application I mentioned, which solved my lost emails problem.
Make sure you copy your damaged .dbx file to another location before attempting anything, then you can delete the original .dbx file and dreate a new one in OE, in which you'll be able to drag any retrieved email files.
Let me know if I can be of any further assistance, and good luck!
Roberta
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Slobodan Mirkovic Canada Local time: 01:14 Member (2009) English to Serbian + ...
solution
Feb 24, 2008
Hi Dan,
Possible solution is BadCopyPro.
This program recovers everything, from wied partitions and CD to single files.
Once you start it, let it recover your primary partition (C drive) and then search for dbx files.
Your inbox is inbox.dbx
sent items are "sent.dbx'
etc.
Daniel Brennan wrote:
Roberta Anderson wrote:
I then tried this other tool, OE-Mail Recovery, and was able to retrieve the whole lot. It costs 20$, but you can use the free trial version first, to see if it can actually read your damaged dbx files - once you see that all your precious emails are recognised and listed, you can then buy the product to enable to save feature, save them, then ctrl-drag them back in a new .dbx file.
With luck, not all lost emails are actually lost
HtH,
Roberta
Hi Roberta et al,
I am sorry to say I have just joined the missing emails club. Three years worth of messages from my inbox wiped in one foul swoop when I did the compacting, which I thought would help resolve other irregularities I was experiencing with OE. All the content of my subfolders has remained unharmed. I tried to find this program that you mentioned Roberta, but to no avail. Could you possibly post a link to their website, or email me at dan@liberos.com
Any further tips on retrieval will be much appreciated. I cannot believe, given that it is possible to retrieve all kinds of lost data these days, that these messages have been permanently and irretrievably wiped...
Cheers,
Dan
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The translation workplace 
) but OE could not see any of the messages in it.
