Outlook Express - Help please

[mybrainhurts]

Outlook Express 6 Inbox problems....

Menu is showing the correct number of messages received but, when opened, my inbox won't display those received in the last two years.

A few months ago, it lost several months of messages, and the number displayed on the menu dropped accordingly (by about 6000 messages).

Now it seems to have reverted to the correct number, but won't display them all.

I think the earlier problem arose after it had compacted messages, so I've avoided doing that again.

Current problem arose just now when downloading 8 messages.

Any ideas how I can get them back..?

[jimmyjimjim]

Would be interesting to know how big your message store(s) is - I had about a 600-800Mb of newsgroup stuff(with about 220Mb in one file folder), and it started having problem; wouldn't save attachments, couldn't preview, stuff like that. Cleared all of that out, let it compact, t'was happy again.
I'd guess at 6000 messages being about 600Mb, which would put you inline for the same sort of problems, I seem to recall OE is a bit crap at storing messages.
I'd save them off, create an empty file of the same name, restart and see if you get the same problems.
As for recovery, haven't the faintest, sorry.
Worth upgrading to a copy of Outlook 2003 or higher as you can have pretty much any size store you want without corruption problems (~2Gb limit on earlier versions, I think)

[victormeldrew]

You keep 6000 message is your Inbox? Do you leave 6000 envelopes on your doormat at home? Jeez, organize yourself! Create some folders to file stuff away, and look into archiving. You're asking for trouble, if its valuable enough to keep then its valuable enough to care about not losing.

Edited by victormeldrew on Sunday 1st April 21:44

[mybrainhurts]

victormeldrew said:

You keep 6000 message is your Inbox?

No, it LOST 6000...total is about 42000...

victormeldrew said:

Do you leave 6000 envelopes on your doormat at home?

Errr.......yes

victormeldrew said:

Jeez, organize yourself! Create some folders to file stuff away

I do, I do...I've got about 100 folders...

victormeldrew said:

and look into archiving

I was thinking about that. If I create a folder away from OE, will OE open it?

victormeldrew said:

You're asking for trouble, if its valuable enough to keep then its valuable enough to care about not losing.

I know, I know...go on, kick me while I'm down

[victormeldrew]

mybrainhurts said:

victormeldrew said:

and look into archiving

I was thinking about that. If I create a folder away from OE, will OE open it?

If you create new folders each will have a .dbx file. By having extra folders you immediately reduce the risk of data loss as each .dbx file is discrete and corruption of one will not have any effect on the others. The .dbx files are just files, you can copy them outside of OE, using Windows Explorer for example - best done obviously when OE is not running. You could crate a folder for example called 2006, move all emails from 2006 into it, and close the 2006 folder. If you wanted to refer to any of those emails later you could just open that folder again. The less folders/emails you have open the faster Outlook will run, and the less chance of it munching your emails.

If you want to access the email folders outside of OE, there's a guide here which shows how to find where they are stored. You can just copy them, rename them, whatever, just like any other file.

[mybrainhurts]

victormeldrew said:

Just what I needed to know.

Many thanks, vic...much appreciated.

I created a copy some months ago, so all is not lost...I'll get sprottling and try to open it.

Just counted those 100 folders in OE...it's really 303!

My original inbox is still showing the 42k total. I see there are loads of message recovery programs out there. Any idea if some of them are dodgy?

[jimmyjimjim]

42000?



Go to outlook 2k3 or higher. Get it to import your messages. Wait a long time for it to do so.

[mybrainhurts]

I was going to do that, then I read something detrimental about Outlook, so didn't bother.

Now can't remember what the problem was....