Where are my deleted emails!!??

lasnyderlasnyder
edited January 2010 in Science & Tech
I am running outlook express on a xp machine. Few days ago I had to do a hard restart (use powerbutton). Now when I delete an email from my inbox it is not going into my deleted items folder, or any other folder. I checked the "view" tab to make sure it wasnt just showing un read items- thats not it. Any ideas.
Thanks

Comments

  • QuadWhoreQuadWhore Toledo, Ohio, U.S. Icrontian
    edited January 2010
    Welcome to Icrontic lasnyder! Have you tried checking in the folder where the Outlook express files reside?
  • lasnyderlasnyder
    edited January 2010
    where would that be? And why would that be happening and how would I resolve it?
  • QuadWhoreQuadWhore Toledo, Ohio, U.S. Icrontian
    edited January 2010
    lasnyder wrote:
    where would that be? And why would that be happening and how would I resolve it?

    Hm, just ignore what I said. Try looking around in the settings in Outlook to see if there is any setting that might have been actually changed that might cause deleted emails to permanently delete.
  • BobbyDigiBobbyDigi ? R U #Hats ! TX Icrontian
    edited January 2010
    Go to

    Tools -> Options -> Maintenance tab

    Make sure "Empty deleted items on exit" is not checked.

    AFAIK this is the only option in OE that will automatically delete... deleted emails.

    Your Deleted Items folder may have also gone corrupt. In this case you can recreate it by:

    Go to the same Maintenence tab described above
    Click on "Store Folder"
    Copy the directory displayed
    Close Outlook Express
    Start -> Run -> paste URL and "OK"
    Find "Deleted Items.dbx" and rename it (Deleted Items.dbx.old will be fine)
    Reopen Outlook Express and it will automatically recreate the folder

    The above wont help much retrieve anything that is currently there or was lost, but it will get you back on track if a corrupt Deleted Items is the problem.

    -Bobby
  • lasnyderlasnyder
    edited January 2010
    YAA BOBBY 12111-- that solved it- last question- can I somehow import the old deleted emails into my new deleted box?
  • RyderRyder Kalamazoo, Mi Icrontian
    edited January 2010
    Bobby1211 wrote:
    The above wont help much retrieve anything that is currently there or was lost, but it will get you back on track if a corrupt Deleted Items is the problem.

    -Bobby
    No, what you have already deleted are truly "deleted".
  • lasnyderlasnyder
    edited January 2010
    Thats not correct, I renamed the file to deleted.dbx.old The old emails are in there, I would like to be able to access them and copy them into the new deleted box.
  • SnarkasmSnarkasm Madison, WI Icrontian
    edited January 2010
    Forgive the impertinence, but if you've deleted them, who gives a crap?

    They're stuck in your old deleted folder - they are now irretrievable.
  • RyderRyder Kalamazoo, Mi Icrontian
    edited January 2010
    lasnyder wrote:
    Thats not correct, I renamed the file to deleted.dbx.old The old emails are in there, I would like to be able to access them and copy them into the new deleted box.
    Then rename the file "old Deleted.dbx" and see if it appears in your folder listing.
  • lasnyderlasnyder
    edited January 2010
    First- On occasion I need to review a old email. second, they are not irretrievalbe since all I would need to do is rename the folder to "deleted items.dbx" and they would be available to me again via outlook express. I cant do that though because the file has some sort of error in it so that when I delete emails from my inbox they are truly gone- in no folder what so ever. BY following Bobbys suggestion I now have a folder that my emails I delete are going to but the older ones are now not accessable since they are in a file called "deleted items.dbx.old".
  • lasnyderlasnyder
    edited January 2010
    sadly that doesnt work- have no idea why
  • BobbyDigiBobbyDigi ? R U #Hats ! TX Icrontian
    edited January 2010
    Yeah, as far as I know you will not get that file to work in OE anymore. You can indeed reference the data by simply opening the file with Wordpad (I thought notepad would work but kept crashing when I tried it: Your mileage may vary). All the header information (will look like hieroglyphics) and the body of the messages will be in there in order that they were put in the folder.

    "Save as" a Wordpad .doc file (or copy paste to your favorite txt editor) for future reference.

    And as my fellow Icrontians were subtly trying to suggest above, don't save anything you need to reference in the future in the Deleted Items folder.

    Also: Welcome to Icrontic! :D

    -Bobby
  • ardichokeardichoke Icrontian
    edited January 2010
    ... and always make a backup. If it's too important to lose, it's too important to not backup.
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