[Dadrock33]

Hello! First time user so be nice. (technically challenged "senior") Outlook Express recently came up wanting to "compact my messages". Thinking that it knows what it is doing, I said "Yes, go ahead". Now I've lost some of my emails (I canceled it when I started thinking I had better find out more before I did this). #1 - Can I get those emails back? #2 - Do I need to "enlarge" the space alloted to emails? #3 - How do I set it up that it doesn't do this again? Appreciate the help.Dadrock33

[Thom]

Hi Dadrock33,I don't know if I can help as I'm also a technically challenged senior but I'll give it a try:wink:When you compact messages it basically just compresses them so they don't take up as much space when you back them up. That shouldn't cause them to dissappear. They are stored as a .dbx file. I'm guessing you've either deleted the file ( in which case it should be in your recycle bin and can be restored from there if you haven't emptied it) or you moved the file to another location on your hard drive. If that's the case, you can try searching for it.To do that click Start>Search>search for files and folders. In the file name box type the name of the folder the messages were in followed by .dbx. For example: Inbox.dbx. You should get one listed in your OE folder (that will be empty of messages) and a larger one someplace else(that will be your messages). If you find it, move it back to the OE folder and it should restore your messages. As for enlarging the storage space, I would just delete any messages you don't need to keep and empty the deleted folder periodically. that will keep things from getting too cluttered. I don't have any suggestions for keeping it from happening again because I don't know exactly what happened:lol:Post back and let me know if any of this helped.

[Dadrock33]

Thom - Thanks, appreciate the help. I did find them but also found that I don't know what to do with them; especially since they have the " .dbx" file extension. How do I get them back into their original slot? Is the .dbx file the folder that they were in or is it the email itself? Thanks again. Dadrock33

[Thom]

Hi Dadrock33,Glad to hear you found them. The .dbx file you found should be your messages. The easy way to put them back is to open the folder they are in along with the OE folder. If there is a .dbx file of the same name already in the OE folder and the size is smaller than the one you found you can delete it as it's empty(itwill go to the recycle bin and can be retrieved if your nervous about deleting it):lol:Once the empty is gone just drag and drop the .dbx with the messages into the OE folder, Open OE and it should be back to normal. If you have a hard time finding the OE folder put this address in the address bar of any folder "C:Documents andSettingsUsernameLocalSettingsApplicationDataIdentities{546B48FB-977C-419E-86C5-3E53E24286AB}MicrosoftOutlook Express" without the quotations. Username is Smith, Jones, etc. as an example. Hit go.You'll know it's the right folder because it will have all the dbx files in it such as Inbox.dbx,Sent items.dbx ,etc. etc. Good Luck!8)

[Dadrock33]

huh. . ....... well, that didn't work. Maybe I'm expecting too much. I have the ".dbx" file (or is it a folder?) and I can right click on it and then email it to myself but I can't open it! I just sent one to try it out. That .dbx extension needs a program associated with it to open it? What program would that be? Let me try it with two windows open and see if that restores it. I'll keep trying.Dadrock33

[Thom]

Sorry Dadrock, I think I confused you. :oops: You don't have to open the dbx file, you just have to put it into the OE folder. I should specify It's the Application Data folder located in Local Settings, not the folder you see when you are using OE. If the folder address I gave didn't take you there you can use Search and type in Inbox.dbx or Deleted items.dbx. When the search finds it, close the part where the search dog is and click on where it says open the folder where this file is located. Check the address at the top and it should be the OE application data folder. Leave this folder open and call up the folder with the dbx file with your messages. With both folders open, follow my previous instructions to restore the dbx file to the OE folder. Hope that makes sense to you. If you have problems, Post back with more specific info like file name and location where you found it, etc. and I'll try to figure it out.

[Dadrock33]

Thom - I appreciate your help. I really do but I'm feeling that this is just flat beyond my skills. There are two identities (once I work down to the set of "branches"): one is (are you ready?) BFBA9611-6883-418C-9796-027BD29B8ADE and then there is microsoft and outlook express after that. After the OE are all the .dbx files that the search located. The second is 948CE798-0A85-4D97-BDC7-25FE6EF33557 then microsoft and then OE. After the OE in that identity are listed the inbox.dbx, sent items.dbx, etc., etc. I can't seem to drag anything from one side or the other into any of the other items. I have tried a couple but they don't show up once I go back into my regular OE program so I really don't know where they went after that. Thanks for the help but I think those emails are lost.Dadrock33

[Thom]

Okay, I think I see what happened. Sounds like You have 2 seperate E-mail identities and the .dbx file you found is from a seperate E-mail account and is just named the same as the lost one with your messages. If the search didn't turn up the dbx someplace other than your OE folder than I think you are right and they have been deleted instead of moved.:cry:As for your skills, you did better than a lot of people by tracking the files down. They just weren't there. Now you know where the dbx files are located so you can back them up and restore them if it happens again.Thom

[Dadrock33]

Oh no you don't! I don't plan on ever doing this again. I'll delete some of the old ones since some of them have numerous spreadsheets in them that don't concern me. I was just checking the size of some of the categories and was a bit shocked. Should be more manageable now.Thanks again. :)

[ddaaffnnaa]

hiI have the same problem , just did compact messages and lost messages from sept 22nd until today... i don't know how to get them back and i dont think i want to compact my messages ever again... did u have any luck with your messages.?daf

[kristen1nv]

[quote name='Thom']> > If you have a hard time finding the OE folder put this address in the address bar of any folder "C:Documents andSettingsUsernameLocalSettingsApplicationData> > Identities{546B48FB-977C-419E-86C5-3E53E24286AB}MicrosoftOutlook Express" without the quotations. Username is Smith, Jones, etc. as an example. Hit go.> > You'll know it's the right folder because it will have all the dbx files in it such as Inbox.dbx,Sent items.dbx ,etc. etc. Good Luck!8)I am confused on this part, I cannot find any .dbx files at all so am not sure how to put this in an address bar of a folder...........I am a techno dummy totally but compacted also and cannot find the ones that are compacted

[ddaaffnnaa]

U can go also in outlook express:tools then options and click on maintanence tab and then go to store folder and copy or right down the path...i sent an email to microsoft about this problem and they sent me a link with the solution. i still didnt try or read it but here is the link:http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=270670I hope it will help to someone....daf

[Thom]

[quote:a95d151230]I am confused on this part, I cannot find any .dbx files at all so am not sure how to put this in an address bar of a folder...........I am a techno dummy totally but compacted also and cannot find the ones that are compacted[/quote:a95d151230]Sorry, didn't realize the number of the folder in that path would be different on someone else's OE. Stupid me.:oops:An alternate way to get to your OE folder is to click Folders on the toolbar of any open folder ( eg. MY DOCUMENTS ) to open the explorer view on the left. Follow the path I gave (your numbered folder might be different) and you should get to your .dbx files.[quote:a95d151230]i sent an email to microsoft about this problem and they sent me a link with the solution. i still didnt try or read it but here is the link: http://support.microsoft.com/? kbid=270670 [/quote:a95d151230] I also found that link but I don't think it will help. It's for doing backups and you're messages seem to have gotten lost. I've been searching the web and other tech forums but so far have'nt come up with an answer. Compacting only compresses the files. They should still be there until you move them.:unsure I've tried to duplicate what happened but only got a compressed spam folder.:lol:My best advice, for what it's worth, is to locate your .dbx files and either copy them to another folder or do a backup. Here are a couple links I ran across [url]http://www.iopus.com/guides/oe-backup.htm[url]http://www.oehelp.com/OEBackup/Default.aspxThom

[Thom]

May have found some answers. Check here http://www.microsoft...on.mspx#EEBThom

[Thom]

Hi all,I found a couple of programs that might help get your messages back. Have'nt got any personal experience with either one but they look like they are worth checking out.http://www.mailnavigator.com/restoreoutlookexpressdbxfiles.htmlhttp://www.updatexp.com/tip23.htmlPost back if this helps or not.:DThom