Computer help needed please!

PaulBoy

PaulBoy

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Paul
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Hi - I backed up "My Documents" to external hard drive yesterday & then deleted the originals from my laptop hard drive
When I opened Outlook Express (OE) the folders I had created as well as Inbox / Outbox / Deleted Items etc were gone including all the files that were sitting in Inbox / Outbox / etc
No problem I thought as I know how to restore from the .dbx files which are in the OE Store which was when I spotted what the problem may be - the OE Store was in "My Documents" - I ran "Import Messages" from OE and pointed it to the OE Store but it did not restore my Folders & data back into OE?
I tried copying all of the "My Documents" from my backup on my external hard drive but that made no difference
I have looked on Micro$oft.co.uk knowledge base etc but can't find anything helpful
I found a download of "OE Mail-Recovery" but it is a trial version which recovers the folders but not the files within - are there any other (free) programs I could download to help?
Hope you can help as I'm :bang: now ... Paul :thinking:
 
I dont know of any software to help you but i can suggest try using IMAP instead of POP next time. Or atleast ticking the box which keeps a copy on the sever until deleted from the deleted folder.
 
Did you just delete my documents or did you delete your user name account from the documents and settings?

The outlook express data is actually sorted in application data which is in c:\documents and settings\username\application data\somewhere\somewhere - my documents is c:\documents and settings\username\documents - if all you backed up was my documents then you will have lost the outlook data.

Did you physically create a mail backup from with outlook express before wiping your documents? Or did you just copy the my documents folder?

I moved to outlook from outlook express because its easy peasy to export contacts, mail and everything else into a pst file, stick that on an external hdd, format the system and restore from that pst file.

If I remember rightly the last time I tried to backup from without outlook express I had to manually create folders and then drag and drop the mail from outlook express to the folders in explorer.
 
Hi DS & thanks ...
When I check my OE Tools\maintenance to see where the Store is it points to C:\Documents and Settings\Paul\My Documents\oe messages & inside there are the .dbx files called sent items ; ebay stuff & basically all the folders I used to have in OE
When I first tried to Import those files were just sitting in My Documents but I read a thread online elsewhere which suggested putting them in a separate folder before doing the import (?)
I will try your tip of re-creating the folders in OE & see what happens?
You asked "Did you physically create a mail backup from with outlook express before wiping your documents? Or did you just copy the my documents folder" - No to the backup & yes to the copy ...
Paul (y)
 
I realise this doesn't help your situation, but I'd ditch Outlook Express (because its cack, basically), and get Mozilla Thunderbird instead.

Oh and by the way - I also recommend IMAP over POP3. With POP3, your emails are downloaded and stored locally. With IMAP, they're stored on a remote server and only the headers are downloaded. This means you can use any e-mail client anywhere in the world to check your e-mails - even ones you've already read on a different PC.
 
I seem to remember that the import only works if the stuff is on the right path. You have to copy all the files to another folder which has the right path from the root of a drive. So what you read is probably the reason. Can't remember the name you are supposed to use for the folder but I guess Google will turn it up. You don't need to recreate the folders in OE.
 
Right

Select File, Import, Messages.... Choose Microsoft Outlook Express 6 and press Next. Select Import mail from an OE6 store directory and press Next. Now on the next screen Browse to the location that you've placed the message store we saved from your old machine. Import, and your messages should now be transferred.
Click to expand...

thats the exact instruction set I've just found. Are you sure its not importing them into a folder inside OE? I know outlook proper has a personal folders folder.

Just have a snoop around inside OE and see if theres any sign of anything.
 
That does sound right DS. The folder thing I remember could well be for an old version.
 
Darksaber said:
Right



thats the exact instruction set I've just found. Are you sure its not importing them into a folder inside OE? I know outlook proper has a personal folders folder.

Just have a snoop around inside OE and see if theres any sign of anything.
Click to expand...

DS - Those instructions are what I've been doing & all I get is a message which despite me running OE6 says in the bar its OE5! and states "The specified store could not be opened. It may be in use by Outlook Express."
And yes I did enter: Select File, Import, Messages.... Choose Microsoft Outlook Express 6
I will google this phrase but if anyone is any the wiser :shrug:
Paul
 
Is there a file type drop down box you can change as part of the import process?

so dbx type outlook 6 rather than 5?
 
Just found this which implies it should be a new folder off the root of a drive - guess the folder name does not matter.

To restore your mail folders:

1.


Copy the backup copies of your DBX files to a new empty folder on your hard disk.

2.


In Outlook Express click Import on the File menu, then click Messages.

3.


Select Microsoft Outlook Express 6 and click Next.

4.


Select Import mail from an OE6 store directory and click OK.

5.


Browse to the folder with your backup DBX files and click Next.
 
RobertP said:
Just found this which implies it should be a new folder off the root of a drive - guess the folder name does not matter.

To restore your mail folders:

1.


Copy the backup copies of your DBX files to a new empty folder on your hard disk.

2.


In Outlook Express click Import on the File menu, then click Messages.

3.


Select Microsoft Outlook Express 6 and click Next.

4.


Select Import mail from an OE6 store directory and click OK.

5.


Browse to the folder with your backup DBX files and click Next.
Click to expand...

RobertP - That worked to the degree that it went beyond the previous error message but when asking what folders to restore it isnt giving me the list of folders that corresponds with my .dbx files (i.e. the usual Inbox ; Deleted Items were there but the extra ones I created myself were not)
I have found a program called DBXtract which might do the business so will try that & report back (probably 2moro)
Thanks again for your assistance ... Paul (y)
 
PaulBoy said:
RobertP - That worked to the degree that it went beyond the previous error message but when asking what folders to restore it isnt giving me the list of folders that corresponds with my .dbx files (i.e. the usual Inbox ; Deleted Items were there but the extra ones I created myself were not)
I have found a program called DBXtract which might do the business so will try that & report back (probably 2moro)
Thanks again for your assistance ... Paul (y)
Click to expand...

DBXtract recovered ALL my folders with emails intact - I had to pay for it but it was only $5 :eek: - money well spent - thanks again DS & RobertP (y) ... Paul
 
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