Inbox contents simply vanished

MEB · Mar 27, 2008

Bruce Hagen · Mar 27, 2008

Re: Inbox contents simply vanished

Your only choice now is to find instructions for Macallan and run it on this
Saved Mail folder. Also remember that if you delete all messages from a
folder, the size won't change until you compact, so it is possible that
there is nothing in this folder to extract. If that is the case, only
DBXpress run in Extract From Disk mode has a chance as it reads directly
from the HDD and does not depend on the message being in the dbx file.

I'm sorry I can't be more encouraging. I would say you have been very lucky
up until now. You are going to have to start keeping OE neater, and back it
up reguarly. When I open my Inbox, I read the mail and then either delete it
or move it. The Inbox and Sent Items are the folders most likely to see
corruption as they are accessed the most.

Also, you had 120MB, + or - in the Inbox for what you say was about one
month. That's a lot. My entire Outlook Express message store is only 231MB
right now and I haven't compacted in a few days.

I'll leave for now with my previous warning, but if you have any more
questions, please do post back.

General precautions for Outlook Express:

Do not archive mail in default OE folders. They will eventually become
corrupt. Create your own user defined folders for storing mail and move your
mail to them. Empty Deleted Items folder regularly. Keep user created
folders under 100MB, and Default folders as empty as is feasible.

After you are done, follow up by compacting your folders manually while
working *offline* and do it often.

Click on Outlook Express at the top of the folder tree so no folders are
open. Then: File | Work Offline (or double click Working Online in the
Status Bar). File | Folder | Compact all folders. Don't touch anything until
the compacting is completed.

Turn off e-mail scanning in your anti-virus program. It is a redundant layer
of protection that eats up CPUs and causes a multitude of problems such as
time-outs and account setting changes. Your up-to-date A/V program will
continue to protect you sufficiently. For more, see:
http://www.oehelp.com/OETips.aspx#3

In Tools | Options | Maintenance: Uncheck Compact messages in background and
leave it unchecked. {N/A if running XP/SP2}.

And backup often.

Backup & Restore:
http://www.insideoe.com/backup/

This is a great two click program:

Outlook Express Quick Backup (OEQB)
http://www.oehelp.com/OEBackup/Default.aspx
--
Bruce Hagen
MS-MVP Outlook Express
Imperial Beach, CA

"Larry" <larry328NOSPAM@att.net> wrote in message
news:eOp0Ou8jIHA.1184@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...
>
> Bruce,
>
> I've done all the steps.
>
> Nothing appears in the Saved Mail folder. Also, when I open Saved
> Mail.dbx,
> it's the same as before: even though the file is 1.24 MB, there are just
> the e-mails from yesterday.
>
> I've moved the Saved Mail.dbx back to Desktop.
>
> Until tomorrow.
>
> Many thanks for your help.
>
> Larry
>
>
>
>
> "Bruce Hagen" <Nospam@mymail.invalid> wrote in message
> news:eBNpaJ8jIHA.5820@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...
>> This gets stranger by the moment and is truly unique. (Unless you are
>> looking in message store folders for two different identities). I have
> never
>> seen the size of a dbx file get small, and then large again to the extent
>> you say. If it was me, this is what I would do.
>>
>> Create a new folder and move all your existing Inbox mail to it so you at
>> least don't lose that.
>>
>> Close OE and in Windows Explorer, drag the Inbox.dbx file to the Desktop.
>> Rename the Inbox.dbx file on the Desktop to Saved Mail.dbx. A new, empty
>> Inbox will be created when you open OE.
>>
>> Open OE and create a folder called Saved Mail. Open the new folder and
> then
>> close OE. (You must do this). Go back to Windows Explorer and expand the
>> path to the Message Store folder for your OE identity, but don't open it.
>> Click on the Desktop and drag the file from the Desktop in the right hand
>> pane to the OE store folder in the left pane. Prompt - "Do you want to
>> overwrite......."? Click Yes.
>>
>> Do the messages appear in the Saved Mail folder? If not, drag it back out
> of
>> the message store to the Desktop for safe keeping while we figure out
> where
>> to go next.
>> --
>> Bruce Hagen
>> MS-MVP Outlook Express
>> Imperial Beach, CA
>>
>>
>>
>> "Larry" <larry328NOSPAM@att.net> wrote in message
>> news:eEDiT87jIHA.3400@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...
>> >
>> >
>> > Strange things going on (see below), but I think the problem may be
>> > solvable.
>> >
>> > 1. The Inbox, prior to the problem, would have been around 80 or 90 MB.
>> > As
>> > I said, my procedure is to let it build up for a few weeks and then
>> > move
> a
>> > lot of it into a custom folder. But after the problem occurred, the
> Inbox
>> > was 130 KB. After I received e-mails since this morning, it went up to
>> > about 400 KB.
>> >
>> > 2. But here's the strange thing: just now I looked again, and the
>> > only
>> > Inbox.dbx in the OE folder has 1.24 MB!!! So somehow it's returned.
>> >
>> > 3. Yet the Inbox in the OE application is still just the e-mails
> received
>> > since this morning.
>> >
>> > 4. When I click on a .dbx file (no matter how small), I get a message
>> > saying "this is too large to open with NOtepad. Open with Wordpad?"
> When
>> > I
>> > say yes, it opens in Wordpad, and the top of the file is just box
>> > characters, but if I scroll down a ways, there is e-mails, html code
>> > and
>> > so
>> > on.
>> >
>> > 5. However, if I do the same with Inbox.dbx, all it seems to show is
>> > today's handful of e-mails, rather than the vast store of e-mails from
> the
>> > last month. Yet the file has 1.24 MB.
>> >
>

dadiOH · Mar 27, 2008

Re: Inbox contents simply vanished

Larry wrote:
> Strange things going on (see below), but I think the problem may be
> solvable.
>
> 1. The Inbox, prior to the problem, would have been around 80 or 90
> MB. As I said, my procedure is to let it build up for a few weeks
> and then move a lot of it into a custom folder. But after the
> problem occurred, the Inbox was 130 KB. After I received e-mails
> since this morning, it went up to about 400 KB.
>
> 2. But here's the strange thing: just now I looked again, and the
> only Inbox.dbx in the OE folder has 1.24 MB!!! So somehow it's
> returned.

I haven't been following this thread but this confuses me. How did you
determine the size of it when it was 400KB? And when it was 1.24 MB?
________________

> 3. Yet the Inbox in the OE application is still just the e-mails
> received since this morning.

Because it is screwed up. That is, whatever methodology used to determine
messages start/end and/or count is wrong. Like a file that has its EOF in
the wrong place/
__________________

This is what I'd do...

1. Save a copy of Inbox.dbx somewhere

2. Get any of the many programs to extract messages from .dbx files and run
it

3. If it is successful in getting your messages, save them as MAIL ( i.e.,
*.eml - separate, discrete messages) in a folder on your desktop.

If not successful, forget what follows.

4. Delete Inbox.dbx using Explorer

5. Open OE and display its Inbox - which should now be empty

6. Select all the recovered email messages in your temporary desktop folder
and drag them to the OE pane where they would normally be displayed.

7. Close OE

dadiOH

Gary S. Terhune · Mar 27, 2008

Re: Inbox contents simply vanished

I don't understand why you can't believe that "yesterday's" email can't be
1.24 MB. Any messages with images embedded or attached?

--
Gary S. Terhune
MS-MVP Shell/User
www.grystmill.com

"Larry" <larry328NOSPAM@att.net> wrote in message
news:erUy0yAkIHA.6032@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...
>> I haven't been following this thread but this confuses me. How did you
> determine the size of it when it was 400KB? And when it was 1.24 MB?
>
> By seeing the size of the Inbox.dbx file in Windows Explorer.
>
>> > 2. Get any of the many programs to extract messages from .dbx files
>> and
> run
>> it
>
> I did try OE Extract and it doesn't do anything and provides no
> instructions, so I guess one of the nonfreeware apps is next.
>
>
> "dadiOH" <someone@fuggetit.com> wrote in message
> news:eGJ5QW$jIHA.4120@TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl...
>> Larry wrote:
>> > Strange things going on (see below), but I think the problem may be
>> > solvable.
>> >
>> > 1. The Inbox, prior to the problem, would have been around 80 or 90
>> > MB. As I said, my procedure is to let it build up for a few weeks
>> > and then move a lot of it into a custom folder. But after the
>> > problem occurred, the Inbox was 130 KB. After I received e-mails
>> > since this morning, it went up to about 400 KB.
>> >
>> > 2. But here's the strange thing: just now I looked again, and the
>> > only Inbox.dbx in the OE folder has 1.24 MB!!! So somehow it's
>> > returned.
>>
>> I haven't been following this thread but this confuses me. How did you
>> determine the size of it when it was 400KB? And when it was 1.24 MB?
>> ________________
>>
>> > 3. Yet the Inbox in the OE application is still just the e-mails
>> > received since this morning.
>>
>> Because it is screwed up. That is, whatever methodology used to
>> determine
>> messages start/end and/or count is wrong. Like a file that has its EOF
>> in
>> the wrong place/
>> __________________
>>
>> This is what I'd do...
>>
>> 1. Save a copy of Inbox.dbx somewhere
>>
>> 2. Get any of the many programs to extract messages from .dbx files and
> run
>> it
>>
>> 3. If it is successful in getting your messages, save them as MAIL (
> i.e.,
>> *.eml - separate, discrete messages) in a folder on your desktop.
>>
>> If not successful, forget what follows.
>>
>> 4. Delete Inbox.dbx using Explorer
>>
>> 5. Open OE and display its Inbox - which should now be empty
>>
>> 6. Select all the recovered email messages in your temporary desktop
> folder
>> and drag them to the OE pane where they would normally be displayed.
>>
>> 7. Close OE
>>
>> dadiOH
>>
>>
>

Casey · Mar 27, 2008

Re: Inbox contents simply vanished

In article <eLNm3YwjIHA.1204@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl>,
larry328NOSPAM@att.net says...
> In OE 6, Windows 98, the entire contents of the Inbox just vanished after
> restarting computer. There were about 4 weeks of e-mail in there.
>
> Other folders do not seem to be affected.
>
> I looked in the Outlook Express folder on my hard drive, and the Inbox file
> at this address:
>
> C:\WINDOWS\Application
> Data\Identities\{9226D728-E116-11DA-8D61-00045A5FABE0}\Microsoft\Outlook
> Express
>
> was down to something like 130 KB, containing just a lot of unreadable code.
>
> I normally move Inbox contents to other folders regularly to keep Inbox from
> getting too large.
>
> I've never seen anything like this. The contents of a huge file simply
> vanishing.
>
Larry, Try Thunderbird Mailclient as a means of solving your
MS mail problems.
http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/thunderbird/
Casey

Bruce Hagen · Mar 27, 2008

Re: Inbox contents simply vanished

And my eyeballs were wavering. I read it as 124MB. I just now got back from
having an eye exam too. <VBEG>
--
Bruce Hagen
MS-MVP Outlook Express
Imperial Beach, CA

"Gary S. Terhune" <none> wrote in message
news:uDpo9lBkIHA.4140@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...
>I don't understand why you can't believe that "yesterday's" email can't be
>1.24 MB. Any messages with images embedded or attached?
>
> --
> Gary S. Terhune
> MS-MVP Shell/User
> www.grystmill.com
>
> "Larry" <larry328NOSPAM@att.net> wrote in message
> news:erUy0yAkIHA.6032@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...
>>> I haven't been following this thread but this confuses me. How did you
>> determine the size of it when it was 400KB? And when it was 1.24 MB?
>>
>> By seeing the size of the Inbox.dbx file in Windows Explorer.
>>
>>> > 2. Get any of the many programs to extract messages from .dbx files
>>> and
>> run
>>> it
>>
>> I did try OE Extract and it doesn't do anything and provides no
>> instructions, so I guess one of the nonfreeware apps is next.
>>
>>
>> "dadiOH" <someone@fuggetit.com> wrote in message
>> news:eGJ5QW$jIHA.4120@TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl...
>>> Larry wrote:
>>> > Strange things going on (see below), but I think the problem may be
>>> > solvable.
>>> >
>>> > 1. The Inbox, prior to the problem, would have been around 80 or 90
>>> > MB. As I said, my procedure is to let it build up for a few weeks
>>> > and then move a lot of it into a custom folder. But after the
>>> > problem occurred, the Inbox was 130 KB. After I received e-mails
>>> > since this morning, it went up to about 400 KB.
>>> >
>>> > 2. But here's the strange thing: just now I looked again, and the
>>> > only Inbox.dbx in the OE folder has 1.24 MB!!! So somehow it's
>>> > returned.
>>>
>>> I haven't been following this thread but this confuses me. How did you
>>> determine the size of it when it was 400KB? And when it was 1.24 MB?
>>> ________________
>>>
>>> > 3. Yet the Inbox in the OE application is still just the e-mails
>>> > received since this morning.
>>>
>>> Because it is screwed up. That is, whatever methodology used to
>>> determine
>>> messages start/end and/or count is wrong. Like a file that has its EOF
>>> in
>>> the wrong place/
>>> __________________
>>>
>>> This is what I'd do...
>>>
>>> 1. Save a copy of Inbox.dbx somewhere
>>>
>>> 2. Get any of the many programs to extract messages from .dbx files and
>> run
>>> it
>>>
>>> 3. If it is successful in getting your messages, save them as MAIL (
>> i.e.,
>>> *.eml - separate, discrete messages) in a folder on your desktop.
>>>
>>> If not successful, forget what follows.
>>>
>>> 4. Delete Inbox.dbx using Explorer
>>>
>>> 5. Open OE and display its Inbox - which should now be empty
>>>
>>> 6. Select all the recovered email messages in your temporary desktop
>> folder
>>> and drag them to the OE pane where they would normally be displayed.
>>>
>>> 7. Close OE
>>>
>>> dadiOH
>>>
>>>
>>
>

Franc Zabkar · Mar 27, 2008

Re: Inbox contents simply vanished

On Wed, 26 Mar 2008 12:40:58 -0400, "Larry" <larry328NOSPAM@att.net>
put finger to keyboard and composed:

>The way this happened was: my computer froze last night and I restarted it
>by pressing the external restart button on the tower, which I regularly do
>when the computer freezes, which happens fairly frequently (Win 98!). But
>there was no compacting of OE going on at the time.

Did Scandisk run after the restart? Did it detect any lost clusters
and offer to save them as file fragments? Are there any filennnn.chk
files in the root directory?

- Franc Zabkar
--
Please remove one 'i' from my address when replying by email.

Gary S. Terhune · Mar 27, 2008

Re: Inbox contents simply vanished

Yeah, I woulda said, "Eureka!", too if I'd read it as 124!

--
Gary S. Terhune
MS-MVP Shell/User
www.grystmill.com

"Bruce Hagen" <Nospam@mymail.invalid> wrote in message
news:egzL2uDkIHA.5724@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...
> And my eyeballs were wavering. I read it as 124MB. I just now got back
> from having an eye exam too. <VBEG>
> --
> Bruce Hagen
> MS-MVP Outlook Express
> Imperial Beach, CA
>
>
> "Gary S. Terhune" <none> wrote in message
> news:uDpo9lBkIHA.4140@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...
>>I don't understand why you can't believe that "yesterday's" email can't be
>>1.24 MB. Any messages with images embedded or attached?
>>
>> --
>> Gary S. Terhune
>> MS-MVP Shell/User
>> www.grystmill.com
>>
>> "Larry" <larry328NOSPAM@att.net> wrote in message
>> news:erUy0yAkIHA.6032@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...
>>>> I haven't been following this thread but this confuses me. How did
>>>> you
>>> determine the size of it when it was 400KB? And when it was 1.24 MB?
>>>
>>> By seeing the size of the Inbox.dbx file in Windows Explorer.
>>>
>>>> > 2. Get any of the many programs to extract messages from .dbx files
>>>> and
>>> run
>>>> it
>>>
>>> I did try OE Extract and it doesn't do anything and provides no
>>> instructions, so I guess one of the nonfreeware apps is next.
>>>
>>>
>>> "dadiOH" <someone@fuggetit.com> wrote in message
>>> news:eGJ5QW$jIHA.4120@TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl...
>>>> Larry wrote:
>>>> > Strange things going on (see below), but I think the problem may be
>>>> > solvable.
>>>> >
>>>> > 1. The Inbox, prior to the problem, would have been around 80 or 90
>>>> > MB. As I said, my procedure is to let it build up for a few weeks
>>>> > and then move a lot of it into a custom folder. But after the
>>>> > problem occurred, the Inbox was 130 KB. After I received e-mails
>>>> > since this morning, it went up to about 400 KB.
>>>> >
>>>> > 2. But here's the strange thing: just now I looked again, and the
>>>> > only Inbox.dbx in the OE folder has 1.24 MB!!! So somehow it's
>>>> > returned.
>>>>
>>>> I haven't been following this thread but this confuses me. How did you
>>>> determine the size of it when it was 400KB? And when it was 1.24 MB?
>>>> ________________
>>>>
>>>> > 3. Yet the Inbox in the OE application is still just the e-mails
>>>> > received since this morning.
>>>>
>>>> Because it is screwed up. That is, whatever methodology used to
>>>> determine
>>>> messages start/end and/or count is wrong. Like a file that has its EOF
>>>> in
>>>> the wrong place/
>>>> __________________
>>>>
>>>> This is what I'd do...
>>>>
>>>> 1. Save a copy of Inbox.dbx somewhere
>>>>
>>>> 2. Get any of the many programs to extract messages from .dbx files and
>>> run
>>>> it
>>>>
>>>> 3. If it is successful in getting your messages, save them as MAIL (
>>> i.e.,
>>>> *.eml - separate, discrete messages) in a folder on your desktop.
>>>>
>>>> If not successful, forget what follows.
>>>>
>>>> 4. Delete Inbox.dbx using Explorer
>>>>
>>>> 5. Open OE and display its Inbox - which should now be empty
>>>>
>>>> 6. Select all the recovered email messages in your temporary desktop
>>> folder
>>>> and drag them to the OE pane where they would normally be displayed.
>>>>
>>>> 7. Close OE
>>>>
>>>> dadiOH
>>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>
>

bobster · Mar 27, 2008

Re: Inbox contents simply vanished

Try this. It's the successor to MiTec OE view. I use it and it works fine
for me.

http://www.snapfiles.com/get/dbxviewer.html

"Larry" <larry328NOSPAM@att.net> wrote in message
news:erUy0yAkIHA.6032@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...
> I haven't been following this thread but this confuses me. How did you
determine the size of it when it was 400KB? And when it was 1.24 MB?

By seeing the size of the Inbox.dbx file in Windows Explorer.

> > 2. Get any of the many programs to extract messages from .dbx files and
run
> it

I did try OE Extract and it doesn't do anything and provides no
instructions, so I guess one of the nonfreeware apps is next.

"dadiOH" <someone@fuggetit.com> wrote in message
news:eGJ5QW$jIHA.4120@TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl...
> Larry wrote:
> > Strange things going on (see below), but I think the problem may be
> > solvable.
> >
> > 1. The Inbox, prior to the problem, would have been around 80 or 90
> > MB. As I said, my procedure is to let it build up for a few weeks
> > and then move a lot of it into a custom folder. But after the
> > problem occurred, the Inbox was 130 KB. After I received e-mails
> > since this morning, it went up to about 400 KB.
> >
> > 2. But here's the strange thing: just now I looked again, and the
> > only Inbox.dbx in the OE folder has 1.24 MB!!! So somehow it's
> > returned.
>
> I haven't been following this thread but this confuses me. How did you
> determine the size of it when it was 400KB? And when it was 1.24 MB?
> ________________
>
> > 3. Yet the Inbox in the OE application is still just the e-mails
> > received since this morning.
>
> Because it is screwed up. That is, whatever methodology used to determine
> messages start/end and/or count is wrong. Like a file that has its EOF in
> the wrong place/
> __________________
>
> This is what I'd do...
>
> 1. Save a copy of Inbox.dbx somewhere
>
> 2. Get any of the many programs to extract messages from .dbx files and
run
> it
>
> 3. If it is successful in getting your messages, save them as MAIL (
i.e.,
> *.eml - separate, discrete messages) in a folder on your desktop.
>
> If not successful, forget what follows.
>
> 4. Delete Inbox.dbx using Explorer
>
> 5. Open OE and display its Inbox - which should now be empty
>
> 6. Select all the recovered email messages in your temporary desktop
folder
> and drag them to the OE pane where they would normally be displayed.
>
> 7. Close OE
>
> dadiOH
>
>

MEB · Mar 28, 2008

Larry · Mar 29, 2008

Re: Inbox contents simply vanished

Hi, sorry I didn't get back sooner.

I downloaded OE Reader as recommended, browsed to the Inbox.dbx file (which
I had renamed XXX.dbx and placed on the Desktop), and opened it. Message
said:

"File does not contain any message."

Yet the file's size is 1.24 MB.

Go figure.

Larry

"bobster" <fauxie@bogus.net> wrote in message
news:uyN57AIkIHA.4664@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...
> Try this. It's the successor to MiTec OE view. I use it and it works
fine
> for me.
>
> http://www.snapfiles.com/get/dbxviewer.html
>
> "Larry" <larry328NOSPAM@att.net> wrote in message
> news:erUy0yAkIHA.6032@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...
> > I haven't been following this thread but this confuses me. How did you
> determine the size of it when it was 400KB? And when it was 1.24 MB?
>
> By seeing the size of the Inbox.dbx file in Windows Explorer.
>
> > > 2. Get any of the many programs to extract messages from .dbx files
and
> run
> > it
>
> I did try OE Extract and it doesn't do anything and provides no
> instructions, so I guess one of the nonfreeware apps is next.
>
>
> "dadiOH" <someone@fuggetit.com> wrote in message
> news:eGJ5QW$jIHA.4120@TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl...
> > Larry wrote:
> > > Strange things going on (see below), but I think the problem may be
> > > solvable.
> > >
> > > 1. The Inbox, prior to the problem, would have been around 80 or 90
> > > MB. As I said, my procedure is to let it build up for a few weeks
> > > and then move a lot of it into a custom folder. But after the
> > > problem occurred, the Inbox was 130 KB. After I received e-mails
> > > since this morning, it went up to about 400 KB.
> > >
> > > 2. But here's the strange thing: just now I looked again, and the
> > > only Inbox.dbx in the OE folder has 1.24 MB!!! So somehow it's
> > > returned.
> >
> > I haven't been following this thread but this confuses me. How did you
> > determine the size of it when it was 400KB? And when it was 1.24 MB?
> > ________________
> >
> > > 3. Yet the Inbox in the OE application is still just the e-mails
> > > received since this morning.
> >
> > Because it is screwed up. That is, whatever methodology used to
determine
> > messages start/end and/or count is wrong. Like a file that has its EOF
in
> > the wrong place/
> > __________________
> >
> > This is what I'd do...
> >
> > 1. Save a copy of Inbox.dbx somewhere
> >
> > 2. Get any of the many programs to extract messages from .dbx files and
> run
> > it
> >
> > 3. If it is successful in getting your messages, save them as MAIL (
> i.e.,
> > *.eml - separate, discrete messages) in a folder on your desktop.
> >
> > If not successful, forget what follows.
> >
> > 4. Delete Inbox.dbx using Explorer
> >
> > 5. Open OE and display its Inbox - which should now be empty
> >
> > 6. Select all the recovered email messages in your temporary desktop
> folder
> > and drag them to the OE pane where they would normally be displayed.
> >
> > 7. Close OE
> >
> > dadiOH
> >
> >
>

MEB · Mar 29, 2008

Re: Inbox contents simply vanished

"Larry" <larry328NOSPAM@att.net> wrote in message
news:%235VtCHXkIHA.1168@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...
| Hi, sorry I didn't get back sooner.
|
| I downloaded OE Reader as recommended, browsed to the Inbox.dbx file
(which
| I had renamed XXX.dbx and placed on the Desktop), and opened it. Message
| said:
|
| "File does not contain any message."
|
| Yet the file's size is 1.24 MB.
|
| Go figure.
|
| Larry
|

Sounds like you got major corruption during the lockup/bad shutdown.

Did you check for *.chk files as Franc suggested?

You can try to open that file [or others you might find] with a code
capable editor or hex editor and maybe recover some of the text {a tedious
task}.

Of course, from now on, follow the normal procedure of moving from the
inbox to some other folder, and exporting the most important to text or eml
files.

BTW: 98SE doesn't crash all that often if everything is setup properly, so
you might want to diagnose WHY your system seems to crash alot.

--
MEB http://peoplescounsel.orgfree.com
--
_________

|
|
|
| "bobster" <fauxie@bogus.net> wrote in message
| news:uyN57AIkIHA.4664@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...
| > Try this. It's the successor to MiTec OE view. I use it and it works
| fine
| > for me.
| >
| > http://www.snapfiles.com/get/dbxviewer.html
| >
| > "Larry" <larry328NOSPAM@att.net> wrote in message
| > news:erUy0yAkIHA.6032@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...
| > > I haven't been following this thread but this confuses me. How did
you
| > determine the size of it when it was 400KB? And when it was 1.24 MB?
| >
| > By seeing the size of the Inbox.dbx file in Windows Explorer.
| >
| > > > 2. Get any of the many programs to extract messages from .dbx files
| and
| > run
| > > it
| >
| > I did try OE Extract and it doesn't do anything and provides no
| > instructions, so I guess one of the nonfreeware apps is next.
| >
| >
| > "dadiOH" <someone@fuggetit.com> wrote in message
| > news:eGJ5QW$jIHA.4120@TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl...
| > > Larry wrote:
| > > > Strange things going on (see below), but I think the problem may be
| > > > solvable.
| > > >
| > > > 1. The Inbox, prior to the problem, would have been around 80 or 90
| > > > MB. As I said, my procedure is to let it build up for a few weeks
| > > > and then move a lot of it into a custom folder. But after the
| > > > problem occurred, the Inbox was 130 KB. After I received e-mails
| > > > since this morning, it went up to about 400 KB.
| > > >
| > > > 2. But here's the strange thing: just now I looked again, and the
| > > > only Inbox.dbx in the OE folder has 1.24 MB!!! So somehow it's
| > > > returned.
| > >
| > > I haven't been following this thread but this confuses me. How did
you
| > > determine the size of it when it was 400KB? And when it was 1.24 MB?
| > > ________________
| > >
| > > > 3. Yet the Inbox in the OE application is still just the e-mails
| > > > received since this morning.
| > >
| > > Because it is screwed up. That is, whatever methodology used to
| determine
| > > messages start/end and/or count is wrong. Like a file that has its
EOF
| in
| > > the wrong place/
| > > __________________
| > >
| > > This is what I'd do...
| > >
| > > 1. Save a copy of Inbox.dbx somewhere
| > >
| > > 2. Get any of the many programs to extract messages from .dbx files
and
| > run
| > > it
| > >
| > > 3. If it is successful in getting your messages, save them as MAIL (
| > i.e.,
| > > *.eml - separate, discrete messages) in a folder on your desktop.
| > >
| > > If not successful, forget what follows.
| > >
| > > 4. Delete Inbox.dbx using Explorer
| > >
| > > 5. Open OE and display its Inbox - which should now be empty
| > >
| > > 6. Select all the recovered email messages in your temporary desktop
| > folder
| > > and drag them to the OE pane where they would normally be displayed.
| > >
| > > 7. Close OE
| > >
| > > dadiOH
| > >
| > >
| >
|

Larry · Mar 29, 2008

Re: Inbox contents simply vanished

> Sounds like you got major corruption during the lockup/bad shutdown.

Yes, the computer froze, I restarted by pressing the external restart button
on the tower, and after that is when the Inbox contents were missing.

> Did you check for *.chk files as Franc suggested?

I don't see a Franc in this thread, and don't remember anything about .chk
files.

But from what you say, it sounds as though the e-mails are basically lost.
It's not a terrible disaster.

Larry

"MEB" <meb@not here@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:eG7RcSXkIHA.1208@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...
>
> "Larry" <larry328NOSPAM@att.net> wrote in message
> news:%235VtCHXkIHA.1168@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...
> | Hi, sorry I didn't get back sooner.
> |
> | I downloaded OE Reader as recommended, browsed to the Inbox.dbx file
> (which
> | I had renamed XXX.dbx and placed on the Desktop), and opened it.
Message
> | said:
> |
> | "File does not contain any message."
> |
> | Yet the file's size is 1.24 MB.
> |
> | Go figure.
> |
> | Larry
> |
>
> Sounds like you got major corruption during the lockup/bad shutdown.
>
> Did you check for *.chk files as Franc suggested?
>
> You can try to open that file [or others you might find] with a code
> capable editor or hex editor and maybe recover some of the text {a tedious
> task}.
>
> Of course, from now on, follow the normal procedure of moving from the
> inbox to some other folder, and exporting the most important to text or
eml
> files.
>
> BTW: 98SE doesn't crash all that often if everything is setup properly, so
> you might want to diagnose WHY your system seems to crash alot.
>
> --
> MEB http://peoplescounsel.orgfree.com
> --
> _________
>
>
> |
> |
> |
> | "bobster" <fauxie@bogus.net> wrote in message
> | news:uyN57AIkIHA.4664@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...
> | > Try this. It's the successor to MiTec OE view. I use it and it works
> | fine
> | > for me.
> | >
> | > http://www.snapfiles.com/get/dbxviewer.html
> | >
> | > "Larry" <larry328NOSPAM@att.net> wrote in message
> | > news:erUy0yAkIHA.6032@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...
> | > > I haven't been following this thread but this confuses me. How did
> you
> | > determine the size of it when it was 400KB? And when it was 1.24 MB?
> | >
> | > By seeing the size of the Inbox.dbx file in Windows Explorer.
> | >
> | > > > 2. Get any of the many programs to extract messages from .dbx
files
> | and
> | > run
> | > > it
> | >
> | > I did try OE Extract and it doesn't do anything and provides no
> | > instructions, so I guess one of the nonfreeware apps is next.
> | >
> | >
> | > "dadiOH" <someone@fuggetit.com> wrote in message
> | > news:eGJ5QW$jIHA.4120@TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl...
> | > > Larry wrote:
> | > > > Strange things going on (see below), but I think the problem may
be
> | > > > solvable.
> | > > >
> | > > > 1. The Inbox, prior to the problem, would have been around 80 or
90
> | > > > MB. As I said, my procedure is to let it build up for a few weeks
> | > > > and then move a lot of it into a custom folder. But after the
> | > > > problem occurred, the Inbox was 130 KB. After I received e-mails
> | > > > since this morning, it went up to about 400 KB.
> | > > >
> | > > > 2. But here's the strange thing: just now I looked again, and
the
> | > > > only Inbox.dbx in the OE folder has 1.24 MB!!! So somehow it's
> | > > > returned.
> | > >
> | > > I haven't been following this thread but this confuses me. How did
> you
> | > > determine the size of it when it was 400KB? And when it was 1.24
MB?
> | > > ________________
> | > >
> | > > > 3. Yet the Inbox in the OE application is still just the e-mails
> | > > > received since this morning.
> | > >
> | > > Because it is screwed up. That is, whatever methodology used to
> | determine
> | > > messages start/end and/or count is wrong. Like a file that has its
> EOF
> | in
> | > > the wrong place/
> | > > __________________
> | > >
> | > > This is what I'd do...
> | > >
> | > > 1. Save a copy of Inbox.dbx somewhere
> | > >
> | > > 2. Get any of the many programs to extract messages from .dbx files
> and
> | > run
> | > > it
> | > >
> | > > 3. If it is successful in getting your messages, save them as MAIL
(
> | > i.e.,
> | > > *.eml - separate, discrete messages) in a folder on your desktop.
> | > >
> | > > If not successful, forget what follows.
> | > >
> | > > 4. Delete Inbox.dbx using Explorer
> | > >
> | > > 5. Open OE and display its Inbox - which should now be empty
> | > >
> | > > 6. Select all the recovered email messages in your temporary desktop
> | > folder
> | > > and drag them to the OE pane where they would normally be displayed.
> | > >
> | > > 7. Close OE
> | > >
> | > > dadiOH
> | > >
> | > >
> | >
> |
>
>

Ron Sommer · Mar 29, 2008

Re: Inbox contents simply vanished

Have you checked the Recycle Bin for bak files?
--
Ronald Sommer

"Larry" <larry328NOSPAM@att.net> wrote in message
news:uUw8#8XkIHA.5088@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...
>
>> Sounds like you got major corruption during the lockup/bad shutdown.
>
> Yes, the computer froze, I restarted by pressing the external restart
> button
> on the tower, and after that is when the Inbox contents were missing.
>
>> Did you check for *.chk files as Franc suggested?
>
> I don't see a Franc in this thread, and don't remember anything about .chk
> files.
>
> But from what you say, it sounds as though the e-mails are basically lost.
> It's not a terrible disaster.
>
> Larry
>
>
>
> "MEB" <meb@not here@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> news:eG7RcSXkIHA.1208@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...
>>
>> "Larry" <larry328NOSPAM@att.net> wrote in message
>> news:%235VtCHXkIHA.1168@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...
>> | Hi, sorry I didn't get back sooner.
>> |
>> | I downloaded OE Reader as recommended, browsed to the Inbox.dbx file
>> (which
>> | I had renamed XXX.dbx and placed on the Desktop), and opened it.
> Message
>> | said:
>> |
>> | "File does not contain any message."
>> |
>> | Yet the file's size is 1.24 MB.
>> |
>> | Go figure.
>> |
>> | Larry
>> |
>>
>> Sounds like you got major corruption during the lockup/bad shutdown.
>>
>> Did you check for *.chk files as Franc suggested?
>>
>> You can try to open that file [or others you might find] with a code
>> capable editor or hex editor and maybe recover some of the text {a
>> tedious
>> task}.
>>
>> Of course, from now on, follow the normal procedure of moving from the
>> inbox to some other folder, and exporting the most important to text or
> eml
>> files.
>>
>> BTW: 98SE doesn't crash all that often if everything is setup properly,
>> so
>> you might want to diagnose WHY your system seems to crash alot.
>>
>> --
>> MEB http://peoplescounsel.orgfree.com
>> --
>> _________
>>
>>
>> |
>> |
>> |
>> | "bobster" <fauxie@bogus.net> wrote in message
>> | news:uyN57AIkIHA.4664@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...
>> | > Try this. It's the successor to MiTec OE view. I use it and it
>> works
>> | fine
>> | > for me.
>> | >
>> | > http://www.snapfiles.com/get/dbxviewer.html
>> | >
>> | > "Larry" <larry328NOSPAM@att.net> wrote in message
>> | > news:erUy0yAkIHA.6032@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...
>> | > > I haven't been following this thread but this confuses me. How
>> did
>> you
>> | > determine the size of it when it was 400KB? And when it was 1.24 MB?
>> | >
>> | > By seeing the size of the Inbox.dbx file in Windows Explorer.
>> | >
>> | > > > 2. Get any of the many programs to extract messages from .dbx
> files
>> | and
>> | > run
>> | > > it
>> | >
>> | > I did try OE Extract and it doesn't do anything and provides no
>> | > instructions, so I guess one of the nonfreeware apps is next.
>> | >
>> | >
>> | > "dadiOH" <someone@fuggetit.com> wrote in message
>> | > news:eGJ5QW$jIHA.4120@TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl...
>> | > > Larry wrote:
>> | > > > Strange things going on (see below), but I think the problem may
> be
>> | > > > solvable.
>> | > > >
>> | > > > 1. The Inbox, prior to the problem, would have been around 80 or
> 90
>> | > > > MB. As I said, my procedure is to let it build up for a few
>> weeks
>> | > > > and then move a lot of it into a custom folder. But after the
>> | > > > problem occurred, the Inbox was 130 KB. After I received e-mails
>> | > > > since this morning, it went up to about 400 KB.
>> | > > >
>> | > > > 2. But here's the strange thing: just now I looked again, and
> the
>> | > > > only Inbox.dbx in the OE folder has 1.24 MB!!! So somehow it's
>> | > > > returned.
>> | > >
>> | > > I haven't been following this thread but this confuses me. How did
>> you
>> | > > determine the size of it when it was 400KB? And when it was 1.24
> MB?
>> | > > ________________
>> | > >
>> | > > > 3. Yet the Inbox in the OE application is still just the e-mails
>> | > > > received since this morning.
>> | > >
>> | > > Because it is screwed up. That is, whatever methodology used to
>> | determine
>> | > > messages start/end and/or count is wrong. Like a file that has its
>> EOF
>> | in
>> | > > the wrong place/
>> | > > __________________
>> | > >
>> | > > This is what I'd do...
>> | > >
>> | > > 1. Save a copy of Inbox.dbx somewhere
>> | > >
>> | > > 2. Get any of the many programs to extract messages from .dbx files
>> and
>> | > run
>> | > > it
>> | > >
>> | > > 3. If it is successful in getting your messages, save them as MAIL
> (
>> | > i.e.,
>> | > > *.eml - separate, discrete messages) in a folder on your desktop.
>> | > >
>> | > > If not successful, forget what follows.
>> | > >
>> | > > 4. Delete Inbox.dbx using Explorer
>> | > >
>> | > > 5. Open OE and display its Inbox - which should now be empty
>> | > >
>> | > > 6. Select all the recovered email messages in your temporary
>> desktop
>> | > folder
>> | > > and drag them to the OE pane where they would normally be
>> displayed.
>> | > >
>> | > > 7. Close OE
>> | > >
>> | > > dadiOH
>> | > >
>> | > >
>> | >
>> |
>>
>>
>

Bruce Hagen · Mar 29, 2008

Re: Inbox contents simply vanished

That reinforces what I thought. That is the file is empty, and the size
would not reflect that there is mail in it as the size is not reduced until
you compact.
--
Bruce Hagen
MS-MVP Outlook Express
Imperial Beach, CA

"Larry" <larry328NOSPAM@att.net> wrote in message
news:%235VtCHXkIHA.1168@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...
> Hi, sorry I didn't get back sooner.
>
> I downloaded OE Reader as recommended, browsed to the Inbox.dbx file
> (which
> I had renamed XXX.dbx and placed on the Desktop), and opened it. Message
> said:
>
> "File does not contain any message."
>
> Yet the file's size is 1.24 MB.
>
> Go figure.
>
> Larry
>
>
>
>
> "bobster" <fauxie@bogus.net> wrote in message
> news:uyN57AIkIHA.4664@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...
>> Try this. It's the successor to MiTec OE view. I use it and it works
> fine
>> for me.
>>
>> http://www.snapfiles.com/get/dbxviewer.html
>>
>> "Larry" <larry328NOSPAM@att.net> wrote in message
>> news:erUy0yAkIHA.6032@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...
>> > I haven't been following this thread but this confuses me. How did
>> > you
>> determine the size of it when it was 400KB? And when it was 1.24 MB?
>>
>> By seeing the size of the Inbox.dbx file in Windows Explorer.
>>
>> > > 2. Get any of the many programs to extract messages from .dbx files
> and
>> run
>> > it
>>
>> I did try OE Extract and it doesn't do anything and provides no
>> instructions, so I guess one of the nonfreeware apps is next.
>>
>>
>> "dadiOH" <someone@fuggetit.com> wrote in message
>> news:eGJ5QW$jIHA.4120@TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl...
>> > Larry wrote:
>> > > Strange things going on (see below), but I think the problem may be
>> > > solvable.
>> > >
>> > > 1. The Inbox, prior to the problem, would have been around 80 or 90
>> > > MB. As I said, my procedure is to let it build up for a few weeks
>> > > and then move a lot of it into a custom folder. But after the
>> > > problem occurred, the Inbox was 130 KB. After I received e-mails
>> > > since this morning, it went up to about 400 KB.
>> > >
>> > > 2. But here's the strange thing: just now I looked again, and the
>> > > only Inbox.dbx in the OE folder has 1.24 MB!!! So somehow it's
>> > > returned.
>> >
>> > I haven't been following this thread but this confuses me. How did you
>> > determine the size of it when it was 400KB? And when it was 1.24 MB?
>> > ________________
>> >
>> > > 3. Yet the Inbox in the OE application is still just the e-mails
>> > > received since this morning.
>> >
>> > Because it is screwed up. That is, whatever methodology used to
> determine
>> > messages start/end and/or count is wrong. Like a file that has its EOF
> in
>> > the wrong place/
>> > __________________
>> >
>> > This is what I'd do...
>> >
>> > 1. Save a copy of Inbox.dbx somewhere
>> >
>> > 2. Get any of the many programs to extract messages from .dbx files and
>> run
>> > it
>> >
>> > 3. If it is successful in getting your messages, save them as MAIL (
>> i.e.,
>> > *.eml - separate, discrete messages) in a folder on your desktop.
>> >
>> > If not successful, forget what follows.
>> >
>> > 4. Delete Inbox.dbx using Explorer
>> >
>> > 5. Open OE and display its Inbox - which should now be empty
>> >
>> > 6. Select all the recovered email messages in your temporary desktop
>> folder
>> > and drag them to the OE pane where they would normally be displayed.
>> >
>> > 7. Close OE
>> >
>> > dadiOH
>> >
>> >
>>
>

Bruce Hagen · Mar 29, 2008

Re: Inbox contents simply vanished

Windows 98.
--
~Bruce

"Ron Sommer" <rsommer@nospam.ktis.net> wrote in message
news:%23Ge$GKZkIHA.5160@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl...
> Have you checked the Recycle Bin for bak files?
> --
> Ronald Sommer
>
> "Larry" <larry328NOSPAM@att.net> wrote in message
> news:uUw8#8XkIHA.5088@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...
>>
>>> Sounds like you got major corruption during the lockup/bad shutdown.
>>
>> Yes, the computer froze, I restarted by pressing the external restart
>> button
>> on the tower, and after that is when the Inbox contents were missing.
>>
>>> Did you check for *.chk files as Franc suggested?
>>
>> I don't see a Franc in this thread, and don't remember anything about
>> .chk
>> files.
>>
>> But from what you say, it sounds as though the e-mails are basically
>> lost.
>> It's not a terrible disaster.
>>
>> Larry
>>
>>
>>
>> "MEB" <meb@not here@hotmail.com> wrote in message
>> news:eG7RcSXkIHA.1208@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...
>>>
>>> "Larry" <larry328NOSPAM@att.net> wrote in message
>>> news:%235VtCHXkIHA.1168@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...
>>> | Hi, sorry I didn't get back sooner.
>>> |
>>> | I downloaded OE Reader as recommended, browsed to the Inbox.dbx file
>>> (which
>>> | I had renamed XXX.dbx and placed on the Desktop), and opened it.
>> Message
>>> | said:
>>> |
>>> | "File does not contain any message."
>>> |
>>> | Yet the file's size is 1.24 MB.
>>> |
>>> | Go figure.
>>> |
>>> | Larry
>>> |
>>>
>>> Sounds like you got major corruption during the lockup/bad shutdown.
>>>
>>> Did you check for *.chk files as Franc suggested?
>>>
>>> You can try to open that file [or others you might find] with a code
>>> capable editor or hex editor and maybe recover some of the text {a
>>> tedious
>>> task}.
>>>
>>> Of course, from now on, follow the normal procedure of moving from the
>>> inbox to some other folder, and exporting the most important to text or
>> eml
>>> files.
>>>
>>> BTW: 98SE doesn't crash all that often if everything is setup properly,
>>> so
>>> you might want to diagnose WHY your system seems to crash alot.
>>>
>>> --
>>> MEB http://peoplescounsel.orgfree.com
>>> --
>>> _________
>>>
>>>
>>> |
>>> |
>>> |
>>> | "bobster" <fauxie@bogus.net> wrote in message
>>> | news:uyN57AIkIHA.4664@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...
>>> | > Try this. It's the successor to MiTec OE view. I use it and it
>>> works
>>> | fine
>>> | > for me.
>>> | >
>>> | > http://www.snapfiles.com/get/dbxviewer.html
>>> | >
>>> | > "Larry" <larry328NOSPAM@att.net> wrote in message
>>> | > news:erUy0yAkIHA.6032@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...
>>> | > > I haven't been following this thread but this confuses me. How
>>> did
>>> you
>>> | > determine the size of it when it was 400KB? And when it was 1.24
>>> MB?
>>> | >
>>> | > By seeing the size of the Inbox.dbx file in Windows Explorer.
>>> | >
>>> | > > > 2. Get any of the many programs to extract messages from .dbx
>> files
>>> | and
>>> | > run
>>> | > > it
>>> | >
>>> | > I did try OE Extract and it doesn't do anything and provides no
>>> | > instructions, so I guess one of the nonfreeware apps is next.
>>> | >
>>> | >
>>> | > "dadiOH" <someone@fuggetit.com> wrote in message
>>> | > news:eGJ5QW$jIHA.4120@TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl...
>>> | > > Larry wrote:
>>> | > > > Strange things going on (see below), but I think the problem may
>> be
>>> | > > > solvable.
>>> | > > >
>>> | > > > 1. The Inbox, prior to the problem, would have been around 80 or
>> 90
>>> | > > > MB. As I said, my procedure is to let it build up for a few
>>> weeks
>>> | > > > and then move a lot of it into a custom folder. But after the
>>> | > > > problem occurred, the Inbox was 130 KB. After I received
>>> e-mails
>>> | > > > since this morning, it went up to about 400 KB.
>>> | > > >
>>> | > > > 2. But here's the strange thing: just now I looked again, and
>> the
>>> | > > > only Inbox.dbx in the OE folder has 1.24 MB!!! So somehow it's
>>> | > > > returned.
>>> | > >
>>> | > > I haven't been following this thread but this confuses me. How
>>> did
>>> you
>>> | > > determine the size of it when it was 400KB? And when it was 1.24
>> MB?
>>> | > > ________________
>>> | > >
>>> | > > > 3. Yet the Inbox in the OE application is still just the
>>> e-mails
>>> | > > > received since this morning.
>>> | > >
>>> | > > Because it is screwed up. That is, whatever methodology used to
>>> | determine
>>> | > > messages start/end and/or count is wrong. Like a file that has
>>> its
>>> EOF
>>> | in
>>> | > > the wrong place/
>>> | > > __________________
>>> | > >
>>> | > > This is what I'd do...
>>> | > >
>>> | > > 1. Save a copy of Inbox.dbx somewhere
>>> | > >
>>> | > > 2. Get any of the many programs to extract messages from .dbx
>>> files
>>> and
>>> | > run
>>> | > > it
>>> | > >
>>> | > > 3. If it is successful in getting your messages, save them as
>>> MAIL
>> (
>>> | > i.e.,
>>> | > > *.eml - separate, discrete messages) in a folder on your desktop.
>>> | > >
>>> | > > If not successful, forget what follows.
>>> | > >
>>> | > > 4. Delete Inbox.dbx using Explorer
>>> | > >
>>> | > > 5. Open OE and display its Inbox - which should now be empty
>>> | > >
>>> | > > 6. Select all the recovered email messages in your temporary
>>> desktop
>>> | > folder
>>> | > > and drag them to the OE pane where they would normally be
>>> displayed.
>>> | > >
>>> | > > 7. Close OE
>>> | > >
>>> | > > dadiOH
>>> | > >
>>> | > >
>>> | >
>>> |
>>>
>>>
>>

PA Bear [MS MVP] · Mar 29, 2008

Re: Inbox contents simply vanished

The file is probably bloated due to (1) archiving messages in Inbox folder
and/or (2) not manually compacting all OE folders on a regular basis.

If DBXtract, DBXpress or another extraction utility cannot recover any
messages, there's no point in trying anything else.

Win9x-specific General OE Caveats:

- Don't use Inbox or Sent Items to archive messages. Move them to local
folders created for this purpose.

- Empty Deleted Items folder daily.

- Disable Background Compacting and frequently perform a manual compact of
all OE folders while "working offline". More at
http://www.insideoe.com/files/maintain.htm

- Disable email scanning by your anti-virus application. It can cause
corruption (i.e., loss of messages), it provides no additional protection,
and even Symantec says it's not necessary:

<QP>
Disabling Email Scanning does not leave you unprotected against viruses that
are distributed as email attachments. Norton AntiVirus Auto-Protect scans
incoming files as they are saved to your hard drive, including email and
email attachments. Email Scanning is just another layer on top of this. To
make sure that Auto-Protect is providing the maximum protection, keep
Auto-Protect enabled and run LiveUpdate regularly to ensure that you have
the most recent virus definitions.
</QP>
http://service1.symantec.com/SUPPORT/nav.nsf/docid/2002111812533106
--
~Robear Dyer (PA Bear)
MS MVP-IE, Mail, Security, Windows Desktop Experience - since 2002
AumHa VSOP & Admin http://aumha.net
DTS-L http://dts-l.net/

Larry wrote:
> Hi, sorry I didn't get back sooner.
>
> I downloaded OE Reader as recommended, browsed to the Inbox.dbx file
> (which
> I had renamed XXX.dbx and placed on the Desktop), and opened it. Message
> said:
>
> "File does not contain any message."
>
> Yet the file's size is 1.24 MB.
<snip>

Larry · Mar 29, 2008

Re: Inbox contents simply vanished

Thank you everyone.

I just dragged the file, XXX.dbx, back into the OE folder, launched OE, did
a file compact on the folder XXX, and it went down from 1.24 MB to 58 KB.
So that settles that.

As far as OE's vulnerabilty to this kind of disaster is concerned, I've been
using the same OE program for over nine years and never lost the contents of
a folder and never heard of that happening. About a year ago, I began to
have computer freeze-ups when doing send-receive, and that's when PA Baer (I
think it was) gave me the instructions of OE maintenance, which I've
followed pretty regularly since then. But not 100 percent! Not keeping the
Inbox completely empty! I have an extremely active e-mail correspondence,
and that's just not realistic for me.

Thanks again all.
Larry

"Bruce Hagen" <Nospam@mymail.invalid> wrote in message
news:uGu5ekakIHA.484@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...
> That reinforces what I thought. That is the file is empty, and the size
> would not reflect that there is mail in it as the size is not reduced
until
> you compact.
> --
> Bruce Hagen
> MS-MVP Outlook Express
> Imperial Beach, CA
>
>
> "Larry" <larry328NOSPAM@att.net> wrote in message
> news:%235VtCHXkIHA.1168@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...
> > Hi, sorry I didn't get back sooner.
> >
> > I downloaded OE Reader as recommended, browsed to the Inbox.dbx file
> > (which
> > I had renamed XXX.dbx and placed on the Desktop), and opened it.
Message
> > said:
> >
> > "File does not contain any message."
> >
> > Yet the file's size is 1.24 MB.
> >
> > Go figure.
> >
> > Larry
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > "bobster" <fauxie@bogus.net> wrote in message
> > news:uyN57AIkIHA.4664@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...
> >> Try this. It's the successor to MiTec OE view. I use it and it works
> > fine
> >> for me.
> >>
> >> http://www.snapfiles.com/get/dbxviewer.html
> >>
> >> "Larry" <larry328NOSPAM@att.net> wrote in message
> >> news:erUy0yAkIHA.6032@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...
> >> > I haven't been following this thread but this confuses me. How did
> >> > you
> >> determine the size of it when it was 400KB? And when it was 1.24 MB?
> >>
> >> By seeing the size of the Inbox.dbx file in Windows Explorer.
> >>
> >> > > 2. Get any of the many programs to extract messages from .dbx
files
> > and
> >> run
> >> > it
> >>
> >> I did try OE Extract and it doesn't do anything and provides no
> >> instructions, so I guess one of the nonfreeware apps is next.
> >>
> >>
> >> "dadiOH" <someone@fuggetit.com> wrote in message
> >> news:eGJ5QW$jIHA.4120@TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl...
> >> > Larry wrote:
> >> > > Strange things going on (see below), but I think the problem may be
> >> > > solvable.
> >> > >
> >> > > 1. The Inbox, prior to the problem, would have been around 80 or 90
> >> > > MB. As I said, my procedure is to let it build up for a few weeks
> >> > > and then move a lot of it into a custom folder. But after the
> >> > > problem occurred, the Inbox was 130 KB. After I received e-mails
> >> > > since this morning, it went up to about 400 KB.
> >> > >
> >> > > 2. But here's the strange thing: just now I looked again, and the
> >> > > only Inbox.dbx in the OE folder has 1.24 MB!!! So somehow it's
> >> > > returned.
> >> >
> >> > I haven't been following this thread but this confuses me. How did
you
> >> > determine the size of it when it was 400KB? And when it was 1.24 MB?
> >> > ________________
> >> >
> >> > > 3. Yet the Inbox in the OE application is still just the e-mails
> >> > > received since this morning.
> >> >
> >> > Because it is screwed up. That is, whatever methodology used to
> > determine
> >> > messages start/end and/or count is wrong. Like a file that has its
EOF
> > in
> >> > the wrong place/
> >> > __________________
> >> >
> >> > This is what I'd do...
> >> >
> >> > 1. Save a copy of Inbox.dbx somewhere
> >> >
> >> > 2. Get any of the many programs to extract messages from .dbx files
and
> >> run
> >> > it
> >> >
> >> > 3. If it is successful in getting your messages, save them as MAIL (
> >> i.e.,
> >> > *.eml - separate, discrete messages) in a folder on your desktop.
> >> >
> >> > If not successful, forget what follows.
> >> >
> >> > 4. Delete Inbox.dbx using Explorer
> >> >
> >> > 5. Open OE and display its Inbox - which should now be empty
> >> >
> >> > 6. Select all the recovered email messages in your temporary desktop
> >> folder
> >> > and drag them to the OE pane where they would normally be displayed.
> >> >
> >> > 7. Close OE
> >> >
> >> > dadiOH
> >> >
> >> >
> >>
> >
>

PA Bear [MS MVP] · Mar 29, 2008

Re: Inbox contents simply vanished

Sooner or later, file corruption will hit every OE user. It only makes
sense to do what you can to avoid it.

The Other E-Mail Threat: File Corruption in Outlook Express:
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/IE/community/columns/filecorruption.mspx

> ...I have an extremely active e-mail correspondence,
> and that's just not realistic for me.

I send well over 100 messages a day using OE, just about every day of the
week. If I can remember to take 2 minutes at the end of every day to empty
Sent Items & Deleted Items folders and then compact all folders (ALT+F+F+F),
you can, too.

If you don't value your message store, keep doing what you've been
doing...and don't bother backing-up your message store either. <wink>
--
~PA Bear

Larry wrote:
> Thank you everyone.
>
> I just dragged the file, XXX.dbx, back into the OE folder, launched OE,
> did
> a file compact on the folder XXX, and it went down from 1.24 MB to 58 KB.
> So that settles that.
>
> As far as OE's vulnerabilty to this kind of disaster is concerned, I've
> been
> using the same OE program for over nine years and never lost the contents
> of
> a folder and never heard of that happening. About a year ago, I began to
> have computer freeze-ups when doing send-receive, and that's when PA Baer
> (I
> think it was) gave me the instructions of OE maintenance, which I've
> followed pretty regularly since then. But not 100 percent! Not keeping
> the
> Inbox completely empty! I have an extremely active e-mail correspondence,
> and that's just not realistic for me.
>
> "Bruce Hagen" <Nospam@mymail.invalid> wrote in message
> news:uGu5ekakIHA.484@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...
>> That reinforces what I thought. That is the file is empty, and the size
>> would not reflect that there is mail in it as the size is not reduced
>> until
>> you compact.
>> --
>> Bruce Hagen
>> MS-MVP Outlook Express
>> Imperial Beach, CA
>>
>>
>> "Larry" <larry328NOSPAM@att.net> wrote in message
>> news:%235VtCHXkIHA.1168@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...
>>> Hi, sorry I didn't get back sooner.
>>>
>>> I downloaded OE Reader as recommended, browsed to the Inbox.dbx file
>>> (which
>>> I had renamed XXX.dbx and placed on the Desktop), and opened it.
> Message
>>> said:
>>>
>>> "File does not contain any message."
>>>
>>> Yet the file's size is 1.24 MB.
>>>
>>> Go figure.
>>>
>>> Larry
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> "bobster" <fauxie@bogus.net> wrote in message
>>> news:uyN57AIkIHA.4664@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...
>>>> Try this. It's the successor to MiTec OE view. I use it and it works
>>>> fine for me.
>>>>
>>>> http://www.snapfiles.com/get/dbxviewer.html
>>>>
>>>> "Larry" <larry328NOSPAM@att.net> wrote in message
>>>> news:erUy0yAkIHA.6032@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...
>>>>> I haven't been following this thread but this confuses me. How did
>>>>> you
>>>> determine the size of it when it was 400KB? And when it was 1.24 MB?
>>>>
>>>> By seeing the size of the Inbox.dbx file in Windows Explorer.
>>>>
>>>>> > 2. Get any of the many programs to extract messages from .dbx
> files
>>> and
>>>> run
>>>>> it
>>>>
>>>> I did try OE Extract and it doesn't do anything and provides no
>>>> instructions, so I guess one of the nonfreeware apps is next.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> "dadiOH" <someone@fuggetit.com> wrote in message
>>>> news:eGJ5QW$jIHA.4120@TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl...
>>>>> Larry wrote:
>>>>>> Strange things going on (see below), but I think the problem may be
>>>>>> solvable.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> 1. The Inbox, prior to the problem, would have been around 80 or 90
>>>>>> MB. As I said, my procedure is to let it build up for a few weeks
>>>>>> and then move a lot of it into a custom folder. But after the
>>>>>> problem occurred, the Inbox was 130 KB. After I received e-mails
>>>>>> since this morning, it went up to about 400 KB.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> 2. But here's the strange thing: just now I looked again, and the
>>>>>> only Inbox.dbx in the OE folder has 1.24 MB!!! So somehow it's
>>>>>> returned.
>>>>>
>>>>> I haven't been following this thread but this confuses me. How did
>>>>> you
>>>>> determine the size of it when it was 400KB? And when it was 1.24 MB?
>>>>> ________________
>>>>>
>>>>>> 3. Yet the Inbox in the OE application is still just the e-mails
>>>>>> received since this morning.
>>>>>
>>>>> Because it is screwed up. That is, whatever methodology used to
>>>>> determine messages start/end and/or count is wrong. Like a file that
>>>>> has its EOF in the wrong place/
>>>>> __________________
>>>>>
>>>>> This is what I'd do...
>>>>>
>>>>> 1. Save a copy of Inbox.dbx somewhere
>>>>>
>>>>> 2. Get any of the many programs to extract messages from .dbx files
>>>>> and
>>>>> run it
>>>>>
>>>>> 3. If it is successful in getting your messages, save them as MAIL (
>>>>> i.e., *.eml - separate, discrete messages) in a folder on your
>>>>> desktop.
>>>>>
>>>>> If not successful, forget what follows.
>>>>>
>>>>> 4. Delete Inbox.dbx using Explorer
>>>>>
>>>>> 5. Open OE and display its Inbox - which should now be empty
>>>>>
>>>>> 6. Select all the recovered email messages in your temporary desktop
>>>>> folder and drag them to the OE pane where they would normally be
>>>>> displayed.
>>>>>
>>>>> 7. Close OE
>>>>>
>>>>> dadiOH

Bill in Co. · Mar 29, 2008

Re: Inbox contents simply vanished

And you pretty much HAVE to remember to do it, if you don't have that
background compacting option turned on (and ever since the autocompacting
feature was removed - at least in WinXP SP2).

I just do it daily.

PA Bear [MS MVP] wrote:
> Sooner or later, file corruption will hit every OE user. It only makes
> sense to do what you can to avoid it.
>
> The Other E-Mail Threat: File Corruption in Outlook Express:
> http://www.microsoft.com/windows/IE/community/columns/filecorruption.mspx
>
>> ...I have an extremely active e-mail correspondence,
>> and that's just not realistic for me.
>
> I send well over 100 messages a day using OE, just about every day of the
> week. If I can remember to take 2 minutes at the end of every day to
> empty
> Sent Items & Deleted Items folders and then compact all folders
> (ALT+F+F+F),
> you can, too.
>
> If you don't value your message store, keep doing what you've been
> doing...and don't bother backing-up your message store either. <wink>
> --
> ~PA Bear
>
> Larry wrote:
>> Thank you everyone.
>>
>> I just dragged the file, XXX.dbx, back into the OE folder, launched OE,
>> did
>> a file compact on the folder XXX, and it went down from 1.24 MB to 58 KB.
>> So that settles that.
>>
>> As far as OE's vulnerabilty to this kind of disaster is concerned, I've
>> been
>> using the same OE program for over nine years and never lost the contents
>> of
>> a folder and never heard of that happening. About a year ago, I began to
>> have computer freeze-ups when doing send-receive, and that's when PA Baer
>> (I
>> think it was) gave me the instructions of OE maintenance, which I've
>> followed pretty regularly since then. But not 100 percent! Not keeping
>> the
>> Inbox completely empty! I have an extremely active e-mail
>> correspondence,
>> and that's just not realistic for me.
>>
>> "Bruce Hagen" <Nospam@mymail.invalid> wrote in message
>> news:uGu5ekakIHA.484@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...
>>> That reinforces what I thought. That is the file is empty, and the size
>>> would not reflect that there is mail in it as the size is not reduced
>>> until
>>> you compact.
>>> --
>>> Bruce Hagen
>>> MS-MVP Outlook Express
>>> Imperial Beach, CA
>>>
>>>
>>> "Larry" <larry328NOSPAM@att.net> wrote in message
>>> news:%235VtCHXkIHA.1168@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...
>>>> Hi, sorry I didn't get back sooner.
>>>>
>>>> I downloaded OE Reader as recommended, browsed to the Inbox.dbx file
>>>> (which
>>>> I had renamed XXX.dbx and placed on the Desktop), and opened it.
>> Message
>>>> said:
>>>>
>>>> "File does not contain any message."
>>>>
>>>> Yet the file's size is 1.24 MB.
>>>>
>>>> Go figure.
>>>>
>>>> Larry
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> "bobster" <fauxie@bogus.net> wrote in message
>>>> news:uyN57AIkIHA.4664@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...
>>>>> Try this. It's the successor to MiTec OE view. I use it and it works
>>>>> fine for me.
>>>>>
>>>>> http://www.snapfiles.com/get/dbxviewer.html
>>>>>
>>>>> "Larry" <larry328NOSPAM@att.net> wrote in message
>>>>> news:erUy0yAkIHA.6032@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...
>>>>>> I haven't been following this thread but this confuses me. How did
>>>>>> you
>>>>> determine the size of it when it was 400KB? And when it was 1.24 MB?
>>>>>
>>>>> By seeing the size of the Inbox.dbx file in Windows Explorer.
>>>>>
>>>>>> > 2. Get any of the many programs to extract messages from .dbx
>> files
>>>> and
>>>>> run
>>>>>> it
>>>>>
>>>>> I did try OE Extract and it doesn't do anything and provides no
>>>>> instructions, so I guess one of the nonfreeware apps is next.
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> "dadiOH" <someone@fuggetit.com> wrote in message
>>>>> news:eGJ5QW$jIHA.4120@TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl...
>>>>>> Larry wrote:
>>>>>>> Strange things going on (see below), but I think the problem may be
>>>>>>> solvable.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> 1. The Inbox, prior to the problem, would have been around 80 or 90
>>>>>>> MB. As I said, my procedure is to let it build up for a few weeks
>>>>>>> and then move a lot of it into a custom folder. But after the
>>>>>>> problem occurred, the Inbox was 130 KB. After I received e-mails
>>>>>>> since this morning, it went up to about 400 KB.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> 2. But here's the strange thing: just now I looked again, and the
>>>>>>> only Inbox.dbx in the OE folder has 1.24 MB!!! So somehow it's
>>>>>>> returned.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> I haven't been following this thread but this confuses me. How did
>>>>>> you
>>>>>> determine the size of it when it was 400KB? And when it was 1.24 MB?
>>>>>> ________________
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> 3. Yet the Inbox in the OE application is still just the e-mails
>>>>>>> received since this morning.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Because it is screwed up. That is, whatever methodology used to
>>>>>> determine messages start/end and/or count is wrong. Like a file that
>>>>>> has its EOF in the wrong place/
>>>>>> __________________
>>>>>>
>>>>>> This is what I'd do...
>>>>>>
>>>>>> 1. Save a copy of Inbox.dbx somewhere
>>>>>>
>>>>>> 2. Get any of the many programs to extract messages from .dbx files
>>>>>> and
>>>>>> run it
>>>>>>
>>>>>> 3. If it is successful in getting your messages, save them as MAIL (
>>>>>> i.e., *.eml - separate, discrete messages) in a folder on your
>>>>>> desktop.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> If not successful, forget what follows.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> 4. Delete Inbox.dbx using Explorer
>>>>>>
>>>>>> 5. Open OE and display its Inbox - which should now be empty
>>>>>>
>>>>>> 6. Select all the recovered email messages in your temporary desktop
>>>>>> folder and drag them to the OE pane where they would normally be
>>>>>> displayed.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> 7. Close OE
>>>>>>
>>>>>> dadiOH

Inbox contents simply vanished

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