Re: archive empty!

Thanks Brian, that was helpful and reassuring information -- seems like since
I didn't have the 'permanently delete old items' radio button selected, it
should have just moved them.

The big mystery remains, however . . . . why aren't they in the archive
folder? Why, when I used to choose the Archives Folders in the folder list,
I could see them, and now I cannot? There is a 'Sent Items' folder under the
Archive Folders, but no Inbox (and I can't recall if there ever was), but my
regular Inbox has definitely been pruned. I remember it was so easy to
search those archived items -- they were just right there, and now they're
gone.

I do make backups, but my guess is that all my recent backup archive.pst
files have been replaced by this new "empty" archive.pst -- I don't keep an
infinite number of backups. I can get to some of the old stuff on permanent
backups, but there are sure to be gaps. This so sucks.

Anyway, thanks for the info.

Patti

"Brian Tillman [MVP - Outlook]" wrote:

"Patti" <Patti@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:3625924E-D070-44EB-8D37-D121ED19BC7C@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

I hope someone can help me! I usually auto archive when Outlook prompts me,
and whenever (rarely) I wanted to look at something, I could always just
click in the archive folder and see them all over there. I never even
looked
at the Auto- archive settings until today, when I went to look for
something,
and the whole folder is empty! Where did everything go?

So I looked under Tools>Options>Other>AutoArchive settings and see a box
checked that says "Archive or delete old items" and another that says
"Delete
expired items (email folders only). !!!!!!!

Why 'archive OR delete'? There's a damn big difference between the two!

You can configure the AutoArchive process to do either, but the "Delete
expired items" isn't a part of that. It's a different function. Notice that
it's on the same level as "Archive or delete" and that it's a check box, not a
radio button. Check boxes are options that are not mutually exclusive. They
can be chosen and operate simultaneously. Radio buttons are mutually
exclusive options. Thus, the AutoArchive options for "Move old items" and
"Permanently delete old items" are mutually exclusive and underneath the
"Archive or delete" check box, so they modify that option. Those radio
buttons choose the "archive" or the "delete" option of the "Archive or delete"
check box and that has nothing to do with expired items.

Expired messages are messages that you have either deliberately marked as
expired or that get marked as expired with Tools>options>E-mail
Options>Advanced E-mail Options>Messages expire after XX days. Outlook
represents those by displaying them in the mail folder with an overstrike
through the subject. AutoArchive can also remove those messages in addition
to performing its archiving function.

Did Outlook delete all my old emails??!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

Likely not.

What are expired item?!?!?!?!?!

See above.

I need them now for a court hearing!!!!!!!

If you can't find them in your active PST or your archive PST, you'll have to
restore them from one of the backups you've made. You DO make backups of your
PSTs, correct?
--
Brian Tillman [MVP-Outlook]


.