Re: CHKDSK Deleted Outlook .pst file = I lost 5 yrs worth of email

Tech-Archive recommends: Fix windows errors by optimizing your registry

Outlook saves all mail, contacts etc. in a single .PST file, and perhaps
in an archive .PST file as mentioned by Kerry Brown. Outlook Express
uses numerous .DBX files.

I have no idea how much a data recovery service would cost.
I recommend you explain the situation and get a couple of quotes.


"RobinFromLA" <RobinFromLA@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:33F2B537-007B-4DD9-86BD-582352381B9A@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> I think an older version of Outlook (or I may be thinking of Outlook
express)
> saved all the folders of emails in separate files. Is that no longer the
> case with Outlook XP?
> Thanks,
> Robin
>
> "Pegasus (MVP)" wrote:
>
> >
> > "RobinFromLA" <RobinFromLA@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
> > news:5C348DEA-6A18-4526-9DED-0BB9594F716B@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> > > Hi, I'm a first time poster with an emergency at hand. I have a 1.5
year
> > old
> > > Gateway laptop running Windows XP. Friday night, I shut down my
computer.
> > A
> > > few hours later, I restarted and CHKDSK ran. It took longer than
usual,
> > so I
> > > left my computer and came back when it was finishing up. I noticed
there
> > was
> > > a whole bunch of text on the screen with respect to actions taken, but
I
> > > didn't pay attention to what it said.
> > > So I logged in and double clicked on the Outlook icon. However, it
said
> > > "Cannot start Microsoft Outlook. The file C:\Documents and
> > > Settings\robin\Local Settings\Application
Data\MicrosofOutlook\Outlook.pst
> > is
> > > not a personal folders file." So I went to that path and found that
> > > outlook.pst, a file that used to be over 200 MB, was now 0 KB, and
> > completely
> > > empty in fact. Outlook won't even startup.
> > > I assume CHKDSK caused this, because I was using Outlook before I
> > restarted
> > > and CHKDSK ran.
> > >
> > > So I am in big trouble, because I need all my calendar, contacts, and
> > emails
> > > that were in that darn .pst file. Can you please help me? Is there
> > anyway
> > > to recover it? How can I find out what CHKDSK did? Is it
> > > recoverable/reversible???
> > >
> > > Thank you!
> > > Robin
> > >
> >
> > I assume you have already used the Search function (Start /
> > Search) to look for your .PST file elsewhere on your disk.
> >
> > Your best chance of recovering the file is to stop using the machine
> > immediately, then take it to a data recovery service so that they can
> > take a snapshot of your hard disk. They will then trawl through the
> > whole disk to see if anything can be recovered. If you use the
> > machine before they take the snapshot then you reduce your
> > chances of recovering the file, because Windows is highly likely
> > to overwrite whatever is left of your .PST file.
> >
> > After recovering from this disaster, consider the iron law of
> > computing: All important files must be backed up to an independent
> > medium once every week. Many people ignore this rule until
> > they suffer a major disaster.
> >
> >
> >


.

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