Re: trying to gain access to emails on old hard disk

From: PA Bear (PABear_at_mvps.org)
Date: 07/12/04 

Date: Mon, 12 Jul 2004 15:39:49 -0400

It would have been preferable to Import the D:\ drive data into your new,
C:\ drive Identity and its store. I would try this now but if a DBX file in
the D:\ folder isn't larger than ~75 KB, it represents an empty folder and
your old data is history. (Deleted DBX files do *not* go to Recycle Bin.)

Backing up & Restoring OE Data
http://insideoe.tomsterdam.com/backup/index.htm
http://www.oehelp.com/backup.aspx

How OE Stores your Data
(a different {GUID} was assigned to each store)
http://insideoe.tomsterdam.com/files/store.htm#storemain

'Moving' the store folder is not the same as 'reassigning' the store folder.

HOW TO move your store
http://insideoe.tomsterdam.com/faqs/how.htm#movestore 

-- 
HTH - Please Reply to This Thread
~Robear Dyer (PA Bear)
MS MVP-Windows (IE/OE), AH-VSOP
AumHa Forums
http://forum.aumha.org
What You Should Know About Spyware
http://www.microsoft.com/mscorp/twc/privacy/spyware.mspx
wilfred wrote:
> I have been using Outlook Express 6 as my email program
> for several years.
> During 2003 my PC was infected by the Bugbear virus, and
> although my McAfee Antivirus Software claimed that had
> been able to repair the damage, I still experienced some
> problems with my PC, but several months ago something
> (mysterious) happened so that I was no longer able to boot
> the PC at all.
>
> As a result of these problems I decided to "start all
> over" but because I had documents, emails, etcetera on my
> hard disk which I wanted to retain, I followed a
> suggestion that I install a new hard disk, and reload my
> software.  This has been successful, and I have been able
> to send and receive emails.
>
> My problem is that I have not been able to gain access to
> my old emails which are still on the old hard disk which
> is now installed as the second hard disk, now known as
> drive D: - the new hard disk is installed as drive C:
>
> I have been able to identify the file structure used by
> Outlook Express 6 to hold the email messages, by selecting
> Tools | Options | Maintenance | Store Folder.  Knowing the
> name of these email files on drive C: I then used Explorer
> to find the corresponding files for my old emails on my
> old D: drive, and according to Explorer there are .DBX
> files which correspond to the various folders which were
> part of my Local Folders in Outlook Express 6.
>
> I selected Tools | Options | Maintenance | Store Folder
> and was presented with a message:
> "Your personal message store is located in the following
> folder"
>
> When I clicked the Change button, I was able to use the
> Browse function to specify the path name of the files on
> my old D: drive.  When I clicked the "OK" button, I was
> presented with a message:
> "There appears to be an Outlook Express message store
> already in the folder that you have chosen.  Do you want
> to switch to using that store?  If not, it will be deleted
> and replaced with your current store"
>
> When I clicked the "Yes" button, I was presented with a
> message:
> "Your store location will not be changed until you
> shutdown and restart Outlook Express.
>
> I clicked the "OK" button, and shut down Outlook Express,
> and restarted it, and was shown the list of folders that I
> expected to see under the "Local Folders" heading.  The
> problem is that when I select any of these folders,
> instead of seeing the details of all of the emails which
> should be there, I just get the message:
> "There are no items in this view"
>
> If I use wordpad to look at the contents of the .DBX files
> which Explorer tells me are on the old drive D:, I can see
> enough indications that the data is there, even though
> the .DBX format is for the most part not a text file.
>
> I have performed the following test to satisfy myself that
> I have been correctly following the above process for
> changing the identity of the store folder.  First of all I
> saved all current emails which I want to keep, but I left
> a few inconsequential emails in my C: drive folder.  I
> changed to the D: drive folder as described above, and
> subsequently changed back to the C: drive folder, and was
> able to get back to those "inconsequential emails" without
> a problem.
>
> I realise that I have written at length to describe
> exactly what I have done.
> Please, HOW CAN I GET MY EMAILS BACK?
>
> Wilfred
> wilfqb@optusnet.com.au
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