XP corrupted user profile -- trying to get email back

[RemoSinanju]

Hello,

I posted a message earlier about my user profile getting corrupted on XP. The thing I'm most concerned about losing is my email -- different folders I've set up in Outlook Express, sent items, etc. Since the profile corruption problem began, every time I load up Outlook Express, there are no contents in my inbox except the initial "Welcome to Outlook" email message. I thought all this stuff got saved to a file somewhere, but I don't know where it is or what it's called. If I can find this file, does anyone know if I can use it to access my email, or is it lost for good?

Thanks for the help!

 

[questionlp]

You may want to search your hard drive for files with the extension of "dbx", as .dbx files are what Outlook Express stores your mail folders as. Although I don't use Outlook Express other than once or twice, but my Windows 2000 machine has .dbx files under:

C:\Documents and Settings\USERNAME\Local Settings\Application Data\Identities\{GUID}\Microsoft\Outlook Express

The items in bold will be different for each computer and each user.

 

[fr]

The settings are the same on my Windows 2000 machine.


It's happened to me a few times. Usually your inbox with just the one "Welcome to Outlook" message is called Inbox (1).dbx. Just find your original Inbox.dbx (usually in the same folder). Make a backup of it and then delete the single-message Inbox (1).dbx and rename your Inbox.dbx to Inbox (1).dbx. If it is not corrupted, Outlook should automatically load it the next time you use it.


Hope it makes sense.

 

[Skibby9]

In Outlook 2000, you need the .pst file. Is it really different for OE?

Now I'm thinking of Old English......

 

[questionlp]

Outlook uses a different method to store messages (either in PST format, or OST for Offline Folders when using with an Exchange Server) that it has used for a while. Outlook Express uses a more simple format (kind of "mbox" like, but with a Microsoft twist) where each folder is stored in different files.