My wife's machine had XP with Outlook Express working, and the storage folder for OE was located on the desktop, in Desktop/New Folder/Emails
Anyway, after I tidied up the desktop for her about a week ago and thought I was being very careful only to delete unwanted files and folders, her email in OE has all disappeared up to the date of the 'tidy-up'.
This is extremely puzzling. Please allow me to elaborate:
I performed a search using the hidden/system files options. I checked for *.dbx files over the whole C drive. None of the missing dbx files appeared .
Next, copied the Recuva program on to a stick, and ran it from there. Searched for 'email files'. One old zip file full of dbx files came up. NOTHING else, - not even as overwritten, damaged files. So the implication is that there are no other identifiable deleted dbx files on the drive.
Tried the same thing with PC Inspector. Same result.
So it looks like I have not actually deleted the emails. But if I didn't accidentally delete them during the tidy-up, what else could have happened?
All I can think of is accidental overwriting. But how could that happen?
They should at least appear as damaged lost files, even then, so I am now scanning with PC Inspector for 'lost files'.
Nothing - no lost files either.
So what could it be? I am totally stumped.
PS I have now tried three different recovery tools, and none of them has found a single .dbx file on the drive (of the ones I am looking for).
So they don't appear as 'deleted' or as 'lost'.
There has to be an explanation for this. Could it be something to do with a corrupted NTFS directory, or something?
Anyway, after I tidied up the desktop for her about a week ago and thought I was being very careful only to delete unwanted files and folders, her email in OE has all disappeared up to the date of the 'tidy-up'.
This is extremely puzzling. Please allow me to elaborate:
I performed a search using the hidden/system files options. I checked for *.dbx files over the whole C drive. None of the missing dbx files appeared .
Next, copied the Recuva program on to a stick, and ran it from there. Searched for 'email files'. One old zip file full of dbx files came up. NOTHING else, - not even as overwritten, damaged files. So the implication is that there are no other identifiable deleted dbx files on the drive.
Tried the same thing with PC Inspector. Same result.
So it looks like I have not actually deleted the emails. But if I didn't accidentally delete them during the tidy-up, what else could have happened?
All I can think of is accidental overwriting. But how could that happen?
They should at least appear as damaged lost files, even then, so I am now scanning with PC Inspector for 'lost files'.
Nothing - no lost files either.
So what could it be? I am totally stumped.
PS I have now tried three different recovery tools, and none of them has found a single .dbx file on the drive (of the ones I am looking for).
So they don't appear as 'deleted' or as 'lost'.
There has to be an explanation for this. Could it be something to do with a corrupted NTFS directory, or something?