Can anyone help with restoring email from backup?

[limebrook1]

Had to restore my PC to factory settings - knew had probs, so have been backing up everything to external hard drive on daily basis, so was pretty confident all would work okay.

But I cannot seem to restore my email messages - and I had hundreds I need to get back access to.

I'm using Vista Home Premium edition - anyone know what I should do? The rest of my files seem to have been restored okay, just not Outlook!

[Karen Mac]

Well.. Vista uses its own mail.. very similar to Outlook.

However, That data was stored in User Profile in xp and if you didnt save the profile, data you lost your saved email...most likely your browsing bookmarks etc..

Karen

[LadyEye]

I was able once to retrieve my address book somehow via the recycle bin deep in my registry keys, (I recall alot of 0's, lol) .. but not the mail ..

[Karen Mac]

I just looked in vista.. its in the user profile data settings and is usually not something people think to back up before restoring factory settings. You have to change your folder preferences to not hide system folders.. and then go to computer, your desktopname, local, app data, microsoft, and then either outlook or windows mail and save that folder. That has all your mail etc.

Karen

[limebrook1]

I'm not using the Vista email, I'm using Outlook. I have Outlook regularly backing up - just can't find out where to restore it from! :(

I think you are right - it's hidden away somewhere. Hopefully I'll be able to get it back. Will ask the experts at work tomorrow. Thanks for the replies anyway.

Not given up hope quite yet!

[zuriatman]

Hi Trish,

Try going to C:\Program Files\Outlook Express

Select "wab" [addressbook icon].

[limebrook1]

Thanks - it seems like it is a problem with security. Although I am an administrator, with exactly the same account name as before, as I've reset the whole PC, it now has a different identity. The external hard drive, on which the back up is stored, may be seeing the PC as something it shouldn't communicate with.

Will play around with the security later and see if I can resolve.

Computers - I hate them! :)

[Vasili]

My Outlook fried, and I am STILL trying to ressurrect my folder (seems I thought I was backing up but wasn't actually). Anyway, with over 6,000 emails in folders, Outlook sensed a problem and literally shut down my folder, making it impossible to open the program --- even when installing different versions of Office altogether.

Apparently, the .pst folders in Outlook can only handle 2g of stored data, so backing up is not the answer: whenever you add another program or reset a configuration, Office automatically assesses your folders to see that your available space is sufficient. If not, it will shut down your folder.

The only way to reclaim your PST folder is to run the program scanpst.exe which is in the program files folder, and is also accessible via the Office > Outlook > Update/Diagnostic page (or Search for the troubleshooter discussions).

Since my folder is not responding, my only hope is to re-load my OS, effectively wiping 2 years of history, contacts, vital documents, and possibly downloaded programs from my system just to start over again!

Good luck, Sweets. Hopefully you can run the repair program whereas I cannot....and I hate Webmail so, especially with 37 emails addresses and a hodgepodge of forwarders....

[limebrook1]

Well, my email problem is resolved, and all my emails (1,000 plus from 10 emails accounts, so not quite in your league Vasili - but I have only had this PC for 3 months!) have been restored.

Thought it might be useful to post how.

I stood and bowed towards Mecca. I turned round three times, then stood on one leg with one hand on my head whilst with the other I set off the restore from back up program once again. I then left the PC, and didn't go back into the room until it had ended. Then, knowing it wouldn't have worked, I switched it off without checking, and left it for 18 hours.

The result was, when I started up the PC, Outlook told me it was reconfiguring - and when it had completed, all emails were back!

In other words, I haven't a bloomin' clue why it worked this last time, and not on the previous attempts!

Now all I have to do is to restore my website pages, templates and photos which were on the same backup, but which have still not re-emerged. I think I'll try a rain dance next time! :)