Pop3 help

Gator

Recently backed up hd, use outlook express 2003 and when I opened my outlook folder none of my emails where there, I think my contacts where their but when I tried to import them they wouldnt. Rang eircom to see if they would make my e-mails available so I could retrieve them. However they sais that they don't keep emails, I know that they do as they are required by law to hold all e-mails that travel through their servers for 2 two years just like vodafone and 02 have to keep a record of their txt messages.

Are the e-mails themselves held in a different folder?

How can I import my contacts, the file is 200kbs so there is something in their?

Can I get my emails back of €ircon?

dahamsta

- You don't use Outlook Express 2003, you use Outlook 2003. Or possibly Outlook Express.
- How did you try to import your contacts? From where? Using what method?
- Eircom don't store your emails unless you configured your client to leave them on the server.
- Eircom is required by law to retain traffic data, so all they'll have - or /should/ have - in their long term stores is email headers.
- They're not required to give you that data, it's retained for access by people designated by Gov.ie (i.e. almost everybody /but/ you).
- If you are actually using Outlook 2003, search your hard drive for *.pst and open them in Outlook.
- What file is 200kb?

tbh

when you say you recently backed up your hard drive, what exactly did you do? Did you delete files etc? If so, as Ken says, look for PST files and move them back, then use outlook to open them. If you have POP access (and it sounds like you do) then all the messages should be stored locally on your hard drive. Also, as Ken says, Eircom may archive traffic data, but not messages and either way, its not like they store messages per-user, probably they have a large archive of messages destined to, or originating from, their domains, all stored centrally, so I don't think you'll get them from Eircom. ARe you using a different pc / client now? Give us a bit more detail on exactly what you did and I'll see if I can help.

Gator

Well bacically I backed up all documents + program files + a few other things,no system files as config\system was corrupt and would not let me copy from repair, I looked into this and people had had problems with cloning to another hd so I was advised just to back up user files etc, not the system state.

Installed fresh os and copied everything back over, had no problems minus one or two things but the main thing I need is my actual e-mails ( I completly forgot about them when I was copying files off the old hd so I was hoping that they would be on the original files I had copied over), If someone could tell me directory the emails are stored in I would then know if I have that file. I am using outlook express and yes I know...I am an idiot:o

ps: the .wab file is there and when I try to import it it does it fine but nothing comes up.....could this be due to the actual program being older then the file...do I need to patch outlook express up to date in order for it to import correctly...cheers

dahamsta

*sigh* Some people just don't seem to want to be helped. I'll try once more.

Ken Shabby wrote:

- You don't use Outlook Express 2003, you use Outlook 2003. Or possibly Outlook Express? [Very sad that I had to add a ? here.]
- How did you try to import your contacts? From where? Using what method?
[...]
- If you are actually using Outlook 2003, search your hard drive for *.pst and open them in Outlook.
- What file is 200kb?

ressem

Does it create a PST if you don't you archive/export?
I think by default the data is kept in an .ost file, which isn't so convenient.

System drive:\Documents and Settings\<username>\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook

Backup the ost file if you find it and try this (your mileage may vary)

http://hellomate.typepad.com/exchange/2003/07/ost_to_pst.html
"
Have successfully managed to convert an Outlook 2003 OST file to a PST file that can be read in Outlook 2002 or 2003. This is the method that worked for me:
1. Backup ost file(s)
2. Rename outlook.ost to outlook.pst
3. Use scanpst.exe from Outlook 2002 (in C:\Program Files\Common Files\System\Mapi\1033) to repair outlook.pst
(You can always copy scanpst.exe from an alternative installation, include MAPI32.DLL and GAPI32.DLL)
4. Rename outlook.pst back to outlook.ost
5. Run OST2PST which will then convert the file successfully to outlook.pst
6. Outlook can then open the outlook.pst file

This method has converted 2 files both of approx 400Mb.
"

ressem

If you're using outlook express, the mail will have been stored somewhere like

C:\Documents and Settings\<user>\Local Settings\Application Data\Identities\{B300C9A2-F3C5-4941-A604-F2C9D3066209}\Microsoft\Outlook Express

files will mostly end in DBX, but copy the entire folder.

(which you can find using Outlook Express\ Tools menu \ options\ Maintanance tab \ Store Folder button)

Make a backup of the folder. Under file menu \import \ messages \import messages from MS OE6.