I am attempting to restore email on a PC computer. It is only
restoring some of the folders, not all of them.

I had to rebuild this PC. Before the rebuild, I was able to cleanly
save its email data on another PC over our small home network.

The machine was rebuilt using the same Windows XP and Outlook Express
v6 it had before. Everything is now patched and updated from
Microsoft. I am also running Norton Antivirus, also patched and
updated. The machine has been scanned and is clean.

The old email data store consists of many .dbx files. When I attempt
to ?import? the files, only a small portion of them are pulled up and
installed inside Outlook Express.

Some of the old files have incorrect naming errors, like multiple
spaces or periods, with a couple having commas and the ?&? symbol.
This has never been an issue before.

What am I missing?
clicker5

---

Request for Question Clarification by sublime1-ga on 16 Aug 2004 14:44 PDT

clicker5...

I suspect it has to do with the folders.dbx file, which, on my
system, is 6MB file which has a record of all the folders in 
the old system. The importing process may be trying to import
the files with the names and contents of the folders, like
Inbox, but is not importing the original folders.dbx file.

I would try it this way (hopefully you have very little new
content):
Save all the new emails from your new OE installation into
a separate directory somewhere in Windows Explorer. Then 
close the program, and empty out the contents of your OE 
folder in Explorer:
C:\Documents and Settings\Username\Local Settings\Application
Data\Identities\{78D016E2-C460-4230-8C1B-2AF89D2EE42F}\
Microsoft\Outlook Express\  or wherever it is.

Then copy all the old files, including the folders.dbx file,
to that directory. When you reopen the program, all your old
folders and emails should be intact. Then add in any new
content you saved from the new installation, in a manner
which is in accord with the method you used to save it
(if the number of new emails is small enough, you can just
save them individually as files with an .eml extension, and
open them later with the new installation, moving them to
where you wish in the restored folder system).

Let me know if this makes sense and works for you. If it
does, I'll be happy to post an official answer and collect
the fee.

sublime1-ga

---

Clarification of Question by clicker5-ga on 16 Aug 2004 15:55 PDT

Thank you sublime1-ga,

Your information was just the medicine I needed. I was ?Importing?,
when all I really needed to do is ?delete? the newly created contents
in the Outlook Express data store and copy the ?Old? files into the
?Outlook Express? folder.

I now have ?ALL? of the old emails in all their glory.

Good job, 5 stars, for a 5 star answer.
clicker5

---

Clarification of Question by clicker5-ga on 16 Aug 2004 17:23 PDT

Thank you sublime1-ga,

Please make your answer official, and collect the fee.

Your information was just the medicine I needed. I was ?Importing?,
when all I really needed to do is ?delete? the newly created contents
in the Outlook Express data store and copy the ?Old? files into the
?Outlook Express? folder.

I now have ?ALL? of the old emails in all their glory.

Good job, 5 stars, for a 5 star answer.
clicker5

clicker5...

I'm very pleased to hear that my suggestions worked so well
for you. I will reproduce my answer here, for the sake of
future readers:

I suspect it has to do with the folders.dbx file, which, on my
system, is 6MB file which has a record of all the folders in 
the old system. The importing process may be trying to import
the files with the names and contents of the folders, like
Inbox, but is not importing the original folders.dbx file.

I would try it this way (hopefully you have very little new
content):
Save all the new emails from your new OE installation into
a separate directory somewhere in Windows Explorer. Then 
close the program, and empty out the contents of your OE 
folder in Explorer:
C:\Documents and Settings\Username\Local Settings\Application
Data\Identities\{78D016E2-C460-4230-8C1B-2AF89D2EE42F}\
Microsoft\Outlook Express\  or wherever it is.

Then copy all the old files, including the folders.dbx file,
to that directory. When you reopen the program, all your old
folders and emails should be intact. Then add in any new
content you saved from the new installation, in a manner
which is in accord with the method you used to save it
(if the number of new emails is small enough, you can just
save them individually as files with an .eml extension, and
open them later with the new installation, moving them to
where you wish in the restored folder system).


I didn't need to do any searches on this particular topic,
having had to reconstruct my email folders so many times
in the past.

Remember to compact your folders once in awhile, too, which
will save you a little disk space. Just go to File -> Folders
Compact All Folders. This will also ensure that none of your
folders have become corrupted, since it will fail to complete
if this is the case.

Best regards...

sublime1-ga

Hi sublime1:
Good job, 5 stars, for a 5 star answer.
clicker5