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PC Help Pages.

OK, I know. Microsoft Outlook Express (OE) is not the best, fastest, safest etc email client in the world, but it was pre-installed and I'm, basically, lazy!

Well, a while ago the Inbox suddenly "emptied" itself while I as reading the mail! Not to the deleted items folder, just gone, vanished, messages no more! This first time I thought it was something I had done wrong. A few weeks later it did it again as I opened an email that had an attachment, I put it down to a piece of malicious code in the attachment (the virus checker informed me that there was a virus in the attachment).

After mentioning this to someone I was told that it happens with Outlook and I was pointed in a direction for a fix for Outlook, but I was loath to use it as Outlook and Outlook Express, though being closely named and doing similar jobs, are different beasts. I carried on with things the way they were, copying important emails to another folder "just in case" and it happened a couple more times.

Last night (10 June) I received 8 emails. I read the first and sent a reply. As OE came back the inbox magically emptied itself again, this with 7 newly received emails still unread! Well I decided that I had to do something about this now, so I searched Microsoft Knoweledge Base and got no real answer so I decided to widen my searches.

I discovered that the problem occurs when an error creeps into the .dbx file (a binary database file where the messages are stored) and OE can no longer "read" it. OE then ignores the whole .dbx file and starts another one with a slightly different name, empty to start with, leaving the old file on the computers' hard drive awaiting recovery. This can happen to any of the "folders" within OE but is most common with the inbox.

I came across several references to a free utility program called DBXtract written by Dr. Steve Cochran. I searched for this and turned up several locations where I could download the latest version (5·01 updated 22 July 2004) for a fee, but I wanted a "free quick fix" so I looked a bit harder and turned up a free, earlier version; DBXtract 4·50 from PC World Downloads: E-Mail: DBXtract (no not the chain of PC retailers, the magazine). This download requires WinZip or similar to uncompress it after downloading.

A quick guide for using DBXtract 4·50 (as there are no instructions).

1. In OE, select the Tools menu. Next select Options then the Maintenance tab sheet. Press the Store Folders button. Write down (or select and copy) the location shown in the box. (probably something like: C:\Documents and Settings\(user name)\Local Settings\Application Data\Identities\{long number}\Microsoft\Outlook Express)
   
   
2. Search for Inbox*.dbx (or whatever folder was "lost", it works on all the .dbx files in OE) or look in the listed folder (from step 1 above) and note how many Inbox.dbx (or other) files there are (I had Inbox.dbx, Inbox (1).dbx - Inbox (5).dbx, 6 instances, the one marked (5) is the current one in use).
   
   
3. Start DBXtract, type in EXACTLY (or paste if you copied, much easier! or browse) the location from step 1 into the red box in the image below (the colours are my addition to make the explanation easier, they are plain white in the actual program).
   
   
   
   
   
4. Type into the green box (or use the browse button) where you want the recovered emails to go (they are saved as .eml format messages, if recovering usenet messages they are saved as .nws).
   
   
5. Type into the blue box the file name you want to recover (e.g. Index.dbx) or use the drop down box to select.
   
   
6. Repeat step 5 (and step 4 if you want to change location of saved files) for every instance of Inbox (X).dbx, except for the highest number.
   
   
7. Once you have checked that you have recovered all the emails you can you could delete the Index.dbx files as they are no longer required. Don't worry if you delete the newest one (if it is still empty) as OE will create it again on starting.

I have used DBXtract 4·50 and found it to work very well, it may not recover all the emails (it can't recover damaged ones) but it certainly bought my emails back so I could read the 7 I hadn't seen yet (6 were spam but 1 was important) and all the others that I thought had long gone.

I intend purchasing the 5·01 version soon and for those that want to find it quickly it is at: DBXtract home page, the cost for the, feature packed, 5·01 version being $7·00.