[u3aavcuss] Re: deleted e-mails
- From: "Mike Bean" <Mike.Bean@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <u3aavcuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 26 Mar 2009 18:47:04 -0000
Rowena,
The e-mail client Outlook Express, like many other mail clients, stores the
mail in one or more flies with, in the case of Outlook, a .PST extension.
This acts like a database and Outlook manages the creation, storage and
deletion of mail items and attachments inside it. As a consequence there are
not individual files relating to mail items, they are just 'somewhere' in a
file like OUTLOOK.PST.
If you delete an e-mail in Outlook it is usually just moved to a different
Outlook folder called Deleted Items (in the same .PST) - your individual
set-up of Outlook may chose keep them there 'forever' or remove them
completely according to some rule you have set up (like when they are more
than 100 days old, or whatever). Up to that point the e-mails are as
accessible as any other e-mail in Inbox, Sent Mail etc.
HOWEVER, if you delete an e-mail item that is in the Deleted Items folder in
Outlook OR your Outlook set-up is set to 'really' delete Deleted Items then
they are completely removed from the system and will never be recoverable.
Two points:
1) Even though these e-mails have been deleted they still take up
space in the .PST file, so if the objective of deleting a load of e-mails
was to recover wasted space it will not have helped. You can, however,
compact the .PST file(s) by right-clicking on the INBOX (and any other
separate .PST systems loaded) and take the Properties option. One of the
tabs then offers a Compact option. This quickly rebuilds the .PST file with
just the undeleted contents.
2) If you wish to avoid the danger of losing stuff through over
exuberant e-mail pruning then it may be an idea to make a copy of all the
.PST files (probably only 1 or 2) perhaps adding a date to the name BEFORE
hacking about in the undergrowth. Do the copy with Outlook NOT running. I do
this at least quarterly and then hack out items that are more than, say, 6
months old, knowing that I can always go back to an old copy in the future.
But DO NOT overwrite your current one in that case, there are ways of
attaching (temporarily) your old PST file in parallel with the then-current
one to look at and possibly drag out old stuff into your current PST. It's
in the Help files but ask again if that situation occurs.
Mike
_____
From: u3aavcuss-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:u3aavcuss-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]
On Behalf Of rowena@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: 26 March 2009 16:58
To: u3aavcuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [u3aavcuss] deleted e-mails
Hello CUSS,
Have recently had some work done on computer - removing spyware etc, which
resulted in 200 old and new e-mails appearing in Outlook Express inbox.
Have deleted most of these ( and deleted deleted items ) but they are not in
recycle bin. Where might they be please ?
Rowena.
No virus found in this incoming message.
Checked by AVG - www.avg.com
Version: 8.0.238 / Virus Database: 270.11.29/2023 - Release Date: 03/25/09
18:54:00
Other related posts:
