auto-update wiped out User Data

[Branchout]

Version: 2004
Operating System: Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger)
Email Client: pop

Last night my Mac prompted me to download & install updates to Entourage 2004, which I did. This a.m. I open my email to find that my User Data has apparently been wiped out (and I fear deleted accidentally by yours truly by way of emptying the trash). I see that my Entourage database was last modified last night at the time I started the installation. My question is twofold:

1. Since the database shows a "modified" time of last night, is there any prayer of retrieving my User Data?

2. Why the heck would an auto-update do such a dangerous thing as automatically move old User Data to the trashcan without asking?

Thanks!

 

[Corentin Cras-Méneur]

1. Since the database shows a "modified" time of last night, is there
any prayer of retrieving my User Data?

have you tried using the Switch Identity command in Entourage to see if
it was listed there??
Is the Microsoft User Data still in ~/Documents?? If you move it,
Entourage cannot find it...

2. Why the heck would an auto-update do such a dangerous thing as
automatically move old User Data to the trashcan without asking?

It shouldn't and I hve never heard of the updater wiping out the
identity database. Even uninstalling doesn't do that.

Usually, these problems arise when the database is moved, or the drive
has some damage making it invisible to the application,

Corentin

 

[William Smith [MVP]]

Last night my Mac prompted me to download & install updates to
Entourage 2004, which I did. This a.m. I open my email to find that
my User Data has apparently been wiped out (and I fear deleted
accidentally by yours truly by way of emptying the trash). I see that
my Entourage database was last modified last night at the time I
started the installation. My question is twofold:

1. Since the database shows a "modified" time of last night, is there
any prayer of retrieving my User Data?

2. Why the heck would an auto-update do such a dangerous thing as
automatically move old User Data to the trashcan without asking?

The updaters do not touch your data. They only affect the software
installed in the /Applications folder and sometimes the /Library folder.
They do not go into the /Users folder.

This could be one of two things:

1. Entourage may have "forgotten" your identity and needs to be directed
back to it. Go to the Entourage menu --> Switch Identity... and see if
you have a second identity listed there. If so, select it and see if
your data is in that one.

2. Or, you may have done some housecleaning and moved the "Microsoft
User Data" (MUD) folder from the Documents folder in your home folder.
The MUD must be in this exact location and it plus all its content must
be named the same as when they were originally created. If you've
trashed this or the Database file within this folder then you will have
to restore from your backups.

Do a search on your computer for "Database", which is the file that
would contain your mail data. Do you see another that has been misplaced?

--

bill

Entourage Help Page <http://entourage.mvps.org/>
Entourage Help Blog <http://blog.entourage.mvps.org/>
YouTalk <http://nine.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/youtalk>
Twitter: follow <http://twitter.com/meck>

 

[Diane Ross]

2. Why the heck would an auto-update do such a dangerous thing as
automatically move old User Data to the trashcan without asking?

I'm going to dispute both Bill and Corentin. It's rare but odd things can
happen during an update and it's possible your database was nuked or is in
an invisible folder called 'lost+found'. The updater and/or install of
Office is absolutely not supposed to touch your Microsoft User Data folder.
It is extremely rare that your data would be nuked. I think in all the years
since Entourage was launched I've only heard of this happening a couple of
other times. Even applications can go missing during an update. At least
those are easy to replace.

Mail disappears- found in 'lost+found'.
<http://www.entourage.mvps.org/troubleshoot/user_exp.html#user1>

This is why there are always warnings "backup before updating." If you don't
have a backup, take this time to start a good backup strategy.

Start here to select an option that works for you.

<http://www.entourage.mvps.org/articles/backup_articles.html>

BTW, if you are using Tiger, there is a script to help recover some of your
messages from your Spotlight cache files you could try. Download Script:

<http://tinyurl.com/lajz7b>

 

[William Smith [MVP]]

I'm going to dispute both Bill and Corentin. It's rare but odd things
can happen during an update and it's possible your database was nuked
or is in an invisible folder called 'lost+found'. The updater and/or
install of Office is absolutely not supposed to touch your Microsoft
User Data folder. It is extremely rare that your data would be nuked.
I think in all the years since Entourage was launched I've only heard
of this happening a couple of other times. Even applications can go
missing during an update. At least those are easy to replace.

Dispute noted.

However, if the Installer is not programmed to touch user data then it's
simply not the cause of the problem. That's not to say it can't be the
trigger for a problem with the system, however, that would be out of
Microsoft's control.

Missing applications is plausible because the Installer does touch
applications and it can be interrupted.

--

bill

Entourage Help Page <http://entourage.mvps.org/>
Entourage Help Blog <http://blog.entourage.mvps.org/>
YouTalk <http://nine.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/youtalk>
Twitter: follow <http://twitter.com/meck>