Help. I can't re-import my messages database

D

Darren Howe

Stupidly, I backed up the 'messages' file (1.18gb) from my Identity
within the MUD folder, to another disk. Then deleted loads of old
messages from within Entourage, quit, rebuilt and compacted, and
renamed the (now 309mb) file, then backed that up. I then copied-back
the original 1.18gb messages file. But whenever I open Entourage it
refuses to show all the messages. It will only show the messages that
were left after my big deletion-fest. and if I do another rebuild it
just renames that database as old and creates me a new 309mb messages
file, so I'm back where I was. How on earth do I access all of the
messages in that file?

I should point out that I only backed up the 'messages' file and not
the 'database' file.
 
D

Diane Ross

Stupidly, I backed up the 'messages' file (1.18gb) from my Identity
within the MUD folder, to another disk. Then deleted loads of old
messages from within Entourage, quit, rebuilt and compacted, and
renamed the (now 309mb) file, then backed that up. I then copied-back
the original 1.18gb messages file. But whenever I open Entourage it
refuses to show all the messages. It will only show the messages that
were left after my big deletion-fest. and if I do another rebuild it
just renames that database as old and creates me a new 309mb messages
file, so I'm back where I was. How on earth do I access all of the
messages in that file?

I should point out that I only backed up the 'messages' file and not
the 'database' file.
Click to expand...

That's your problem. You have to backup the entire Identity folder.

Consider it a lesson and go on...
 
M

Malcolm Edwards

Stupidly, I backed up the 'messages' file (1.18gb) from my Identity
within the MUD folder, to another disk. Then deleted loads of old
messages from within Entourage, quit, rebuilt and compacted, and
renamed the (now 309mb) file, then backed that up. I then copied-back
the original 1.18gb messages file. But whenever I open Entourage it
refuses to show all the messages. It will only show the messages that
were left after my big deletion-fest. and if I do another rebuild it
just renames that database as old and creates me a new 309mb messages
file, so I'm back where I was. How on earth do I access all of the
messages in that file?

I should point out that I only backed up the 'messages' file and not
the 'database' file.
Click to expand...

Darren - I can't help but have a similar problem so please keep me
informed of any progress. I saved mine (not as mail jus the messages)
but cannot get Entourage to import them.

Many thanks Malcolm
 
D

Darren Howe

Diane Ross said:
That's your problem. You have to backup the entire Identity folder.

Consider it a lesson and go on...
Click to expand...

Surely not. That's a whole year of business emails I'll have lost.

What sort of a program stores all the messages in one database but
relies on another database to access them and won't even let you
re-create from a backed-up copy.

There must be another way. Surely?
 
D

Diane Ross

Surely not. That's a whole year of business emails I'll have lost.
Click to expand...

My sympathies.
What sort of a program stores all the messages in one database but
relies on another database to access them and won't even let you
re-create from a backed-up copy.
Click to expand...

When in doubt, always ask before deleting important information.
There must be another way. Surely?
Click to expand...

Sorry, but there is not.
 
D

Darren Howe

Diane Ross said:
My sympathies.

When in doubt, always ask before deleting important information.

Sorry, but there is not.
Click to expand...

OK well accepting the fact that I'm an idiot for getting myself in
this position in the first place, I'm still sitting here with a file
consisting of approximately 1.1gb of, I presume, text and MIME format
attachments.

Is there really absolutely NO application in existence that will let
me get into that file and extract some of the data, even in a raw text
format?

Could it not be somehow converted and imported into Access or other DB
application?
 
M

Malcolm Edwards

For what it's worth I was eventually able to open the messages file
with Word!.

Not elegant but you are able to recover some data. Hwoever if the file
is very large yuo will need to increase memory allocations and it wil
be very slow - but it worked..
 
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