Lost user ID and all files in Entoutrage

D

David Thomas

I restarted my Mac MINI after a recently received software security
download and when I launched Entourage it presented me with the first
screen of a new install - all my messages have disappeared, groan!

The Microsoft folder is still in my Documents folder and the Main
Identity in it shows a size of 19+ M therefore I presume (hopefully!)
that all my data is intact.

I have tried to switch identities but there are no other identities to
chose from.

If anyone is able to help I will be a very happy chappy.

I'll be happy just to be able to view my messages and extract the odd
one I require - anything!

Kind regards,

Perplexed Dave.
 
B

Barry Wainwright [MVP]

I restarted my Mac MINI after a recently received software security
download and when I launched Entourage it presented me with the first
screen of a new install - all my messages have disappeared, groan!

The Microsoft folder is still in my Documents folder
Click to expand...

A new MUD fodler is created when you firat start any office application, if
one can't be found already.
and the Main
Identity in it shows a size of 19+ M therefore I presume (hopefully!)
that all my data is intact.
Click to expand...

Probably not - that is the default size for a new database!
I have tried to switch identities but there are no other identities to
chose from.

If anyone is able to help I will be a very happy chappy.
Click to expand...

Do a search (in the finder) for any large file called "database". If you
find one, create a new structure to match the 'main identity' structure in
the newly created 'Office 2004 identities' folder and put it in there. Then,
use 'switch identities' under the entourage menu to see if anything shows
up.
I'll be happy just to be able to view my messages and extract the odd
one I require - anything!
Click to expand...

If this works, you should have full access to all your data again.
 
Z

zachsgah

I, too, am having the same problem. This is the third time that I've
lost my identity and all my emails. This time I was simply backing up
my hard drive to an external drive. Any help would be greatly
appreciated. I'm to the point that I am not trusting Entourage with
any more emails. It might be time to find another program. I used to
use Outlook and never lost any emails.

Thanks,
Hat
 
D

dcgilbert

David said:
I restarted my Mac MINI after a recently received software security
download and when I launched Entourage it presented me with the first
screen of a new install - all my messages have disappeared, groan!

The Microsoft folder is still in my Documents folder and the Main
Identity in it shows a size of 19+ M therefore I presume (hopefully!)
that all my data is intact.

I have tried to switch identities but there are no other identities to
chose from.

If anyone is able to help I will be a very happy chappy.

I'll be happy just to be able to view my messages and extract the odd
one I require - anything!

Kind regards,

Perplexed Dave.
Click to expand...
 
D

dcgilbert

I experienced the same thing. Yesterday I loaded up my father's new
MacMini and transferred his Main Identity folder (with several backups)
over to the mini. Today I came back to his machine to find Entourage
open and accessing the setup wizard. I went to the folder for the Main
Identity and it was now a default folder with an 18.2 MB database
file.......nothing else to be found. It appears that the Main Identity
folder that I moved and verified as working was completely deleted and
the application built a new one. Sucks....now I have to pull another
copy off the old machine and build it again.

The question is, what caused it to happen? Was it the installation of
an update or some other event? I loaded a bunch of updates in the
course of building this machine out, but most of them were loaded
before the folder disappeared. It could have occurred after the
restart I did last night when I was done, but frankly I am not sure of
the specific event that may have done this. I would just like to know
what caused it or have Microsoft identify what might be causing it
specifically. This is my father's machine and I have to be his tech
support......help!

Until then, I will do frequent backups of the database to be sure I
have a recent point to recover to.....

Derek
 
D

Diane Ross

I experienced the same thing. Yesterday I loaded up my father's new
MacMini and transferred his Main Identity folder (with several backups)
over to the mini. Today I came back to his machine to find Entourage
open and accessing the setup wizard. I went to the folder for the Main
Identity and it was now a default folder with an 18.2 MB database
file.......nothing else to be found. It appears that the Main Identity
folder that I moved and verified as working was completely deleted and
the application built a new one. Sucks....now I have to pull another
copy off the old machine and build it again.

The question is, what caused it to happen? Was it the installation of
an update or some other event? I loaded a bunch of updates in the
course of building this machine out, but most of them were loaded
before the folder disappeared. It could have occurred after the
restart I did last night when I was done, but frankly I am not sure of
the specific event that may have done this. I would just like to know
what caused it or have Microsoft identify what might be causing it
specifically. This is my father's machine and I have to be his tech
support......help!
Click to expand...

The only thing that I can think of is that you used Command-drag. This
deletes the file from the original location.

Another user said....
This is the third time that I've
lost my identity and all my emails. This time I was simply backing up
my hard drive to an external drive. Any help would be greatly
appreciated. I'm to the point that I am not trusting Entourage with
any more emails. It might be time to find another program. I used to
use Outlook and never lost any emails.
Click to expand...

Check your backup software preferences. Did you select to delete the
original after the backup?

Another user said....
I restarted my Mac MINI after a recently received software security
download and when I launched Entourage it presented me with the first
screen of a new install - all my messages have disappeared, groan!
Click to expand...

Was this an Apple update? I'm not sure what an Apple update could do to
another application, but on rare occasions when you update an application
the file being updates is lost during the process. Usually they are put in
an invisible folder called "lost+found" . Currently due to a bug in 10.4
(still not fixed in 10.4.8) the finder cannot find invisible files.

Normally, when Entourage opens in a new user, it's due to user error.
Entourage expects the Microsoft User Data folder to be in your Documents
folder. If you move it, Entourage will create a new blank user. A search for
"Microsoft User Data" should find the missing folder. It's one of the most
common errors made by Entourage users.

--
Diane Ross, Microsoft Mac MVP
Entourage Help Page
<http://www.entourage.mvps.org/>
The Entourage Blog lists the EHP as one of the top five Microsoft Entourage
resources.
<http://blogs.msdn.com/entourage/>
 
D

Dave Thomas

Barry helped me fix this fortunately - I found my database file in the trash
and was very puzzled.

However, I have just realised why it ended up in there!

I recently stared using ClamXav to scan my machine and the option to Œmove
infected files to trash¹ was set; the reason being described as below:

/Users/davidthomas/Documents/Microsoft User Data/Office 2004 Identities/Main
Identity/Database: HTML.Phishing.Bank-977 FOUND

Any ideas what the virus is and how I may remove it?

Many thanks again.

Regards,

Dave.
 
B

Barry Wainwright [MVP]

It will be a piece of spam email, probably in your junk mail folder.

However, deleteing the mail from Entourage won't necessarily remove it from
the Clam scan's clutches - deleted mail is not immediately overwritten, but
th espace it occupies is marked for re-use, and will be overwritten at some
time in the future by a new piece of arriving data. You can clean it up by
doing a 'compact' on the database, but it really isn't worth it.

You need to remove the Identities folder from the ClamX scan engine's remit
- there is nothing there it can repair and, as you found out, it can only do
damage.
 
D

Dave Thomas

It will be a piece of spam email, probably in your junk mail folder.

However, deleteing the mail from Entourage won't necessarily remove it from
the Clam scan's clutches - deleted mail is not immediately overwritten, but
th espace it occupies is marked for re-use, and will be overwritten at some
time in the future by a new piece of arriving data. You can clean it up by
doing a 'compact' on the database, but it really isn't worth it.

You need to remove the Identities folder from the ClamX scan engine's remit
- there is nothing there it can repair and, as you found out, it can only do
damage.
Click to expand...


Cheers Barry - Many thanks once again!
 
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