Obsolete anchors, corrupt database, and missing messages.

[Rick O'Shey]

I'm not sure what to make of this:

For several days, I've been noticing items constantly appearing in (often
virtually filling up) my system log, each of the form

"Microsoft Entourage[xxxxx]: Warning: accessing obsolete X509Anchors"

where "xxxxx" is a 4- or 5-digit number.

Today, I found one of my folders pretty much empty of most messages. So I
ran the database utility, and it indicated that my database was corrupt, and
needed to be rebuilt. I did so, and that _seemed_ to do the trick. However,
there are a few (perhaps more...I can't be sure) messages that appeared to
be missing. When I then searched for some of them (specific ones I recall
from yesterday), none were found. I was, however, able to manually locate a
few of them.

As a "test," I searched for the few that I manually had located, using not
only their specific addresses, but also sentence fragments/words from within
their bodies. That search also failed to find those messages.

I'd appreciate any insights as to what's going on.

 

[Diane Ross]

I'd appreciate any insights as to what's going on.

What type of account? (POP, IMAP, Exchange)

What version of Entourage and the OS? Exact version not just Entourage 2008
and Leopard but exact versions like this: Entourage 12.1.7 and Leopard
10.5.7

Did you make a backup before you did the rebuild?

How much free space on your hard drive?

Was this database ever recovered from Time Machine?

 

[Rick O'Shey]

What type of account? (POP, IMAP, Exchange)
POP

What version of Entourage
12.1.7


and the OS?
10.5.6


Did you make a backup before you did the rebuild?

Yes (in addition to the backup the utility automatically made).

How much free space on your hard drive?

50 GB (drive capacity is 300 GB; database is almost 4 GB)

Was this database ever recovered from Time Machine?

No.

 

[Diane Ross]

Thanks for the complete answers to all my questions. It's possible the
database rebuild was not successful. The 30Gb should be enough, but from
experience, a huge amount of free space will be successful when other
attempts on a smaller free space failed. See this article:

<http://tinyurl.com/4s6qv3>

Can you open the original database, or did you just get the warnings? If you
can open the database we can look at getting the data out manually. Be sure
you always work off a backup copy in case the database goes belly up during
the process. The key to eventually getting your data out is to have the
original database BEFORE you ran rebuild and one that also opens.

1) Identify where the corruption is located.
a) Use File --> Export as Entourage archive (.rge) file all items.
b) if that fails, then do one item at a time.

2) If the corruption is in your messages, download and run this script to
export as MBOX files all your folders and subfolders. It will fail on the
folder with corruption.

Export folders as MBOX files using a script ( get the script by Jolly Roger)
<http://www.entourage.mvps.org/database/export_mbox.html>

When you identify the folder with corruption, create a subfolder and move
half the messages into the subfolder.

Try dragging the folder to the desktop to create an MBOX file. If this
works, then you know the corruption is in the other half. Most likely you
will have to continue dividing the folder(s) to get to the bad message(s).

Sometimes you can even drag the bad message to the desktop but then it might
not open, but you can see the contents then delete it.

How to manually move your data. (when import fails and/or you need to move
to a new Identity same version or revert to an older version)

<http://www.entourage.mvps.org/install/manual_install.html>

See this thread for more help

<http://www.officeformac.com/ProductForums/Entourage/10019>

Good luck.

 

[Rick O'Shey]

Thanks for the complete answers to all my questions. It's possible the
database rebuild was not successful. The 30Gb should be enough, but from
experience, a huge amount of free space will be successful when other
attempts on a smaller free space failed. See this article:

<http://tinyurl.com/4s6qv3>

Between this and the need to "manage" backups (via your workflow, for
example), I am becoming increasingly baffled about the though processes that
led to a single-database design for Entourage.

Can you open the original database, or did you just get the warnings?

I haven't tried to open the "original" (now, the "backup") database. My
decision to back it up was a result of (1) suddenly finding that one of the
folders was nearly empty, which then led me to (2) run the database utility
to perform a "verification," which resulted in my discovering that the
database was corrupted, and in need of a rebuild.

If you
can open the database we can look at getting the data out manually.

I haven't tried to open the backup database, but since it (as the
"original") was opening before the rebuild, I'd guess it still should open.
(However, since it's obviously already one day out-of-date, that raises the
question of how to "merge" the "missing data" from the original with the
"current" database, assuming the "missing data" data can be manually
retrieved).

Be sure
you always work off a backup copy

So, I should now make a "backup" of my new "current" database. (That makes
sense.)

in case the database goes belly up during
the process. The key to eventually getting your data out is to have the
original database BEFORE you ran rebuild and one that also opens.

The "backup" of the original Identity is there (I made it, and Entourage
made its own); and I can make a backup of the "current" one.

1) Identify where the corruption is located.
a) Use File --> Export as Entourage archive (.rge) file all items.
b) if that fails, then do one item at a time.

2) If the corruption is in your messages, download and run this script to
export as MBOX files all your folders and subfolders. It will fail on the
folder with corruption.

Export folders as MBOX files using a script ( get the script by Jolly Roger)
<http://www.entourage.mvps.org/database/export_mbox.html>

When you identify the folder with corruption, create a subfolder and move
half the messages into the subfolder.

Try dragging the folder to the desktop to create an MBOX file. If this
works, then you know the corruption is in the other half. Most likely you
will have to continue dividing the folder(s) to get to the bad message(s).

Sometimes you can even drag the bad message to the desktop but then it might
not open, but you can see the contents then delete it.

How to manually move your data. (when import fails and/or you need to move
to a new Identity same version or revert to an older version)

<http://www.entourage.mvps.org/install/manual_install.html>

See this thread for more help

<http://www.officeformac.com/ProductForums/Entourage/10019>

Good luck.

Diane...this seems unbelievable.

 

[Rick O'Shey]

Thanks for the complete answers to all my questions.

BTW: Do you know what the "Microsoft Entourage[xxxxx]: Warning: accessing
obsolete X509Anchors" log items are all about?

 

[Diane Ross]

BTW: Do you know what the "Microsoft Entourage[xxxxx]: Warning: accessing
obsolete X509Anchors" log items are all about?

Just did a Google search and it appears to involve the keychain. You might
try running keychain first aid.

Troubleshoot the Keychain

<http://www.entourage.mvps.org/troubleshoot/keychain.html>

 

[Diane Ross]

Just to be clear on the backup file. The original Identity BEFORE Entourage
tried the rebuild is the best copy to use for recovery.

Always work off a copy of this to get the bulk of your data out. After that
you will need to get the latest data out of your current Identity to add to
that database.

When Entourage rebuilds, it makes a copy, but sometimes this will actually
make the corruption worse and I have seen incidences where it actually
merged the copy with the original making it impossible to open or revert to
for recovery.

Diane...this seems unbelievable.

Because it is so difficult, I have started offering my services to users
that can't muddle through this. I try to give directions, but it can get
pretty complicated depending on your level of experience with Entourage.

Because of the issues with the keychain and Entourage, I suggest you
download and run the Apple combo updater. This goes back and refreshes
files. It might not cure your ills but it will give you a good base to work
from.

<http://support.apple.com/downloads/Mac_OS_X_10_5_7_Combo_Update>

 

[Diane Ross]

Just did a Google search

Found this thread: Microsoft Entourage[14569]: Warning: accessing obsolete
X509Anchors

They say to ignore, it's harmless.

<http://tinyurl.com/o5jqew>

 

[Rick O'Shey]

BTW: Do you know what the "Microsoft Entourage[xxxxx]: Warning: accessing
obsolete X509Anchors" log items are all about?

Just did a Google search and it appears to involve the keychain. You might
try running keychain first aid.

Troubleshoot the Keychain

<http://www.entourage.mvps.org/troubleshoot/keychain.html>

I wasn't even aware that I was using Keychain. I thought it required that I
_specifically_ make entries in Keychain...but obviously not: KFA found a
number of POP "unspecified values" for "port attributes." Of course, I
repaired them.

(More surprising: I did several Google searches before posting my question,
and didn't find anything helpful--just a number of folks posting similar
questions in online discussion forums, and not getting any resolutions.

 

[Rick O'Shey]

Just to be clear on the backup file. The original Identity BEFORE Entourage
tried the rebuild is the best copy to use for recovery.
Yes.

Always work off a copy of this to get the bulk of your data out. After that
you will need to get the latest data out of your current Identity to add to
that database.

Assuming I go through all of this, how does one add the two groups of data?

When Entourage rebuilds, it makes a copy, but sometimes this will actually
make the corruption worse and I have seen incidences where it actually
merged the copy with the original making it impossible to open or revert to
for recovery.

I haven't been using Entourage all that long, but the times I've done
rebuilds, I've always created a copy of the Main Identity before I actually
executed the rebuild.

Because it is so difficult, I have started offering my services to users
that can't muddle through this. I try to give directions, but it can get
pretty complicated depending on your level of experience with Entourage.

It seems that it really shouldn't be that way...that Entourage shouldn't so
readily "break," and, when it does, shouldn't require such a massive effort
to repair.

Because of the issues with the keychain and Entourage, I suggest you
download and run the Apple combo updater. This goes back and refreshes
files. It might not cure your ills but it will give you a good base to work
from.

<http://support.apple.com/downloads/Mac_OS_X_10_5_7_Combo_Update>

Hmmm...I've been holding off on the update until the "usual" rash of
reported problems and complaints about it have settled down and been sorted
out.

 

[Rick O'Shey]

Just did a Google search

Found this thread: Microsoft Entourage[14569]: Warning: accessing obsolete
X509Anchors

They say to ignore, it's harmless.

<http://tinyurl.com/o5jqew>

Well, my quick read didn't reveal any clear explanation. And the comment
about "dragging on my system resources" does (on the surface) seem to have a
grain of truth.

 

[Diane Ross]

Assuming I go through all of this, how does one add the two groups of data?

You will have to export the data and import. It's all detailed in How to
manually move your data.

<http://www.entourage.mvps.org/install/manual_install.html>