Outlook should not erase all my mail files when I select detect a.

I

Irate #375

Outlook 2003: The ability to read usenet news mysteriously disappeared from
my browser (IE) after installing office 2003. I looked in the help and found
out how to add it to Outlook. The first time the "news" link was on the main
menu bar, so I dragged it into the "go" menu, at which point it disappeared.
It was also gone from the original place I got it under "customize". After
screwing around for a while I found "Detect and repair" under "help" and
tried it. A bunch of weird stuff happened, then it got to a progress bar
going at a painful pace, so I hit cancel. After that, when I tried outlook
again, all history of me ever having had any mail was gone. It wanted a new
account name, etc. ALL MY FILES WERE GONE. Fortunately, I had a backup of
most of my mail, but all my addresses, server info and preferences are gone.
Furthermore, I have never been able to read usenet since. It's in the IE
menu, but it doesn't do anything. I assume you erased Outlook express
newsreader somehow along the way. This has caused me major grief.
 
D

Diane Poremsky [MVP]

1) To get the News command back, go back to the Programs tab in Control Panel
| Internet Options and change the default newsreader to Outlook Express. If
OE prompts you to make it your default newsreader the next time you launch
it, click the "Don't ask me again" box and then click the No button.

2) It's hard to say what happened - detect and repair normally just restores
system files, it doesn't delete profiles and psts.

PS, missing news is a common problem and had you searched this newsgroup (or
google) before using detect and repair, you would have found the solution.
 
I

Irate #375

I honestly tried surfing on every keyword set imaginable to solve the news
problem. I got the MS solution about adding it to the command menu but not
the other solution. Of course I got the solution quickly once I found a way
of getting newsgroups again. Googling for "can't read news internet
explorer", etc. yields too broad of results to be useful.

In another post I was told that detect and repair just makes a new profile
or something. I'll look into this, the problem is that I don't know where
this stuff is stored or how to get it working again. At this point I don't
want to risk any more aggravation. I only lost a few days worth of E-mail
and most of the "hard" work of setting stuff up is done.

It would be nice to get my address book back...
 
D

Diane Poremsky [MVP]

Detect and Repair will restore shortcuts but won't mess with most of your
customizations, including the profile. (I've used it a few times and it's
never deleted my profile.) you might lose the Navigation pane /outlook bar or
toolbars but not much else.

First, look in control panel, mail - how many profiles are there?
look in C:\Documents and Settings\username\Local Settings\Application
Data\Microsoft\Outlook - how many pst's are there?

When you say 'get your address book back' - do you mean that you don't see
your contacts when you click the To button? If so, from
http://www.slipstick.com/emo/2004/up041014.htm#Q:

Make sure the Contact folder is enabled as an email address book. Right
click the Contacts folder, choose Properties then Outlook Address Book.
Verify the box to Show the folder as email address book is checked.

Make sure the Contact folder is enabled as an email address book. Right
click the Contacts folder, choose Properties then Outlook Address Book.
Verify the box to Show the folder as email address book is checked.
 
I

Irate #375

Thanks for the reply. I guess there's what detect and repair "should" do and
what it actually did. What it actually did is throw out everything I had and
started over from scratch. I think this may be a bug, since I hit cancel
part way through the process. In my mind though, if there is a cancel button
you ought to be able to press it without catastrophic results.

I learned that my old information was not actually erased, but a new profile
was created or something. The old data file still exists in the directory
you describe below. Of course, this directory is totally hidden, so if you
don't know it's there (and/or don't have hidden folders set to be viewed
already) you'll never, ever find it. Even if I had known it was there, I was
not able to even get Outlook to run without making a new profile. I take it
there is some means to specify the Outlook data file without actaully running
outlook?

Never mind about the contacts. I was mistaken and they were restored from
backup. There are two data files in the directory Outlook and Outlook1. One
is my original and the other was a blank slate that became default during
this process. As I said, I already restored from a not-very-old backup, so
it's mostly water under the bridge at this point. I think MS ought to
consider adding a little bit of smarts to Outlook though, so instead of
acting like you are starting from scracth it could at least suggest that
there is a 200 MB data file already in the appropriate directory. You could
at least have the option to use it. Most normal people aren't going to known
about the convoluted path through a bunch of hidden folders. Plus the
problem of not being able to even start the program without going through the
little wizard thing.

In the end, all I lost is a couple hours of time, a few days worth of
E-mails and all my junk filters, preferences and rules. Are the prefs, junk
and rules stuff stored in the data file somehow so I can get it back?
 
L

Lanwench [MVP - Exchange]

Irate said:
Outlook 2003: The ability to read usenet news mysteriously
disappeared from my browser (IE) after installing office 2003. I
looked in the help and found out how to add it to Outlook. The first
time the "news" link was on the main menu bar, so I dragged it into
the "go" menu, at which point it disappeared. It was also gone from
the original place I got it under "customize". After screwing around
for a while I found "Detect and repair" under "help" and tried it. A
bunch of weird stuff happened, then it got to a progress bar going at
a painful pace, so I hit cancel. After that, when I tried outlook
again, all history of me ever having had any mail was gone. It
wanted a new account name, etc. ALL MY FILES WERE GONE.
Fortunately, I had a backup of most of my mail, but all my addresses,
server info and preferences are gone. Furthermore, I have never been
able to read usenet since. It's in the IE menu, but it doesn't do
anything. I assume you erased Outlook express newsreader somehow
along the way. This has caused me major grief.
Click to expand...

Hi - I didn't erase your newsreader, I promise. I was nowhere near your
computer at the time.

I believe you also posted this (worded slightly differently, under a
different name) in microsoft.public.outlook and got replies there as well.

Please don't multipost - if you need to post to multiple groups, it's best
to crosspost instead, by posting a single message to a handful of relevant
groups (separate the NG names with commas) so that everyone can follow the
thread. This makes it easier for everyone, including you.

See http://www.blakjak.demon.co.uk/mul_crss.htm
 
I

Irate #375

I didn't knowingly double-post. I started at the Outlook 2003 suggestion box
and it just kind of swept me along here. I'm actually at the "Office Online"
page right now. I posted the other message via a "normal" usenet newsreader.

This is why I said "you", because I thought I was posting a suggestion to MS.
 
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