Need Help With Email

Fiver

New member
Jan 30, 2009
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Ok, I fucked up some stuff in Outlook.

First of all, I was trying to change the name of an account and tried to edit the data file to do this since it wouldn't allow me to just edit the account name (for some reason, that name was still in use??) Anyway, after doing this, the directory tree and all my folders are gone. I went into recycle bin and tried to restore the one I trashed but it didn't work. Folders and emails still aren't there.

Not sure if this is why but I switched from POP to IMAP because server guys said to.

Anyway, is it still possible to get old folders back? And how do I do it?
 


You can try with a data recovery software (can't recommend one, never used something like it), but not sure if you'll be able to get everything back.
I suppose you use desktop Outlook and you didn't sync it with the online one.
 
IMAP is the devil's work.

I've previously deleted my inbox (a couple or three times) by mistake while drunk thinking it was the Deleted Items folder, ie, I deleted the inbox and then went and deleted the trash. The thing about Outlook is that it preserves old files in the DB even though they've been deleted. The way to recover them is to intentionally corrupt your .pst file and then use Outlook's repair tools (scanpst.exe in the Office folder) to fix it. You need to use a text editor to fuck up the first few sets of numbers in the .pst binary file so when you try to launch Outlook it will say the file is corrupt and to use the fix it tools. Unfortunately I don't have the link to the detailed instructions right now (I'm drunk) but they are out there on Google.

When you recover your shit you're going to have ALL your emails from the last millennium including everything you've ever deleted, so it's going to take awhile to sort, but you should be able to recover it.
 
Ok, I recovered my old folders/files but when I create a new profile for the email address, it assigns a new data file for it. So all the new email is put in the new data file instead of the old one where I need it. And it won't let me delete the new data file it has as the default. Only the old one which I need.

WTF?

How do I assign the old data file to the new profile? I've looked all over the fucking Internet and can't find the answer.
 
It should just be right there when you choose to manually configure the settings. Choose to use an existing .pst. This is Outlook 2010...

outlook-settings.png
 
Got a copy of Outlook 2010 you can lend me? Unfortunately, I have 2007 which doesn't have that option in there.
 
edit it via the registry then, just do a search for the pst in question and change it.