the detect and repair feature erased my Outlook

[Melissa Claire]

I was having a problem in Outlook (XP 2003) (turned out to be a simple
remedy) and found the "Detect and Repair" feature and clicked on it and it
uninstalled Outlook and asked me to reinstall it. All my contacts/address
book are lost.
How could this have happened? Would restoring my computer retrieve my lost
Outlook?
Comment/Suggestion: The words "detect and repair" do not imply that you're
"reinstalling" anything and will lose all your work!! Terrible!
--
Melissa Claire

[Jocelyn Fiorello [MVP - Outlook]]

In all likelihood your .PST file (the file that contains all your data) is
still on your hard drive and Outlook just can't find it. Search your hard
drive, including hidden folders, for any files with a .PST extension, and
when you find the right one, open it in Outlook using File | Open.

--
Jocelyn Fiorello
MVP - Outlook

*** Messages sent to my e-mail address will NOT be answered -- please reply
only to the newsgroup to preserve the message thread. ***

[Melissa Claire]

Thanks I will try that!!!
--
Melissa Claire

[Melissa Claire]

Jocelyn I think I have found the file! It was in my PSPro8 files and it is
entitled an Office Data File of 265 KB's and it has a MS icon but it says
"editing or modifying" could damage...". If I click on "Open with" will that
give me an "Outlook folder" option and that action will merge it with my
newly reinstalled empty Outlook?
I'm afraid to push any keys!!!!
--
Melissa Claire

[Melissa Claire]

I found the file and I "right clicked" and "open with" reveals files like
Adobe etc. to open the file in but Outlook was not available as a choice.
What now?
--
Melissa Claire

[Russ Valentine [MVP-Outlook]]

You cannot open a PST file from Windows Explorer or with the context menu.
You can only open it in Outlook: File > Open > Outlook data file...
--
Russ Valentine
[MVP-Outlook]
"Melissa Claire" <Meliss...@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:FFEEADC9-0205-44A8...@microsoft.com...

[Melissa Claire]

Yes, I was just exploring that when I heard from you... I found the files
listed in my Outlook--surprise! surprise! There are 2 archive folders 4
Outlooks and 1 Personal Folder. Since I did not know of their existence I
must assume I've been *&^^%%% spelunking my outlook for some time and not
"getting it"..
When I try to open the most recent folder it asks for a password???? and
none of my standby passwords worked so now what????
--
Melissa Claire

[Russ Valentine [MVP-Outlook]]

Only you can answer that one. You must have password protected one of your
files along the way. If you don't ever remeber doing so, it is not likely
the you were using.

--
Russ Valentine
[MVP-Outlook]
"Melissa Claire" <Meliss...@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message

news:8DC32626-8C0B-4902...@microsoft.com...

[Melissa Claire]

Okay somehow by clicking on one of the archive folders it ended up displaying
some new Personal folders choices in my calendar choices and somehow I found
my OLD calendar!!! I think it's going to stay put but I still do not have my
old address book!! I'm going to sign off for now and experiment some more
Monday. Thankyou so much for your help!

[Russ Valentine [MVP-Outlook]]

I would not expect you to have your "old address book" because there is no
address book in Outlook. You should have your old Contacts Folder. That's
where Outlook stores its data. You can configure your Address Book display
easily:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;287563&Product=ol2002

--
Russ Valentine
[MVP-Outlook]
"Melissa Claire" <Meliss...@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message

news:FC64A040-23CB-430C...@microsoft.com...

[Brian Tillman]

Melissa Claire <Meliss...@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote:

> If I click on "Open with" will that give me an "Outlook folder" option and
> that
> action will merge it with my newly reinstalled empty Outlook?

You cannot use WIndows' Open with to open a PST. You must start Outlook and
click File>Open>Outlook Data File
--
Brian Tillman

[Brian Tillman]

Russ Valentine [MVP-Outlook] <rus...@gmail.com> wrote:

> Only you can answer that one. You must have password protected one of
> your files along the way.

Or copied it incorrectly, perhaps. Sometimes manipulating a PST outside of
Outlook will damage it in such a fashion that it thinks its
password-protected.
--
Brian Tillman

[coal_...@hotmail.com]

Hi,

If some of your vital data is lost you can try recovering it using
Active@ undelete or Uneraser data recovery tools. They works really
great and never failed me before. You should definately try it out.

http://www.active-undelete.com/

http://www.uneraser.com/

[Melissa Claire]

Okay I went looking for my old "contacts" not my "old address book" and I
tried the link you supplied. It said I already had an address book service.
So with what you had implied "no addresses just contacts folders" I clicked
on Contacts and found THREE folders (1 contacts {present list with ONE recent
entry} and two Contacts in Personal Folders). Of the latter one is empty and
the other HAS ALL MY old contacts list which I immediately printed!!
But I am unable to get it to appear in my Present day Address book icon.
When I right click on this old Contacts Personal Folder there are lots of
options: Copy, open in new window etc. but "I don't know what I'm doing
so..." Hey, as far as I'm concerned this mission is complete. Thanks for
all the help!

[Brian Tillman]

Melissa Claire <Meliss...@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote:

> Okay I went looking for my old "contacts" not my "old address book"
> and I tried the link you supplied. It said I already had an address
> book service. So with what you had implied "no addresses just
> contacts folders" I clicked on Contacts and found THREE folders (1
> contacts {present list with ONE recent entry} and two Contacts in
> Personal Folders). Of the latter one is empty and the other HAS ALL
> MY old contacts list which I immediately printed!!
> But I am unable to get it to appear in my Present day Address book
> icon. When I right click on this old Contacts Personal Folder there
> are lots of options: Copy, open in new window etc. but "I don't know
> what I'm doing so..." Hey, as far as I'm concerned this mission is
> complete.

While you say "this mission is complete", if you want to try to get things
back to normal, where your contacts are all in your default Contacts folder
and that's the only folder you have, let us know.
--
Brian Tillman

[Melissa Claire]

--
Melissa Claire

"Brian Tillman" wrote:

>Okay. I'm ready. Thanks!
>

[Brian Tillman]

Melissa Claire <Meliss...@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote:

> Okay. I'm ready. Thanks!

OK. The idea is to get everything to one single PST. The first thing you
must do is find out where al the PSTs are that you're using. Open the
Folders List view in the Navigation Pane on the left and look for the
personal folders root whose icon shows a clock, a piece of paper, and a
house. RIght-click that entry and chose Properties. Click Advanced and
examine the Filename field. This is the location of your default PST.
Write it down. Close the dialogue with Cancel, then Cancel. Look in the
Navigation Pane again and look for any other Personal Folders files you have
listed Their icons will be piles of file folders. Right-click each in
turn, choose Properties, then Advanced and determine each of their file
names, recording each. Close the dialogue with Cancel, Cancel as before.

Under each of these Personal Folder roots, look for a Contacts folder - a
folder whose icon is a little address card with a tiny picture of a face.
Open each Contacts folder you find by selecting it. Note which of these
contains the most contacts records or the records that you want. Record
which of your Personal Folders root is the one that contains this folder.
For each of these folders that is NOT the Contacts folder under your
delivery location Personal Folders file (thw one with the clock/paper/house
icon), select the first contact record, then press CTRL-A to select all of
the contacts in it. Click Edit>Copy to Folder. When the Copy dialogue box
appears, locate the Contacts folder that's just underneath the PST with the
clock/paper/house icon and click it. Click OK.

When you've done this for all of your Contacts folders, proceed to do this
with every other folder you have, moving the contents of all the
non-delivery PSTs to the main PST. Once you've consolidated everything in a
single PST, close Outlook. Open Control Panel's Mail applet and click Show
Profiles. Then click New and proceed to create a new mail profile. Point
that profile at the PST to which you copied everything as described above.
If you don't remember how, it's in this:
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=829918 . Before starting Outlook again,
though, make sure you use the Data Files button in the Mail applet to add
the original PST to the profile and to make sure that's the only PST listed.
Next, use the E-mail Accounts button to remove the Outlook Address Book
service from the profile. Exit out of the Mail applet

Start Outlook and it should come up, appearing as it did before, but with
only one Personal Folders File showing and it should have the
clock/paper/house icon next to it.Click Tools>E-mail Accounts>Add a new
directory or address book>Next. Select Additional Address Books and click
Next. Select Outlook Address Book, click Next, set the sort order you want
for the address book and click FInish. Stop and restart Outlook after OKing
any remaining dialogue boxes. Right-click Contacts, choose Properties,
select the Outlook Address Book tab, and make sure the box labeled "Show
this folder as an e-mail Address Book" is checked. Click OK. Everything
should be back to normal now.
--
Brian Tillman

[Melissa Claire]

--
Melissa Claire

"Brian Tillman" wrote:

> Wow...amazing. Okay.