Outlook emergency!

Gingham_Ribbon

Before I went out this morning, my computer suddenly deleted one of my email files (a seperate 'file' of emails from and to a well known contact.)

My husband couldn't find a particular reason for it so I closed down the computer and went out.

When I've turned my computer back on and tried to get into my emails, it's coming up with 'Outlook 2000 setup' and 'oulook is not completely configured on your computer. Are you sure you want to quit the wizard?'

I daren't touch it incase I lose everything. When I say everything, I'm not joking. It's got all my receipts, work stuff, photos that people have sent me, people's contact details, all my CV stuff, important info from my son's school, passwords... NONE of it is anywhere else.

What do I do? (Hubby is at a meeting and won't be back till later.)

I swear, just this morning I mentioned that I wanted to store some of the stuff elsewhere incase my computer broke or something. :mad:

Edit - I use 'draft' mails as my notebook too, so I store everything from appointments to recipes to website addresses I need on there too.

Further edit - the only different thing I can think of that I've done is that I recently went through all my excess mails and deleted them all.

closed

Search for *.pst, if you can't find it, check the recycle bin, or use an undelete utility, eg recuva

Gingham_Ribbon

Thanks. Sorry for being dim, but search for it where? I can't get into outlook without saying whether I want to quit wizard or not. Is it okay to let it do whatever it is it's trying to do?

closed

Search for it using the explorer search function. Leave outlook alone until you find or recover it.

When you say your computer deleted one of your files, could you elaborate? If the outlook profile has vanished, the file may be still there on the hard disk somewhere.

Gingham_Ribbon

Thanks. I don't know how to use the explorer search function. I'll leave outlook alone, thanks.

When I say it deleted one of my files, I mean that I have several folders full of mails I wanted to keep seperate that I can find by clicking on the right hand side of the screen, below inbox/outbox/drafts/deleted files. One of those folders just emptied of mails but left the folder in place, with nothing in it.

_pale_

espresso

Gingham_Ribbon wrote: »

I daren't touch it incase I lose everything. When I say everything, I'm not joking. It's got all my receipts, work stuff, photos that people have sent me, people's contact details, all my CV stuff, important info from my son's school, passwords... NONE of it is anywhere else.

What do I do?

You should do regular back-ups and then you could relax instead of panicking! see here

Gingham_Ribbon

Yes. I know that, thank you.

But given that I'm panicking now and have nothing to back up until I find what is currently lost, I'm trying to sort that particular issue out for the moment.

espresso

Gingham_Ribbon wrote: »

Yes. I know that, thank you.

But given that I'm panicking now and have nothing to back up until I find what is currently lost, I'm trying to sort that particular issue out for the moment.

Well any computer user should be able to search for files! What operating system are you using?

Gingham_Ribbon

Espresso, I'm not being funny but I'm pretty well hacked off at the moment so telling me I should be able to search for files doesn't really help. If I was more computer literate I wouldn't be storing everything on my email account without back up.

I use internet explorer. I don't know whether that is my 'operating system' nor do I know what version it is.

espresso

Gingham_Ribbon wrote: »

Espresso, I'm not being funny but I'm pretty well hacked off at the moment so telling me I should be able to search for files doesn't really help. If I was more computer literate I wouldn't be storing everything on my email account without back up.

I use internet explorer. I don't know whether that is my 'operating system' nor do I know what version it is.

I was trying to help you and can't believe that you don't know what your operating system is!

What does it say on the screen when the computer boots up?

Do Windows key + Pause/Break key.

Internet explorer is the browser that you use to view the internet.

Gingham_Ribbon

I don't know what it says when it boots up. Windows something I think.

When I do what you say it comes up with Microsoft windows XP 2002.

Thanks for trying to help.