hoyateach

My wife accidentally deleted a stack of email from her Outlook program on our PC laptop, found the "deleted items" empty, got pissed, and shut down the computer. The only thing I could think to try was System Restore from the most recent save point - last Wednesday - but that didn't work. Per another suggestion in response to my OP on OMNI, I tried Deleted Items-Tools-Recover Deleted Items but this last wasn't an option. Is there any other way to recover this data?

This isn't a company server or GMail but rather a commercial ISP through our local cable company. And they're presently closed 'cause it's Sunday.

Any tips would be much appreciated. Thank you.

flyingfkb

There is no way to recover them. That's why Outlook asks you "Do you really want to delete all files in the deleted items folder?". They are gone. Sorry but that's the univertible truth.

willyroo

A good opportunity to learn about email providers that offer IMAP - for example GMail.

cheepneezy

You'd have to use a forensic type software that can read whatever remains of the 'deleted' items in the .pst file. If you're getting new email in though, you may be overwriting the disk space that the deleted items were in.

http://www.diskdoctors.net/recover-d...-pst-file.html


http://www.outlook-mail-recovery.com/?GGLAW979


or perhaps this may work:

http://www.easytweaks.com/2007/05/01...ms-in-outlook/

sbm12

Which will do what if the message is deleted and then removed from the trash folder? The item will also be removed from the server so IMAP won't really help.

The Recover Deleted Items feature only works if the mailbox is on an Exchange server.

willyroo

It's my understanding (happy to be corrected) that IMAP emails permanently deleted from Outlook are still visible in the GMail "All Mail" folder (for 30 days from deletion IIRC).

This certainly is the case with Thunderbird.

IMAP at least gives you 1 more chance.

cordelli

Consider them gone, there's no easy way to recover them if you don't have a backup (assuming you keep a local copy). If everything is done on their server, they may be able to restore for you depending on how (and if) they backup mailboxes.

wdwright

When email is deleted in Outlook, it marks the entry as deleted, but does not delete it. When you compact the mailbox, then it deletes it.

First, immediately make a safety copy of your Outlook pst file, using windows explorer, not Outook's export feature. Ask if you don't know how do do this.

2. There are several programs that are available as shareware but they cost $100 and up for the full versions. The cheap way to do this is to use Microsoft's scanpst program for corrupted PST files. The catch to this method is that you have to damage the file slightly to get it to work. You can read all about it here.

Note that Outlook stores its data differently from Outlook Express, so you have to use an Outlook recovery technique.

Most important, make the safety backup immediately.

lewinr

depending on how your Outlook is configured, this might work:

How to recover items that have been hard deleted in Outlook

And it's free.

(If you deleted the items while you were in the inbox, make sure you use the "recover deleted items" menu item while you are in the inbox).

star_world

This was mentioned above, and is not applicable - only works on Exchange Server setups, not normal POP3 mail with ISPs.

hoyateach

Yeah, I tried this and it didn't work. Neither did anything else suggested. But thank you all for responding. I guess we'll simply have to deal with the loss of those emails.

DallasBill

Forwarded Gmail to a desktop IMAP/POP email client will, at the moment of the forwarding download, be:
- deleted from the Gmail inbox and put in Gmail deleted items.
- archived in Gmail
- left in Gmail inbox.

It depends which of those 3 options you choose in your Gmail Settings. A desktop client delete will not affect the Gmail Deleted Items folder, and it will still be there. For how long, I do not remember.

alfaman

thanks..was able to recover some email thanks to this thread