Computer crashed while I was downloading emails - where have they

[Mike Whitehead]

Please can you help me find some lost emails. I am running Windows XP Home
Edition and Outlook 2003, both of which are up to date with relevant Service
Packs and other critical updates.
When I was downloading emails yesterday from my ISP, the computer crashed -
blue screen with the message 'A problem has been detected and Windows has
been shut down to prevent damage to your computer...'
Just before the computer shut down, I noticed that several emails had
arrived in the Outlook Inbox. When I restarted the computer, the emails were
not in the Outlook Inbox - so I guess the computer crashed before they had
been saved into the Outlook data file on my computer?
(I went on to my ISP's website to see if the emails were still in my email
account there - they weren't, so I guess my computer must have told the ISP's
computer that they had arrived OK?)
I assume the emails are in a temporary file somewhere on my computer, but I
don't know where, or what the filename would be, or how to get the emails out
of the temporary file into the Outlook Inbox.
Please can you help?
Regards, Mike Whitehead

 

[Brian Tillman]

I assume the emails are in a temporary file somewhere on my computer,
but I don't know where, or what the filename would be, or how to get
the emails out of the temporary file into the Outlook Inbox.

Not a valid assumption. Try running the Inbox Repair Tool (SCANPST.EXE) on
your PST.

 

[Mike Whitehead]

Not a valid assumption. Try running the Inbox Repair Tool (SCANPST.EXE) on
your PST.

Dear Brian
Thanks for your prompt reply. I ran SCANPST.EXE as you suggested, by
following the instructions in MS Article 287497. The Tool appeared to run
OK, but when I opened Outlook and selected Folder List there were no
Recovered Personal Folders and no Lost and Found folder. So does this mean
that the Tool couldn't repair any damaged items?
Can you please advise me what to do next?
Regards, Mike Whitehead

 

[Brian Tillman]

Thanks for your prompt reply. I ran SCANPST.EXE as you suggested, by
following the instructions in MS Article 287497. The Tool appeared
to run OK, but when I opened Outlook and selected Folder List there
were no Recovered Personal Folders and no Lost and Found folder. So
does this mean that the Tool couldn't repair any damaged items?
Can you please advise me what to do next?

If SCANPST couldn't repair your PST, it would have told you. Were there
other folders in the PST when you opened it?

 

[Mike Whitehead]

If SCANPST couldn't repair your PST, it would have told you. Were there
other folders in the PST when you opened it?

Dear Brian
Sorry for the delay in replying.
I'm afraid I can't remember what SCANPST told me about repairing the PST.
There were no new folders in the PST when I opened it, just all the regular
folders.
Regards, Mike Whitehead

 

[Brian Tillman]

I'm afraid I can't remember what SCANPST told me about repairing the
PST. There were no new folders in the PST when I opened it, just all
the regular folders.

Is SCANPST can repair the PST, it does so and the folders will be unchanged.
It is has to recover items which have lost the folder information, then
SCANPST will create new folders, like the ":Recovered" folder. If you see
neither the downloaed items nor recovered folders, then its probably that
the downlaoded messages are gone forever. I don't believe messages are kept
in temporary files as they're being downloaded. I believe they're put into
the PST and, once there, the pointers to where they are and they folder name
that holds them are updated so that they're accessible. There's only one
more thing you might try and that's described here:
http://www.howto-outlook.com/howto/restoredeleteditemsfromanoutlookpst.htm