Date Stamp Changed for Previously Sent Messages

[Martin]

Upon opening Outlook 2003 SP3, some previously sent messages had their date
stamps changed to future dates. I tried test messages, and these were all
organized correctly in the Sent Items Folder.

However, these previously sent messages were moved (by Outlook) to the Sent
Items Folder's "Later This Month" and to "Next Month" categories. These were
new time arrangement categories and were added by Outlook, presumably, due to
the incorrect date stamps.

Since new messages now appear to be handled correctly again, my problem is
only to move the older messages out of these new future categories and back
to their proper categories, perhaps by manually changing their date stamps,
and ideally I'd like to recover their correct date stamps as they appeared
when I sent them. Can this be done? If not, I suppose I could also create a
new folder and move all the displaced items into that.

Thanks,
Martin

 

[Diane Poremsky {MVP}]

you can't change the date stamp.



** Please include your Outlook version, Account type, and Windows Version
when requesting assistance **

 

[VanguardLH]

in message

...

you can't change the date stamp.

Actually there probably is a way but I haven't gone through it all
myself. Using Micorosoft's Exchange Server Information Store Viewer
utility (MDBVU32) that I got from Microsoft's download site (as a
substitute for OutlookSpy which isn't free), you can look at the
properties of a message which includes its creation, submit, and
modification timestamps. I didn't bother trying to make any changes
since I'm not the one with a problem that needs correction but I would
suggest saving a copy of the .pst file before trying to do this
low-level editing of the database file. The utility also crashed on
me once although I was just trying to view the properties.

OutlookSpy ($50, 30-day shareware trial period) might be easier to use
but it definitely helps to have some understanding of the PST database
structures or willingness to dig in and guess what it all means.
OutlookSpy runs as a plug-in (so Outlook must be installed before
installing OutlookSpy) where you can open an item and then inspect AND
*edit* its properties, like the Received Time attribute. You get a
trial period with OutlookSpy but I don't know if it will commit any
changes in its free trial period (again, there was no reason for me to
bother monkeying around in a good PST file).

 

[Diane Poremsky {MVP}]

The received date field is not editable. I'm pretty sure the sent date is
not editable either. The modified date is editable but its pointless to edit
it using outlook spy because anything can update it.





** Please include your Outlook version, Account type, and Windows Version
when requesting assistance **

 

[VanguardLH]

** Please include your Outlook version, Account type, and Windows
Version when requesting assistance **

The received date field is not editable. I'm pretty sure the sent
date is not editable either. The modified date is editable but its
pointless to edit it using outlook spy because anything can update
it.

From what the OP said, "previously sent messages had their date stamps
changed to future dates". That doesn't say WHICH date the OP is
interested in changing back to some previous value. It could very
well be the modified datestamp that he wants to change. Dragging
stuff around in Outlook will only give a new and current value, not
let the user change it back to an older value. When I was playing
around in OutlookSpy, I thought it was with the Received date that I
was trying to edit (but I didn't save any changes). Their UI did let
me insert the cursor into a value field and change the characters
inside of it.

 

[DKrut1]

Hi..I think I am having the same problem with some of my sent messages. There
are 4 or 5 messages that I had sent on May 28th - and I have even had
response to these emails - but for some reason the date has now changed to
June 28th and are going to be re-sent again. Did you ever get a reason as to
what happened or how to fix it??? Thanks very much

 

[DKrut1]

I know I can create a new folder...why did this happen? I don't want to
create new crap for MS' mistake...is there any way I can get the original
integrity back??