Entourage updated itself and has deleted ALLmy emails and accounts!!

[AmandaP]

Version: 2008
Operating System: Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard)
Email Client: pop

This morning I opened up Entourage as usual but it appeared as an empty window with no messages. It has deleted all of my folders and past emails and even deleted my connection to the server so that I couldn't send or receive.

My old emails MUST still be on my computer somewhere but I can't find them. I have tried accessing the Microsoft User Data> Main Account section but nothing is accessible and when it is, I double click on it and nothing opens up.

PLEASE help. It's vital that I recover these emails!!

 

[Adam Bailey]

This morning I opened up Entourage as usual but it appeared as an empty
window with no messages. It has deleted all of my folders and past emails
and even deleted my connection to the server so that I couldn't send or
receive.

My old emails MUST still be on my computer somewhere but I can't find
them. I have tried accessing the Microsoft User Data> Main Account section
but nothing is accessible and when it is, I double click on it and nothing
opens up.

Please be more specific about this. What *exactly* is in your Microsoft User
Data folder? How big is this "Main Account" folder" Are there any other
folders there?

Do you have any choices when you go to the Entourage menu and choose "Switch
Identity"?

Is it possible that you or someone else moved your Microsoft User Data
somewhere else? Try doing a Spotlight Search on your hard drive to see if
there is another one located elsewhere. Entourage will create a new empty
one in your Documents folder if that happens.

 

[AmandaP]

If I try to switch identities there is only the new one which appeared this morning.

I think I may have moved my Microsoft User Data when trying to organize my Documents folder. In hindsight this was very very foolish!

If I search in Spotlight there are two versions of 'M.U.Data' available. One is 1.71 GB and the other is 1.75 GB.

Surely if I have merely moved the data to a new area it must be retraceable? The data that is lost is all my work correspondances for the last three months (which is all the data entourage on this computer has ever had).

Is there any more information you need me to give you?

 

[AmandaP]

In Addition... I have the two versions of 'Microsoft User Data'. One is on my desktop and the other is in the documents pannel.

When I open the one I have on my desktop, it has 1.71 GB of info on it.

When I open the one in Documents, it has 34.8 MB.

Does this mean that the folder which is on my desktop is my original entourage file? If so how do I go about moving this back to replace the new one?

 

[Adam Bailey]

In Addition... I have the two versions of 'Microsoft User Data'. One is on
my desktop and the other is in the documents pannel.

When I open the one I have on my desktop, it has 1.71 GB of info on it.

When I open the one in Documents, it has 34.8 MB.

Does this mean that the folder which is on my desktop is my original
entourage file?

Sure looks that way.

If so how do I go about moving this back to replace the
new one?

To be safe, move the one from your Documents folder into a temporary
location (OTHER than your Desktop!). Then move the one from your Desktop
into your Documents folder. Do all of this while you don't have any Office
programs open.

Then go ahead and launch Entourage and I bet your stuff is back.

(Alternately you could rename the Main Identity that is only 34.8 MB and
then copy the Main Identity from your desktop safely into that folder. Then
use Switch Identity.)

 

[AmandaP]

Adam thank you so much!
Without wanting to sound too melodramatic, you have literally saved my skin!
I tried the second option you gave and it has all worked perfectly.
I can't thank you enough!
Amanda

 

[Adam Bailey]

Adam thank you so much!
Without wanting to sound too melodramatic, you have literally saved my skin!
I tried the second option you gave and it has all worked perfectly.

Glad to hear it!

I can't thank you enough!

I accept cookies and other baked goods.

 

[Ed Kimball]

Glad to hear it!


I accept cookies and other baked goods.

You accept cookies? I heard that could be dangerous! ;-)

 

[Winter Woods]

Adam,

Thanks. Great help!

 

[Geoff Galat]

I have the same issue. Is there a way to search for the file (I am using Tiger 10.4.11, so I don't have spotlight, best i can tell)

If I try to switch identities there is only the new one which appeared
this morning.





I think I may have moved my Microsoft User Data when trying to organize
my Documents folder. In hindsight this was very very foolish!





If I search in Spotlight there are two versions of 'M.U.Data' available.
One is 1.71 GB and the other is 1.75 GB.





Surely if I have merely moved the data to a new area it must be retraceable?
The data that is lost is all my work correspondances for the last three
months (which is all the data entourage on this computer has ever had).





Is there any more information you need me to give you?

 

[Geoff Galat]

Sorry, figured out the Spotlight part, but can't find the file...I only find old versions (August 3 2008) and the "new" version (today) withoutr any data.

 

[Diane Ross]

Sorry, figured out the Spotlight part, but can't find the file...I only find
old versions (August 3 2008) and the "new" version (today) withoutr any data.

Did you look in the trash?

 

[Geoff Galat]

Yes, I have scanned the trash and am looking at both drives in depth. I am now running Data Rescue II to see if it can finda delted version. The only two versions of the file I can find thus far are one dated August 3rd on the external drive (which must be from a prior drag-and-drop I did) which I moved back over, and the one dated right now (which is the August 3rd, plus any mail since I moved it earlier). I am missing all messages and sent items etc. between August 3rd and this AM......

 

[Diane Ross]

Yes, I have scanned the trash and am looking at both drives in depth. I am now
running Data Rescue II to see if it can finda delted version. The only two
versions of the file I can find thus far are one dated August 3rd on the
external drive (which must be from a prior drag-and-drop I did) which I moved
back over, and the one dated right now (which is the August 3rd, plus any mail
since I moved it earlier). I am missing all messages and sent items etc.
between August 3rd and this AM......

Do you have a virus checker installed? See this link for help. It also
includes a link to looking in the invisible file called 'lost & found'

<http://www.entourage.mvps.org/troubleshoot/crashes.html#crash15>

<http://tinyurl.com/4rk5ev>

 

[Geoff Galat]

Diane,

Thanks for your replies. Answers below:



Do you have a virus checker installed? See this link for help




Nope, no virus checker...

includes a link to looking in the invisible file called 'lost & found'




Unfortunately, no lost+found folder/file, either.

I am currently scanning my external and internal hard drives using Data Rescue II to see if I can find an accidentally deleted version of the file.

Unfortunately, Data Rescue II did a full scan (which took 3+ hours) and summarily crashed. I am re-running the scan again, now....

 

[Diane Ross]

I am currently scanning my external and internal hard drives using Data Rescue
II to see if I can find an accidentally deleted version of the file.

Unfortunately, Data Rescue II did a full scan (which took 3+ hours) and
summarily crashed. I am re-running the scan again, now....

Recovery after the Trash has been deleted is very doubtful. Use this
opportunity to start a good backup strategy.

 

[Geoff Galat]

Thanks, that's what I was afraid of......

 

[Stuphoto]

I seem to have a similar problem as I have lost all of my Sent folder items yesterday or the day before. As I have been searching around for where they may have gone suddenly I have lost all of my Inbox emails. These go back two years and more! I have a back up to about two weeks ago but much business has been conducted since then and the later info is always the most pertinent!!! I have not been moving anything around as far as the database is concerned or cleaning anything up. I recently found that my oldest email account has been sold again and it went to Earthlink. I spent quite awhile figuring out how to get all the emails they have been holding for a month. I think all this happened after I set up their account in Entourage, like a virus. I have had other accounts before with no trouble. I am on a G5 PPC 10.4.11. Entourage 2004 for Mac. The Database folder claims to have 1.3 Gigs of info, opening it brings up the emptied folder version of E. It seems the info is there just ..invisible?? As soon as i send an email it disappears and does not show up in Sent folder. If an email comes in i can read it then it disappears.

 

[Stuphoto]

I seem to have a similar problem as I have lost all of my Sent folder items yesterday or the day before. As I have been searching around for where they may have gone suddenly I have lost all of my Inbox emails. These go back two years and more! I have a back up to about two weeks ago but much business has been conducted since then and the later info is always the most pertinent!!! I have not been moving anything around as far as the database is concerned or cleaning anything up. I recently found that my oldest email account has been sold again and it went to Earthlink. I spent quite awhile figuring out how to get all the emails they have been holding for a month. I think all this happened after I set up their account in Entourage, like a virus. I have had other accounts before with no trouble. I am on a G5 PPC 10.4.11. Entourage 2004 for Mac. The Database folder claims to have 1.3 Gigs of info, opening it brings up the emptied folder version of E. It seems the info is there just ..invisible?? As soon as i send an email it disappears and does not show up in Sent folder. If an email comes in i can read it then it disappears.

Folks, please disregard previous posting, found a pilot error and jumped to some wrong conclusions. Reading further throughout this forum was incredibly helpful. Thanks anyway!!