How do I archive messages in Outlook Express 6 in my external hard drive - so that I can permanently delete these message from my computer's hard drive?1 person got this answerI do too

Create as many folders as needed and do the following. Don't delete messages fro OE until you are satisfied with the results.Create a folder on your Desktop, then in Outlook Express open the folder with the messages you want to save. Highlight one message, then Ctrl+A will highlight them all, (or hold the Ctrl button down while you select only the messages you want), Now, drag and drop them to the folder on your Desktop. (Easiest if the folder shortcut is on the Taskbar).Now you can copy that folder to the external drive.You may find that messages with the same subject get appended, probably with (1), (2), etc. One of these programs may be of use to you. Have a look and decide.DBXtract:http://www.oehelp.com/DBXtract/Default.aspxOEX:http://www.oehelp.com/OEX/Default.aspx Bruce Hagen ~ MS-MVP [Mail]

I tried this & the program deleted items in other saved folders as I moved the files from one saved folder to one on my desktop. Where did the e-mails in the other folders in my saved files go? I did not realized this until after already doing a cleanup on my computer to get more space from the deleted items. Is there any way to retreive them?

I tried this & the program deleted items in other saved folders as I moved the files from one saved folder to one on my desktop. Where did the e-mails in the other folders in my saved files go? I did not realized this until after already doing a cleanup on my computer to get more space from the deleted items. Is there any way to retreive them?A new thread of your own would have been nice.Are you using Outlook Express? When you drag messages from an OE folder to a Windows folder they are not removed from the OE folder. What "program" are you saying deleted the messages? We need more precise information. Where were the messages that are missing, for example.Bruce HagenMS-MVP Oct. 1, 2004 ~ Sept. 30, 2010Imperial Beach, CA

If you move a file from one place to another, the file is no longer in the original location. If you copy a file from one place to another, then the file remains in its original location. steve <Assistant711> wrote in message news:Email removed for privacy...I tried this & the program deleted items in other saved folders as I moved the files from one saved folder to one on my desktop. Where did the e-mails in the other folders in my saved files go? I did not realized this until after already doing a cleanup on my computer to get more space from the deleted items. Is there any way to retreive them?

Yes I am using Outlook Express 6. The messages that are missing were in my saved folder in outlook express. I was moving files from one of the saved folders (i.e. name: Rio Vista) in outlook express to a folder on my desktop. Then looked in one of the other folders (i.e. name: Hwy 41) & all of those items were gone. I have checked the deleted items folder, the recycle bin, even the folder I have saved the other files to, to see if they got moved there by accident. Did a search on my computer for email files or dbx but cannot find them. Sorry did not make my own thread. This is the first time I am using this method, as I am desperate for an answer.

So, you highlighted messages in an OE folder and dragged them to a Windows folder on the Desktop. Do I have that right? From OE to Windows, the original messages should still be there, and certainly for a folder you never touched.While in these OE folders: View | Current View. Is Show All Messages checked?Bruce HagenMS-MVP Oct. 1, 2004 ~ Sept. 30, 2010Imperial Beach, CA

That is correct. Dragging them from OE to Windows XP, a folder on my desktop. I did not touch the other saved folder, but all of the e-mails in there are gone.

<Repost>While in these OE folders: View | Current View. Is Show All Messages checked?Bruce HagenMS-MVP Oct. 1, 2004 ~ Sept. 30, 2010Imperial Beach, CA

Yes, it is.

No idea where the messages went.Do you have any .bak files in the Recycle Bin? Or in the message store?Message store location.Tools | Options | Maintenance | Store Folder will reveal the location of your Outlook Express files. Write the location down and navigate to it in Windows Explorer or, copy and paste it into Start | Run.In WinXP, Win2K & Win2K3, the OE user files (DBX and WAB) are by default marked as hidden. To view these files in Windows Explorer, you must enable Show Hidden Files and Folders under Start | Control Panel | Folder Options Icon | View, or in Windows Explorer | Tools | Folder Options | View. I assume the dbx files for the empty folders are there, correct? If any bak files, note the date created.If still no luck, do another search for *.dbx now that show hidden files has been enabled. Bruce HagenMS-MVP Oct. 1, 2004 ~ Sept. 30, 2010Imperial Beach, CA

I've never heard of such. I'm not sure what could have done that except a 3rd party program. See points 2, 3 and 4 here and maybe you can find a way to get them back again: www.oehelp.com/OETips.aspx#2 steve <Assistant711> wrote in message news:Email removed for privacy...That is correct. Dragging them from OE to Windows XP, a folder on my desktop. I did not touch the other saved folder, but all of the e-mails in there are gone.

BruceCould the problem be the separation of the sub-folders from folders.dbx so that folders.dbx no longer knows where the sub-folders are. Personally I think dragging is much riskier than copy and paste and, if it has been successful, deleting the files in the original location.A wild card search might be the best way to locate the missing files if a disk cleanup operation hasn't already removed them.Regards, Gerry Cornell

BruceCould the problem be the separation of the sub-folders from folders.dbx so that folders.dbx no longer knows where the sub-folders are. Personally I think dragging is much riskier than copy and paste and, if it has been successful, deleting the files in the original location.A wild card search might be the best way to locate the missing files if a disk cleanup operation hasn't already removed them.Regards, Gerry CornellNo. The subfolders remain in OE unless deleted. Only the messages were dragged. I've done it many times.Bruce HagenMS-MVP Oct. 1, 2004 ~ Sept. 30, 2010Imperial Beach, CA

BruceThe search using the wild card suggestion?Hope this helps, Gerry Cornell

Messages dragged out of OE are .eml files. But, the OP said they were not dragged out of the other folders, and when you drag messages out of OE folders, you are only dragging a copy regardless of what mouse key you use and the originals should remain in their respective folders.Bruce HagenMS-MVP Oct. 1, 2004 ~ Sept. 30, 2010Imperial Beach, CA

BruceThus inbo*.db* followed by *. eml is surely more than likely to find the missing messages if they are there to be found having gone into an unexpected location? If you find one message you find the rest. It worked for me when using Windows XP. Searching using *.eml works in Windows 7.Hope this helps, Gerry Cornell