Recently, When I open Outlook Express, the contents of the “in-box” disappear. According to the Microsoft forum, this problem is also with Mcafee. The in-box contents can be recovered by using third party software (DBExtract), but this is a genuine pain. Does anyone else have this problem? Are there any fixes in the works for this?
I have never had that problem and I have been using avast and OE for over 5 years.
However, I don’t use my inbox as ‘general’ storage, but as an inbox, much like that of an office. You read the contents and action it as required and then you put it in a different tray, pending or out tray, etc. or you file it in a folder more appropriate to the contents of the email.
The inbox is the most prone to corruption as it is open most of the time and if you have a crash or other problem that folder (.dbx file) could be corrupted with the potential loss of all email in that folder. Mine is almost always empty, so if it is corrupted or deleted at worst it could be a few emails that are lost.
I also back-up my .dbx files at least once a day, so it is possible to recover from a deleted/corrupt .dbx file without having to resort to something like DBExtract. Unfortunately I think you will have to use this tool as I can’t see any other option, so look in the location your .dbx files are stored and you should find two inbox files, one probably very small in size (the new one and possibly called inbox2.dbx), the other inbox.dbx is the one to try using the tool on.
If I were you, I’ll follow David’s suggestions. My inbox was always clean and I’ve used to store things in other folders. Now I use MS Outlook (with folders too).
It’s a little late but, regular backups would also help to prevent a disaster
The following will help to prevent a future one:
http://www.genie-soft.com/products/oeb/
Maybe someone figured out your password and deleted your inbox. Try changing your password + Do what the others said.
Maybe a hidden keystroker? But, I don’t know… ???