emptied deleted messages

[Guest]

In Windows Email, I wanted to delete items piling up in the deleted folder.
My deleted folder has two subfolders for some reason. All items are gone from
deleted items as well as all items from the two subfolders of the deleted
items folder.

Deleted folder had two subfolders and now the subfolders are gone and the
deleted file is empty. Nothing is in the recycle bin. I am not only new to
Vista but I am also new to computers as a whole. Any help would be
appreciated. Thanks

 

[R. C. White]

Hi, Watermelons8.

In Windows Email,

There are several programs that handle email in Windows Vista, but none with
that exact name. You probably mean Windows Mail, which comes with every
copy of Vista. But you may be using the public beta of WM's successor,
Windows Live Mail beta (now up to build 12.0.1365).

Maybe it doesn't matter. I think all of them have this setting: Click
Tools | Options | Advanced | Maintenance and put a check in the first box,
the one that says, "Empty messages from the "Deleted Items' folder on exit".

When we press Delete, the message goes into Deleted items, unless we hold
down the Shift key, in which case they bypass the Deleted items folder and
disappear entirely. If they are in Deleted items, we can recover them if we
decide that we still need them. Permanently-deleted items cannot be
recovered, except perhaps by some computer experts.

As you have noted, most folders can hold subfolders. These subfolders
usually can be deleted in the same way as files, and mistakenly-deleted
folders can similarly be recovered.

I can't tell from your message what you think is a problem. I don't see a
question there. Are you trying to recover some completely deleted messages
or subfolders?

RC
--
R. C. White, CPA
San Marcos, TX
(e-mail address removed)
Microsoft Windows MVP
(Running Windows Live Mail beta 2 in Vista Ultimate x64 SP1 beta v.275)

 

[Guest]

Thank you for responding R.C. White
Sorry about the confusion but yes it is from windows mail. I looked
into what you had asked and I did go into Tools/Options/Advanced and I did
see the box that you were talking about and it did not have a check mark in
the box. I am not sure why you asked this as I am trying to get BACK
messages that I deleted from the deleted messages. What I mean as I am not
sure how to explain myself is this: Instead of messages in my inbox, I had
messages put in the deleted box and it also has subfolders and I don't know
why. Irregardless of why, I hit the DELETE the deleted items from the delete
box ie messages that I no longer wanted and that was okay but I still need
the information in the subfolders but they and their contents got deleted as
well. Nothing went to the recycle box and I don't know why and it doesn't
matter why not I guess, I just thought when you deleted something and wanted
it back, as long as you did not EMPTY the recycle box and I didn't yet, you
could get them back. I am unable to get them back from the recycle box as
they did not go to the recycle box. Is there any thing else I can do or
where to look to get those messages back? Sorry for the confusion, as I said
I am very new to computers and I appreciate anything that you can help me
with. Thanks

 

[R. C. White]

Hi, Watermelons8.

OK. Now I think I understand what you want. Your first message described
what happened, but didn't say what you wanted to happen.

In Windows, including Vista, most Delete operations put the deleted message
into the Recycle Bin, just in case we need those messages back later. But
the RB is not unlimited in size, so it eventually gets full. When there is
not enough room to hold the next deleted item, Vista permanently deletes
enough old files to make room for the new one. If the new deletion is
large, Vista may need to delete a lot of small ones to make room for it.
Exactly how does the system decide WHICH old files to delete? I don't know.

We can make the RB bigger, so that it can hold more deleted files or hold
them longer. Only YOU can decide the proper trade-off between space for
deleted items versus space for current items on YOUR computer. To see your
options and to change them if you like, right-click on the Recycle Bin icon
and choose Properties. Note that you can set the maximum size in MEGAbytes,
not GIGAbytes; 1700 MB is approximately 1.7 GB. There is also a box here
that says, "Do not move files to the Recycle Bin. Remove files immediately
when deleted." Unless you are very confident in your deletion decisions,
don't check this box.

Even if that box is not checked, we can always opt for permanent deletion by
holding down the Shift key when we press Delete and then confirm that, Yes,
we do want to permanently delete the file or folder.

RC
--
R. C. White, CPA
San Marcos, TX
(e-mail address removed)
Microsoft Windows MVP
(Running Windows Live Mail beta 2 in Vista Ultimate x64 SP1 beta v.275)

 

[Guest]

Hello R.C. White and I hope you realize how much I appreciate the time you
have taken to help me out. You are giving me good information for the future
and I so appreciate that but for now, it does not address the mess I am in
now. First, I only purchased this computer in July,2007 and I have NEVER
deleted anything to the recycle bin so this is my first experience and it is
turning out not to be a good one and that is why I am so thankful for
anything you have to offer. In your opinion,and I know it is just an opinion
with the information that you have, can I get back from the subfolders and
their contents from anywhere? The recycle bin is still showing empty and did
not receive anything. If the answer in your opinion is "NO", I will have to
accept that and I will have to chalk this up to a learning experience but is
there #1-How to find out where these items went in the first place now that
you know there was not anything in the recycle bin to date/to start? #2-Is
this a rare time that the deleted items did not go to the recycle bin or do
you think from this experience that it will happen everytime? If it is any
help, the deleted file itself had approximately 30 items, in which about 2
involved a few pictures and the subfolders each had 3 items in them which I
would classify them as a small amount of room as I know what was in them and
it was not much, just important. I did not want you to think, now that you
know it is the first time using the recycle bin, that there was a huge amount
going to it and that is why it would fill up, as there was not alot in total.
Sorry to take up all of your time and thanks for teaching me things I
probably should know but I am EXTREMELY new to computer scene. Thanks times
a million, from watermelons8

 

[R. C. White]

Hi, Watermelons8.

Sorry to take up all of your time and thanks for teaching me things I
probably should know but I am EXTREMELY new to computer scene.

You are taking up only so much of my time as I am volunteering to give. I
can quit at any time. But, like all the volunteers here, I do this because
I want to help. Like you, I wasn't born knowing about computers. But I was
where you are about 30 years ago and I remember the climb up the learning
curve. So long as you are willing to learn, we are willing to help. ;<)
(That's a "smiley" using only text characters; turn your head sideways to
see the smile.)

First, I only purchased this computer in July,2007 and I have NEVER
deleted anything to the recycle bin so this is my first experience

If you ever deleted anything, it went to the Recycle Bin! Unless you
changed some default settings, which you probably have not yet learned to
do. The only way to NOT put your deletions in the RB is to do what I told
you earlier: either hold the Shift key while you click Delete, or set Vista
to always bypass the RB and permanently delete everything.

At this point, the best course might be for you to explore Vista a little
more by using the Help and Support file. Just click the Vista Orb (which we
used to call the Start button in earlier versions of Windows), and then Help
and Support. This will open a window that is just chockfull of useful
information about computers in general and Windows and Vista in particular.
You can explore by clicking the icons there, like "Windows Basics". Or you
can type something into the Search Help box at the top to find out more
about whatever you like. How about "recycle bin"? That gives me a list of
30 different results, including "Recover files from the Recycle Bin" and
"Change the Recycle Bin settings".

After exploring there, you might still have questions. If so, just post
back. If I'm not here (coffee break, or sleeping, or on vacation, or
working on my wife's "honey do" projects), someone else will see your post
and probably have an answer for you. You might want to start a new thread
so that other readers won't see all the replies here and think that your
problem has already been solved.

Many newbies (not a derogatory term; we were all that once) picture a room
full of computers and folks typing out these messages. NOT a true picture
at all! I'm alone in my office-in-converted-bedroom in my home in Texas
where it is almost noon. Others are literally all over the world and we
seldom if ever see each other. We don't even know where you are. You might
be my next-door neighbor for all I know! ;<)

RC
--
R. C. White, CPA
San Marcos, TX
(e-mail address removed)
Microsoft Windows MVP
(Running Windows Live Mail beta 2 in Vista Ultimate x64 SP1 beta v.275)

 

[Guest]

In Windows Email, I wanted to delete items piling up in the deleted folder.
My deleted folder has two subfolders for some reason. All items are gone from
deleted items as well as all items from the two subfolders of the deleted
items folder.

Deleted folder had two subfolders and now the subfolders are gone and the
deleted file is empty. Nothing is in the recycle bin. I am not only new to
Vista but I am also new to computers as a whole. Any help would be
appreciated. Thanks