How do I unarchive AutoArchived email?

[Guest]

In Outlook 2003 I allow AutoArchive every 14 days. I cannot find my archived
email. The Archive folders are all empty. The archive.pst file will not
open with any program I try, tried Word, recommended, nothing happened.
Where is all my old email?

 

[Judy Gleeson MVP - Outlook]

Check the setting you have on Autoarchive (Tools, Options, Autoarchive) and
write down the file name that shows as the location. Then in Outlook, File,
Open Outlook Data file and browse to the file name you just wrote down.
Unless you have set to delete files when archiving, that's where it's been
sending it.


Judy Gleeson - MVP Outlook
Acorn Training and Consulting
Canberra, Australia


see what Outlook training can do to improve productivity:
www.acorntraining.com.au/pdfdocs/ProductivITwithOutlook.pps

www.acorntraining.com.au/productivit.htm

 

[Guest]

In Outlook 2003 my autoarchive settings were During AutoArchive:

Delete expired items (e-mail folders only)
and Archive or delete old items
Show archive folder in folder list
Clean out items older than 6 months
Move old items to ...archive.pst
So, was that the problem? I was deleting and not archiving?
If I uncheck "Delete expired items (e-mail folders only)"
but leave "Archive or delete old items",will AutoArchive then send the email
to the "Open Outlook Data file "? The "Archive OR Delete old items" bothers
me, which ones does it know to archive and which to delete? Thank you Judy
of Acorn Training in Canberra.

 

[Judy Gleeson MVP - Outlook]

I know this isn't at all obvious......

Archive or delete is a checkbox. You need it on.

Below that is the circular spot to select whether it Archives or deletes.
Select one!

--
Judy Gleeson - MVP Outlook
Acorn Training and Consulting
Canberra, Australia


see what Outlook training can do to improve productivity:
www.acorntraining.com.au/pdfdocs/ProductivITwithOutlook.pps

www.acorntraining.com.au/productivit.htm

 

[Guest]

Thank you, Judy. Now I have set up the autoarchive as you suggested and
practiced archiving. The files archived went into the Archive Folder in the
left panel of the Outlook screen and I can see/read/retrieve. So, I don't
need to open the archive.pst file to see my archived items. Not sure what
was happening before or where old email was being saved or if deleted, but I
believe the problem is solved now. Thanks again, very much.
Kathleen
Athens, Georgia
USA

 

[Guest]

I'm sorry; I am having the same problem with my Outlook 2003, but your answer
is still unclear to me. I have the same settings (which I beleive are the
default settings) in my AutoArchive as Kathl55n. "X" means that the option is
selected in my settings:

[X] Run AutoArchive every _14_ days.
[X] Prompt before AuthArchive runs
During AutoArchive:
[X] Delete expired items (e-mail folders only)
[X] Archive or delete old items
[X] Show archive folder in folder list
Default folder settings for archiving
Clean out items older than _6_ _Months_
(X) Move old items to:
C:\Documents and Settings\[myusername]\Local
Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook\archive.pst
( ) Permanently delete old items

So, I do have the archive or delete checkbox on. With regards to the two
radial buttons ("circular spots") underneath, I have the "Move old items to:"
selected and the "Permanently delete old items" NOT selected. Yet I, too,
have the identical problem where the Archive master folder is present in my
folder list, but all the folders contained therein (exact mirrors of my Inbox
subfolders) are empty. It appears it even removed some subfolders from my
Inbox master folder so that some of my rules no longer function.

If these messages were permanently deleted, why? What should I do to prevent
this from happening in the future? If they are irretrievable, this is a
devastating loss in my work. A question that is probably not for you to
answer is why would any mail client allow in the default settings to
permanently delete a message without explicitly asking the user first.

 

[Guest]

Hi Mrs. HelpMenu,
Actually a bit glad to hear someone else faces the same frustration. I was
able to start archiving my current mail and the folders on the left open up
and show recent archives (email over 90 days old).

I thought my old email was deleted because I had it set up wrong, but that
it also could be that I had a hard drive go out in early June and thought i
lost my old email due to that. However, the repairman saved everything else
on my system, retrieved it from the bad hard drive, but no sign of .pst files
that could be opened or that contained old email.

I utterly agree with you. Why would anyone set up a system that defaults to
delete old email without even a warning. How were we supposed to know we
needed to adjust our settings immediately? When we are asked if we want to
AutoArchive now, I assumed that the files were being saved on my system,
somewhere that I could eventually retrieve.

I'm sorry; I am having the same problem with my Outlook 2003, but your answer
is still unclear to me. I have the same settings (which I beleive are the
default settings) in my AutoArchive as Kathl55n. "X" means that the option is
selected in my settings:

[X] Run AutoArchive every _14_ days.
[X] Prompt before AuthArchive runs
During AutoArchive:
[X] Delete expired items (e-mail folders only)
[X] Archive or delete old items
[X] Show archive folder in folder list
Default folder settings for archiving
Clean out items older than _6_ _Months_
(X) Move old items to:
C:\Documents and Settings\[myusername]\Local
Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook\archive.pst
( ) Permanently delete old items

So, I do have the archive or delete checkbox on. With regards to the two
radial buttons ("circular spots") underneath, I have the "Move old items to:"
selected and the "Permanently delete old items" NOT selected. Yet I, too,
have the identical problem where the Archive master folder is present in my
folder list, but all the folders contained therein (exact mirrors of my Inbox
subfolders) are empty. It appears it even removed some subfolders from my
Inbox master folder so that some of my rules no longer function.

If these messages were permanently deleted, why? What should I do to prevent
this from happening in the future? If they are irretrievable, this is a
devastating loss in my work. A question that is probably not for you to
answer is why would any mail client allow in the default settings to
permanently delete a message without explicitly asking the user first.

I know this isn't at all obvious......

Archive or delete is a checkbox. You need it on.

Below that is the circular spot to select whether it Archives or deletes.
Select one!

--
Judy Gleeson - MVP Outlook
Acorn Training and Consulting
Canberra, Australia


see what Outlook training can do to improve productivity:
www.acorntraining.com.au/pdfdocs/ProductivITwithOutlook.pps

www.acorntraining.com.au/productivit.htm

 

[Guest]

I am having the same problem and somehow have missed the point of how to
solve it (after reading posts below). I have the same options selected as
Mrs. HelpMenu. Is the following checkbox the cause of the problem?

[X] Delete expired items (e-mail folders only)

If I "uncheck" this will my inbox and "Sent items" be archived properly?
Also, what exactly does this option mean?

Thank you Mrs.HelpMenu for taking the time to document so clearly your exact
situation so I knew I was in the right place.

Hi Mrs. HelpMenu,
Actually a bit glad to hear someone else faces the same frustration. I was
able to start archiving my current mail and the folders on the left open up
and show recent archives (email over 90 days old).

I thought my old email was deleted because I had it set up wrong, but that
it also could be that I had a hard drive go out in early June and thought i
lost my old email due to that. However, the repairman saved everything else
on my system, retrieved it from the bad hard drive, but no sign of .pst files
that could be opened or that contained old email.

I utterly agree with you. Why would anyone set up a system that defaults to
delete old email without even a warning. How were we supposed to know we
needed to adjust our settings immediately? When we are asked if we want to
AutoArchive now, I assumed that the files were being saved on my system,
somewhere that I could eventually retrieve.

I'm sorry; I am having the same problem with my Outlook 2003, but your answer
is still unclear to me. I have the same settings (which I beleive are the
default settings) in my AutoArchive as Kathl55n. "X" means that the option is
selected in my settings:

[X] Run AutoArchive every _14_ days.
[X] Prompt before AuthArchive runs
During AutoArchive:
[X] Delete expired items (e-mail folders only)
[X] Archive or delete old items
[X] Show archive folder in folder list
Default folder settings for archiving
Clean out items older than _6_ _Months_
(X) Move old items to:
C:\Documents and Settings\[myusername]\Local
Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook\archive.pst
( ) Permanently delete old items

So, I do have the archive or delete checkbox on. With regards to the two
radial buttons ("circular spots") underneath, I have the "Move old items to:"
selected and the "Permanently delete old items" NOT selected. Yet I, too,
have the identical problem where the Archive master folder is present in my
folder list, but all the folders contained therein (exact mirrors of my Inbox
subfolders) are empty. It appears it even removed some subfolders from my
Inbox master folder so that some of my rules no longer function.

If these messages were permanently deleted, why? What should I do to prevent
this from happening in the future? If they are irretrievable, this is a
devastating loss in my work. A question that is probably not for you to
answer is why would any mail client allow in the default settings to
permanently delete a message without explicitly asking the user first.

I know this isn't at all obvious......

Archive or delete is a checkbox. You need it on.

Below that is the circular spot to select whether it Archives or deletes.
Select one!

--
Judy Gleeson - MVP Outlook
Acorn Training and Consulting
Canberra, Australia


see what Outlook training can do to improve productivity:
www.acorntraining.com.au/pdfdocs/ProductivITwithOutlook.pps

www.acorntraining.com.au/productivit.htm


:

In Outlook 2003 my autoarchive settings were During AutoArchive:
Delete expired items (e-mail folders only)
and Archive or delete old items
Show archive folder in folder list
Clean out items older than 6 months
Move old items to ...archive.pst
So, was that the problem? I was deleting and not archiving?
If I uncheck "Delete expired items (e-mail folders only)"
but leave "Archive or delete old items",will AutoArchive then send the
email
to the "Open Outlook Data file "? The "Archive OR Delete old items"
bothers
me, which ones does it know to archive and which to delete? Thank you
Judy
of Acorn Training in Canberra.

 

[Guest]

Mr. HelpMenu,
I agree with DebbieS. You did a great job of putting explicit details to
this issue. An issue I too am struggling with as well. I have OL 2002 (SP3).
I have read tons of related posts & reply’s, which I think result because
OL’s Help docs & what support docs are on MS.com are woefully inadequate
here. All told, I’ve probably spent 16 hrs trying to locate clear concise
information on the AutoArchive settings. But, alas I’ve struck out thus far
which is why I’ve never run it—can’t afford to loose any eMail. So I hope an
MVP will see my reply, and that you never got an answer to what is an all to
common quandary; and that they will assist us with a great answer.

--
Neophyte DanO

I am having the same problem and somehow have missed the point of how to
solve it (after reading posts below). I have the same options selected as
Mrs. HelpMenu. Is the following checkbox the cause of the problem?

[X] Delete expired items (e-mail folders only)

If I "uncheck" this will my inbox and "Sent items" be archived properly?
Also, what exactly does this option mean?

Thank you Mrs.HelpMenu for taking the time to document so clearly your exact
situation so I knew I was in the right place.

Hi Mrs. HelpMenu,
Actually a bit glad to hear someone else faces the same frustration. I was
able to start archiving my current mail and the folders on the left open up
and show recent archives (email over 90 days old).

I thought my old email was deleted because I had it set up wrong, but that
it also could be that I had a hard drive go out in early June and thought i
lost my old email due to that. However, the repairman saved everything else
on my system, retrieved it from the bad hard drive, but no sign of .pst files
that could be opened or that contained old email.

I utterly agree with you. Why would anyone set up a system that defaults to
delete old email without even a warning. How were we supposed to know we
needed to adjust our settings immediately? When we are asked if we want to
AutoArchive now, I assumed that the files were being saved on my system,
somewhere that I could eventually retrieve.

I'm sorry; I am having the same problem with my Outlook 2003, but your answer
is still unclear to me. I have the same settings (which I beleive are the
default settings) in my AutoArchive as Kathl55n. "X" means that the option is
selected in my settings:

[X] Run AutoArchive every _14_ days.
[X] Prompt before AuthArchive runs
During AutoArchive:
[X] Delete expired items (e-mail folders only)
[X] Archive or delete old items
[X] Show archive folder in folder list
Default folder settings for archiving
Clean out items older than _6_ _Months_
(X) Move old items to:
C:\Documents and Settings\[myusername]\Local
Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook\archive.pst
( ) Permanently delete old items

So, I do have the archive or delete checkbox on. With regards to the two
radial buttons ("circular spots") underneath, I have the "Move old items to:"
selected and the "Permanently delete old items" NOT selected. Yet I, too,
have the identical problem where the Archive master folder is present in my
folder list, but all the folders contained therein (exact mirrors of my Inbox
subfolders) are empty. It appears it even removed some subfolders from my
Inbox master folder so that some of my rules no longer function.

If these messages were permanently deleted, why? What should I do to prevent
this from happening in the future? If they are irretrievable, this is a
devastating loss in my work. A question that is probably not for you to
answer is why would any mail client allow in the default settings to
permanently delete a message without explicitly asking the user first.

:

I know this isn't at all obvious......

Archive or delete is a checkbox. You need it on.

Below that is the circular spot to select whether it Archives or deletes.
Select one!

--
Judy Gleeson - MVP Outlook
Acorn Training and Consulting
Canberra, Australia


see what Outlook training can do to improve productivity:
www.acorntraining.com.au/pdfdocs/ProductivITwithOutlook.pps

www.acorntraining.com.au/productivit.htm


:

In Outlook 2003 my autoarchive settings were During AutoArchive:
Delete expired items (e-mail folders only)
and Archive or delete old items
Show archive folder in folder list
Clean out items older than 6 months
Move old items to ...archive.pst
So, was that the problem? I was deleting and not archiving?
If I uncheck "Delete expired items (e-mail folders only)"
but leave "Archive or delete old items",will AutoArchive then send the
email
to the "Open Outlook Data file "? The "Archive OR Delete old items"
bothers
me, which ones does it know to archive and which to delete? Thank you
Judy
of Acorn Training in Canberra.

 

[DL]

If you select a msg, rt click Options there is a check box to set an expiry
date/time
If you then autoarchive, with the delete expired items option, this msg will
be deleted when the set expiry date is reached.
If you simply autoarchive, without any delete options, then mail is simply
moved from the current pst to an archive pst.

PS 'cannot afford to lose any email' presumably you have backups?
There is a size limit on pre OL2003 format pst's, exceed it and you will
lose mail - some if not all.

Mr. HelpMenu,
I agree with DebbieS. You did a great job of putting explicit details to
this issue. An issue I too am struggling with as well. I have OL 2002 (SP3).
I have read tons of related posts & reply's, which I think result because
OL's Help docs & what support docs are on MS.com are woefully inadequate
here. All told, I've probably spent 16 hrs trying to locate clear concise
information on the AutoArchive settings. But, alas I've struck out thus far
which is why I've never run it-can't afford to loose any eMail. So I hope an
MVP will see my reply, and that you never got an answer to what is an all to
common quandary; and that they will assist us with a great answer.

--
Neophyte DanO

I am having the same problem and somehow have missed the point of how to
solve it (after reading posts below). I have the same options selected as
Mrs. HelpMenu. Is the following checkbox the cause of the problem?

[X] Delete expired items (e-mail folders only)

If I "uncheck" this will my inbox and "Sent items" be archived properly?
Also, what exactly does this option mean?

Thank you Mrs.HelpMenu for taking the time to document so clearly your exact
situation so I knew I was in the right place.

Hi Mrs. HelpMenu,
Actually a bit glad to hear someone else faces the same frustration. I was
able to start archiving my current mail and the folders on the left open up
and show recent archives (email over 90 days old).

I thought my old email was deleted because I had it set up wrong, but that
it also could be that I had a hard drive go out in early June and thought i
lost my old email due to that. However, the repairman saved everything else
on my system, retrieved it from the bad hard drive, but no sign of ..pst files
that could be opened or that contained old email.

I utterly agree with you. Why would anyone set up a system that defaults to
delete old email without even a warning. How were we supposed to know we
needed to adjust our settings immediately? When we are asked if we want to
AutoArchive now, I assumed that the files were being saved on my system,
somewhere that I could eventually retrieve.


:

I'm sorry; I am having the same problem with my Outlook 2003, but your answer
is still unclear to me. I have the same settings (which I beleive are the
default settings) in my AutoArchive as Kathl55n. "X" means that the option is
selected in my settings:

[X] Run AutoArchive every _14_ days.
[X] Prompt before AuthArchive runs
During AutoArchive:
[X] Delete expired items (e-mail folders only)
[X] Archive or delete old items
[X] Show archive folder in folder list
Default folder settings for archiving
Clean out items older than _6_ _Months_
(X) Move old items to:
C:\Documents and Settings\[myusername]\Local
Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook\archive.pst
( ) Permanently delete old items

So, I do have the archive or delete checkbox on. With regards to the two
radial buttons ("circular spots") underneath, I have the "Move old items to:"
selected and the "Permanently delete old items" NOT selected. Yet I, too,
have the identical problem where the Archive master folder is present in my
folder list, but all the folders contained therein (exact mirrors of my Inbox
subfolders) are empty. It appears it even removed some subfolders from my
Inbox master folder so that some of my rules no longer function.

If these messages were permanently deleted, why? What should I do to prevent
this from happening in the future? If they are irretrievable, this is a
devastating loss in my work. A question that is probably not for you to
answer is why would any mail client allow in the default settings to
permanently delete a message without explicitly asking the user first.

:

I know this isn't at all obvious......

Archive or delete is a checkbox. You need it on.

Below that is the circular spot to select whether it Archives or deletes.
Select one!

--
Judy Gleeson - MVP Outlook
Acorn Training and Consulting
Canberra, Australia


see what Outlook training can do to improve productivity:
www.acorntraining.com.au/pdfdocs/ProductivITwithOutlook.pps

www.acorntraining.com.au/productivit.htm


:

In Outlook 2003 my autoarchive settings were During AutoArchive:
Delete expired items (e-mail folders only)
and Archive or delete old items
Show archive folder in folder list
Clean out items older than 6 months
Move old items to ...archive.pst
So, was that the problem? I was deleting and not archiving?
If I uncheck "Delete expired items (e-mail folders only)"
but leave "Archive or delete old items",will AutoArchive then send the
email
to the "Open Outlook Data file "? The "Archive OR Delete old items"
bothers
me, which ones does it know to archive and which to delete? Thank you
Judy
of Acorn Training in Canberra.

 

[Guest]

Tks so much DL.
Like both Mrs Helpmenu & Debbie S. this remains unclear to me!
I thought I read that Rt. clicking on the msg & selecting the 'expires
after' check box just 'makes the msg UNavailable after the expires specified
date & time is reached (and puts a line through it); but that that doesn't
cause it to be deleted?

Could you perhaps tell me where I can find (or provide us with) a complete
in-depth detailed explanation for each of the 2 key AutoArchive Settings that
appear under the “During AutoArchive†statement?
[x] Delete expired items (e-mail folders only)
[x] Archive or delete old items

Not sure what you meant by the “options†stmt wherein you said: “If you
simply autoarchive, without any delete options, then mail is simply moved
from the current pst to an archive pst.â€!

Since ‘Options’ is plural, did mean both in the doc and the AutoArchive tool
itself?

PS.
At 145M I don’t think I’m even close to the .pst file limit yet (I think
it’s in the GB range for OL 2002 (SP3) -- let me know if I am wrong). I use
“IBM Rescue & Recovery†to back up complete sys. + I also exercise other bkup
opts.

--
Neophyte DanO

If you select a msg, rt click Options there is a check box to set an expiry
date/time
If you then autoarchive, with the delete expired items option, this msg will
be deleted when the set expiry date is reached.
If you simply autoarchive, without any delete options, then mail is simply
moved from the current pst to an archive pst.

PS 'cannot afford to lose any email' presumably you have backups?
There is a size limit on pre OL2003 format pst's, exceed it and you will
lose mail - some if not all.

Mr. HelpMenu,
I agree with DebbieS. You did a great job of putting explicit details to
this issue. An issue I too am struggling with as well. I have OL 2002 (SP3).
I have read tons of related posts & reply's, which I think result because
OL's Help docs & what support docs are on MS.com are woefully inadequate
here. All told, I've probably spent 16 hrs trying to locate clear concise
information on the AutoArchive settings. But, alas I've struck out thus far
which is why I've never run it-can't afford to loose any eMail. So I hope an
MVP will see my reply, and that you never got an answer to what is an all to
common quandary; and that they will assist us with a great answer.

--
Neophyte DanO

I am having the same problem and somehow have missed the point of how to
solve it (after reading posts below). I have the same options selected as
Mrs. HelpMenu. Is the following checkbox the cause of the problem?
[X] Delete expired items (e-mail folders only)
If I "uncheck" this will my inbox and "Sent items" be archived properly?
Also, what exactly does this option mean?

Thank you Mrs.HelpMenu for taking the time to document so clearly your exact
situation so I knew I was in the right place.

:


Hi Mrs. HelpMenu,
Actually a bit glad to hear someone else faces the same frustration. I was
able to start archiving my current mail and the folders on the left open up
and show recent archives (email over 90 days old).

I thought my old email was deleted because I had it set up wrong, but that
it also could be that I had a hard drive go out in early June and thought i
lost my old email due to that. However, the repairman saved everything else
on my system, retrieved it from the bad hard drive, but no sign of ..pst files
that could be opened or that contained old email.

I utterly agree with you. Why would anyone set up a system that defaults to
delete old email without even a warning. How were we supposed to know we
needed to adjust our settings immediately? When we are asked if we want to
AutoArchive now, I assumed that the files were being saved on my system,
somewhere that I could eventually retrieve.


:

I'm sorry; I am having the same problem with my Outlook 2003, but your answer
is still unclear to me. I have the same settings (which I beleive are the
default settings) in my AutoArchive as Kathl55n. "X" means that the option is
selected in my settings:

[X] Run AutoArchive every _14_ days.
[X] Prompt before AuthArchive runs
During AutoArchive:
[X] Delete expired items (e-mail folders only)
[X] Archive or delete old items
[X] Show archive folder in folder list
Default folder settings for archiving
Clean out items older than _6_ _Months_
(X) Move old items to:
C:\Documents and Settings\[myusername]\Local
Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook\archive.pst
( ) Permanently delete old items

So, I do have the archive or delete checkbox on. With regards to the two
radial buttons ("circular spots") underneath, I have the "Move old items to:"
selected and the "Permanently delete old items" NOT selected. Yet I, too,
have the identical problem where the Archive master folder is present in my
folder list, but all the folders contained therein (exact mirrors of my Inbox
subfolders) are empty. It appears it even removed some subfolders from my
Inbox master folder so that some of my rules no longer function.

If these messages were permanently deleted, why? What should I do to prevent
this from happening in the future? If they are irretrievable, this is a
devastating loss in my work. A question that is probably not for you to
answer is why would any mail client allow in the default settings to
permanently delete a message without explicitly asking the user first.

:

I know this isn't at all obvious......

Archive or delete is a checkbox. You need it on.

Below that is the circular spot to select whether it Archives or deletes.
Select one!

--
Judy Gleeson - MVP Outlook
Acorn Training and Consulting
Canberra, Australia


see what Outlook training can do to improve productivity:
www.acorntraining.com.au/pdfdocs/ProductivITwithOutlook.pps

www.acorntraining.com.au/productivit.htm


:

In Outlook 2003 my autoarchive settings were During AutoArchive:
Delete expired items (e-mail folders only)
and Archive or delete old items
Show archive folder in folder list
Clean out items older than 6 months
Move old items to ...archive.pst
So, was that the problem? I was deleting and not archiving?
If I uncheck "Delete expired items (e-mail folders only)"
but leave "Archive or delete old items",will AutoArchive then send the
email
to the "Open Outlook Data file "? The "Archive OR Delete old items"
bothers
me, which ones does it know to archive and which to delete? Thank you
Judy
of Acorn Training in Canberra.

 

[DL]

If you Archive the mail is moved from the main pst to the archive pst ,
assuming the modified date setting is as per archive date setting, it is not
deleted
If mail has an expiry date and you archive using the delete expired items
option the mail is deleted from your main pst, but it is not moved to the
archive.

Tks so much DL.
Like both Mrs Helpmenu & Debbie S. this remains unclear to me!
I thought I read that Rt. clicking on the msg & selecting the 'expires
after' check box just 'makes the msg UNavailable after the expires specified
date & time is reached (and puts a line through it); but that that doesn't
cause it to be deleted?

Could you perhaps tell me where I can find (or provide us with) a complete
in-depth detailed explanation for each of the 2 key AutoArchive Settings that
appear under the "During AutoArchive" statement?
[x] Delete expired items (e-mail folders only)
[x] Archive or delete old items

Not sure what you meant by the "options" stmt wherein you said: "If you
simply autoarchive, without any delete options, then mail is simply moved
from the current pst to an archive pst."!

Since 'Options' is plural, did mean both in the doc and the AutoArchive tool
itself?

PS.
At 145M I don't think I'm even close to the .pst file limit yet (I think
it's in the GB range for OL 2002 (SP3) -- let me know if I am wrong). I use
"IBM Rescue & Recovery" to back up complete sys. + I also exercise other bkup
opts.

--
Neophyte DanO

If you select a msg, rt click Options there is a check box to set an expiry
date/time
If you then autoarchive, with the delete expired items option, this msg will
be deleted when the set expiry date is reached.
If you simply autoarchive, without any delete options, then mail is simply
moved from the current pst to an archive pst.

PS 'cannot afford to lose any email' presumably you have backups?
There is a size limit on pre OL2003 format pst's, exceed it and you will
lose mail - some if not all.

Mr. HelpMenu,
I agree with DebbieS. You did a great job of putting explicit details to
this issue. An issue I too am struggling with as well. I have OL 2002 (SP3).
I have read tons of related posts & reply's, which I think result because
OL's Help docs & what support docs are on MS.com are woefully inadequate
here. All told, I've probably spent 16 hrs trying to locate clear concise
information on the AutoArchive settings. But, alas I've struck out

thus
far

which is why I've never run it-can't afford to loose any eMail. So I

hope
an

MVP will see my reply, and that you never got an answer to what is an

all
to

common quandary; and that they will assist us with a great answer.

--
Neophyte DanO


:

I am having the same problem and somehow have missed the point of how to
solve it (after reading posts below). I have the same options

selected
as

Mrs. HelpMenu. Is the following checkbox the cause of the problem?
[X] Delete expired items (e-mail folders only)
If I "uncheck" this will my inbox and "Sent items" be archived properly?
Also, what exactly does this option mean?

Thank you Mrs.HelpMenu for taking the time to document so clearly

your
exact

situation so I knew I was in the right place.

:


Hi Mrs. HelpMenu,
Actually a bit glad to hear someone else faces the same

frustration.
I was

able to start archiving my current mail and the folders on the

left
open up

and show recent archives (email over 90 days old).

I thought my old email was deleted because I had it set up wrong,

but
that

it also could be that I had a hard drive go out in early June and thought i
lost my old email due to that. However, the repairman saved everything else
on my system, retrieved it from the bad hard drive, but no sign of ..pst files
that could be opened or that contained old email.

I utterly agree with you. Why would anyone set up a system that defaults to
delete old email without even a warning. How were we supposed to

know
we

needed to adjust our settings immediately? When we are asked if

we
want to

AutoArchive now, I assumed that the files were being saved on my system,
somewhere that I could eventually retrieve.


:

I'm sorry; I am having the same problem with my Outlook 2003,

but
your answer

is still unclear to me. I have the same settings (which I

beleive
are the

default settings) in my AutoArchive as Kathl55n. "X" means that

the
option is

selected in my settings:

[X] Run AutoArchive every _14_ days.
[X] Prompt before AuthArchive runs
During AutoArchive:
[X] Delete expired items (e-mail folders only)
[X] Archive or delete old items
[X] Show archive folder in folder list
Default folder settings for archiving
Clean out items older than _6_ _Months_
(X) Move old items to:
C:\Documents and Settings\[myusername]\Local
Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook\archive.pst
( ) Permanently delete old items

So, I do have the archive or delete checkbox on. With regards to

the
two

radial buttons ("circular spots") underneath, I have the "Move

old
items to:"

selected and the "Permanently delete old items" NOT selected.

Yet I,
too,

have the identical problem where the Archive master folder is present in my
folder list, but all the folders contained therein (exact

mirrors of
my Inbox

subfolders) are empty. It appears it even removed some

subfolders
from my

Inbox master folder so that some of my rules no longer function.

If these messages were permanently deleted, why? What should I

do to
prevent

this from happening in the future? If they are irretrievable,

this
is a

devastating loss in my work. A question that is probably not for

you
to

answer is why would any mail client allow in the default settings to
permanently delete a message without explicitly asking the user first.

:

I know this isn't at all obvious......

Archive or delete is a checkbox. You need it on.

Below that is the circular spot to select whether it Archives

or
deletes.

Select one!

--
Judy Gleeson - MVP Outlook
Acorn Training and Consulting
Canberra, Australia


see what Outlook training can do to improve productivity:
www.acorntraining.com.au/pdfdocs/ProductivITwithOutlook.pps

www.acorntraining.com.au/productivit.htm


:

In Outlook 2003 my autoarchive settings were During AutoArchive:
Delete expired items (e-mail folders only)
and Archive or delete old items
Show archive folder in folder list
Clean out items older than 6 months
Move old items to ...archive.pst
So, was that the problem? I was deleting and not archiving?
If I uncheck "Delete expired items (e-mail folders only)"
but leave "Archive or delete old items",will AutoArchive

then
send the

email
to the "Open Outlook Data file "? The "Archive OR Delete

old
items"

bothers
me, which ones does it know to archive and which to delete? Thank you
Judy
of Acorn Training in Canberra.

 

[Guest]

Tks again DL
But, I remain confused. So, alternatively where I can find documentation
with a “complete in-depth detailed explanation†that covers each of these key
AutoArchive Settings, and how they work with & relate to the default (global
settings -- aka default settings) for “Aging Periods & Dates�

I am also looking for something which explains what happens to the “folder
structure, folders/folder names & e-mail, etc.†(folders created by the user)
within the Archive.pst file after the originals within the Outlook.pst file
have been later modified (i.e. name changes, adds/deletes, folder moves,
folder deletes or the folder structure is rearranged) and then successive
AutoArchive’s have been run?

--
Neophyte DanO

If you Archive the mail is moved from the main pst to the archive pst ,
assuming the modified date setting is as per archive date setting, it is not
deleted
If mail has an expiry date and you archive using the delete expired items
option the mail is deleted from your main pst, but it is not moved to the
archive.

Tks so much DL.
Like both Mrs Helpmenu & Debbie S. this remains unclear to me!
I thought I read that Rt. clicking on the msg & selecting the 'expires
after' check box just 'makes the msg UNavailable after the expires specified
date & time is reached (and puts a line through it); but that that doesn't
cause it to be deleted?

Could you perhaps tell me where I can find (or provide us with) a complete
in-depth detailed explanation for each of the 2 key AutoArchive Settings that
appear under the "During AutoArchive" statement?
[x] Delete expired items (e-mail folders only)
[x] Archive or delete old items

Not sure what you meant by the "options" stmt wherein you said: "If you
simply autoarchive, without any delete options, then mail is simply moved
from the current pst to an archive pst."!

Since 'Options' is plural, did mean both in the doc and the AutoArchive tool
itself?

PS.
At 145M I don't think I'm even close to the .pst file limit yet (I think
it's in the GB range for OL 2002 (SP3) -- let me know if I am wrong). I use
"IBM Rescue & Recovery" to back up complete sys. + I also exercise other bkup
opts.

--
Neophyte DanO

If you select a msg, rt click Options there is a check box to set an expiry
date/time
If you then autoarchive, with the delete expired items option, this msg will
be deleted when the set expiry date is reached.
If you simply autoarchive, without any delete options, then mail is simply
moved from the current pst to an archive pst.

PS 'cannot afford to lose any email' presumably you have backups?
There is a size limit on pre OL2003 format pst's, exceed it and you will
lose mail - some if not all.


Mr. HelpMenu,
I agree with DebbieS. You did a great job of putting explicit details to
this issue. An issue I too am struggling with as well. I have OL 2002
(SP3).
I have read tons of related posts & reply's, which I think result because
OL's Help docs & what support docs are on MS.com are woefully inadequate
here. All told, I've probably spent 16 hrs trying to locate clear concise
information on the AutoArchive settings. But, alas I've struck out thus
far
which is why I've never run it-can't afford to loose any eMail. So I hope
an
MVP will see my reply, and that you never got an answer to what is an all
to
common quandary; and that they will assist us with a great answer.

--
Neophyte DanO


:

I am having the same problem and somehow have missed the point of how to
solve it (after reading posts below). I have the same options selected
as
Mrs. HelpMenu. Is the following checkbox the cause of the problem?
[X] Delete expired items (e-mail folders only)
If I "uncheck" this will my inbox and "Sent items" be archived properly?
Also, what exactly does this option mean?

Thank you Mrs.HelpMenu for taking the time to document so clearly your
exact
situation so I knew I was in the right place.

:


Hi Mrs. HelpMenu,
Actually a bit glad to hear someone else faces the same frustration.
I was
able to start archiving my current mail and the folders on the left
open up
and show recent archives (email over 90 days old).

I thought my old email was deleted because I had it set up wrong, but
that
it also could be that I had a hard drive go out in early June and
thought i
lost my old email due to that. However, the repairman saved
everything else
on my system, retrieved it from the bad hard drive, but no sign of
..pst files
that could be opened or that contained old email.

I utterly agree with you. Why would anyone set up a system that
defaults to
delete old email without even a warning. How were we supposed to know
we
needed to adjust our settings immediately? When we are asked if we
want to
AutoArchive now, I assumed that the files were being saved on my
system,
somewhere that I could eventually retrieve.


:

I'm sorry; I am having the same problem with my Outlook 2003, but
your answer
is still unclear to me. I have the same settings (which I beleive
are the
default settings) in my AutoArchive as Kathl55n. "X" means that the
option is
selected in my settings:

[X] Run AutoArchive every _14_ days.
[X] Prompt before AuthArchive runs
During AutoArchive:
[X] Delete expired items (e-mail folders only)
[X] Archive or delete old items
[X] Show archive folder in folder list
Default folder settings for archiving
Clean out items older than _6_ _Months_
(X) Move old items to:
C:\Documents and Settings\[myusername]\Local
Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook\archive.pst
( ) Permanently delete old items

So, I do have the archive or delete checkbox on. With regards to the
two
radial buttons ("circular spots") underneath, I have the "Move old
items to:"
selected and the "Permanently delete old items" NOT selected. Yet I,
too,
have the identical problem where the Archive master folder is
present in my
folder list, but all the folders contained therein (exact mirrors of
my Inbox
subfolders) are empty. It appears it even removed some subfolders
from my
Inbox master folder so that some of my rules no longer function.

If these messages were permanently deleted, why? What should I do to
prevent
this from happening in the future? If they are irretrievable, this
is a
devastating loss in my work. A question that is probably not for you
to
answer is why would any mail client allow in the default settings to
permanently delete a message without explicitly asking the user
first.

:

I know this isn't at all obvious......

Archive or delete is a checkbox. You need it on.

Below that is the circular spot to select whether it Archives or
deletes.
Select one!

--
Judy Gleeson - MVP Outlook
Acorn Training and Consulting
Canberra, Australia


see what Outlook training can do to improve productivity:
www.acorntraining.com.au/pdfdocs/ProductivITwithOutlook.pps

www.acorntraining.com.au/productivit.htm


:

In Outlook 2003 my autoarchive settings were During
AutoArchive:
Delete expired items (e-mail folders only)
and Archive or delete old items
Show archive folder in folder list
Clean out items older than 6 months
Move old items to ...archive.pst
So, was that the problem? I was deleting and not archiving?
If I uncheck "Delete expired items (e-mail folders only)"
but leave "Archive or delete old items",will AutoArchive then
send the
email
to the "Open Outlook Data file "? The "Archive OR Delete old
items"
bothers
me, which ones does it know to archive and which to delete?
Thank you
Judy
of Acorn Training in Canberra.

 

[DL]

Presumably there is detailed info in OL help or MS online.

When you have Archive for all folders, or the individual folder, set, any
mail that meets the criteria you set is moved from the current pst to the
archive.pst
Any mail in the current pst, whatever folder it is in, provided archive has
been set for that folder, will be archived if it meets the archive criteria.
That mails folder will be recreated in the archive.pst
Mail that doesnt meet the criteria is not archived.
If you move mail / reorganise folders in your current pst then that mail
will still be archived with the criteria you setup for the new/rearranged
folders. The new folder structure will be recreated in the archive.
So if you alter the current structure, you will likely have both old and new
structure in the archive.
NB Archive is not the same as backup
You can also open the archive within OL, just like any other pst and do what
you like with the contents.

Tks again DL
But, I remain confused. So, alternatively where I can find documentation
with a "complete in-depth detailed explanation" that covers each of these key
AutoArchive Settings, and how they work with & relate to the default (global
settings -- aka default settings) for "Aging Periods & Dates"?

I am also looking for something which explains what happens to the "folder
structure, folders/folder names & e-mail, etc." (folders created by the user)
within the Archive.pst file after the originals within the Outlook.pst file
have been later modified (i.e. name changes, adds/deletes, folder moves,
folder deletes or the folder structure is rearranged) and then successive
AutoArchive's have been run?

--
Neophyte DanO

If you Archive the mail is moved from the main pst to the archive pst ,
assuming the modified date setting is as per archive date setting, it is not
deleted
If mail has an expiry date and you archive using the delete expired items
option the mail is deleted from your main pst, but it is not moved to the
archive.

Tks so much DL.
Like both Mrs Helpmenu & Debbie S. this remains unclear to me!
I thought I read that Rt. clicking on the msg & selecting the 'expires
after' check box just 'makes the msg UNavailable after the expires specified
date & time is reached (and puts a line through it); but that that doesn't
cause it to be deleted?

Could you perhaps tell me where I can find (or provide us with) a complete
in-depth detailed explanation for each of the 2 key AutoArchive

Settings
that

appear under the "During AutoArchive" statement?
[x] Delete expired items (e-mail folders only)
[x] Archive or delete old items

Not sure what you meant by the "options" stmt wherein you said: "If you
simply autoarchive, without any delete options, then mail is simply moved
from the current pst to an archive pst."!

Since 'Options' is plural, did mean both in the doc and the

AutoArchive
tool

itself?

PS.
At 145M I don't think I'm even close to the .pst file limit yet (I think
it's in the GB range for OL 2002 (SP3) -- let me know if I am wrong).

I
use

"IBM Rescue & Recovery" to back up complete sys. + I also exercise

other
bkup

opts.

--
Neophyte DanO

:

If you select a msg, rt click Options there is a check box to set an expiry
date/time
If you then autoarchive, with the delete expired items option, this

msg
will

be deleted when the set expiry date is reached.
If you simply autoarchive, without any delete options, then mail is simply
moved from the current pst to an archive pst.

PS 'cannot afford to lose any email' presumably you have backups?
There is a size limit on pre OL2003 format pst's, exceed it and you will
lose mail - some if not all.


Mr. HelpMenu,
I agree with DebbieS. You did a great job of putting explicit

details
to

this issue. An issue I too am struggling with as well. I have OL 2002
(SP3).
I have read tons of related posts & reply's, which I think result because
OL's Help docs & what support docs are on MS.com are woefully inadequate
here. All told, I've probably spent 16 hrs trying to locate clear concise
information on the AutoArchive settings. But, alas I've struck out thus
far
which is why I've never run it-can't afford to loose any eMail. So

I
hope

an
MVP will see my reply, and that you never got an answer to what is

an
all

to
common quandary; and that they will assist us with a great answer.

--
Neophyte DanO


:

I am having the same problem and somehow have missed the point

of
how to

solve it (after reading posts below). I have the same options selected
as
Mrs. HelpMenu. Is the following checkbox the cause of the problem?
[X] Delete expired items (e-mail folders only)
If I "uncheck" this will my inbox and "Sent items" be archived properly?
Also, what exactly does this option mean?

Thank you Mrs.HelpMenu for taking the time to document so

clearly
your

exact
situation so I knew I was in the right place.

:


Hi Mrs. HelpMenu,
Actually a bit glad to hear someone else faces the same frustration.
I was
able to start archiving my current mail and the folders on the left
open up
and show recent archives (email over 90 days old).

I thought my old email was deleted because I had it set up

wrong,
but

that
it also could be that I had a hard drive go out in early June and
thought i
lost my old email due to that. However, the repairman saved
everything else
on my system, retrieved it from the bad hard drive, but no sign of
..pst files
that could be opened or that contained old email.

I utterly agree with you. Why would anyone set up a system that
defaults to
delete old email without even a warning. How were we supposed

to
know

we
needed to adjust our settings immediately? When we are asked

if
we

want to
AutoArchive now, I assumed that the files were being saved on my
system,
somewhere that I could eventually retrieve.


:

I'm sorry; I am having the same problem with my Outlook

2003,
but

your answer
is still unclear to me. I have the same settings (which I beleive
are the
default settings) in my AutoArchive as Kathl55n. "X" means

that
the

option is
selected in my settings:

[X] Run AutoArchive every _14_ days.
[X] Prompt before AuthArchive runs
During AutoArchive:
[X] Delete expired items (e-mail folders only)
[X] Archive or delete old items
[X] Show archive folder in folder list
Default folder settings for archiving
Clean out items older than _6_ _Months_
(X) Move old items to:
C:\Documents and Settings\[myusername]\Local
Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook\archive.pst
( ) Permanently delete old items

So, I do have the archive or delete checkbox on. With

regards to
the

two
radial buttons ("circular spots") underneath, I have the

"Move
old

items to:"
selected and the "Permanently delete old items" NOT

selected.
Yet I,

too,
have the identical problem where the Archive master folder is
present in my
folder list, but all the folders contained therein (exact mirrors of
my Inbox
subfolders) are empty. It appears it even removed some subfolders
from my
Inbox master folder so that some of my rules no longer function.

If these messages were permanently deleted, why? What should

I
do to

prevent
this from happening in the future? If they are

irretrievable,
this

is a
devastating loss in my work. A question that is probably not

for
you

to
answer is why would any mail client allow in the default settings to
permanently delete a message without explicitly asking the user
first.

:

I know this isn't at all obvious......

Archive or delete is a checkbox. You need it on.

Below that is the circular spot to select whether it

Archives
or

deletes.
Select one!

--
Judy Gleeson - MVP Outlook
Acorn Training and Consulting
Canberra, Australia


see what Outlook training can do to improve productivity:
www.acorntraining.com.au/pdfdocs/ProductivITwithOutlook.pps

www.acorntraining.com.au/productivit.htm


:

In Outlook 2003 my autoarchive settings were During
AutoArchive:
Delete expired items (e-mail folders only)
and Archive or delete old items
Show archive folder in folder list
Clean out items older than 6 months
Move old items to ...archive.pst
So, was that the problem? I was deleting and not archiving?
If I uncheck "Delete expired items (e-mail folders only)"
but leave "Archive or delete old items",will AutoArchive then
send the
email
to the "Open Outlook Data file "? The "Archive OR

Delete
old

items"
bothers
me, which ones does it know to archive and which to delete?
Thank you
Judy
of Acorn Training in Canberra.

 

[Guest]

My mail is autoarchiving as soon as I open the mail. How can I stop this?

 

[Brian Tillman]

My mail is autoarchiving as soon as I open the mail. How can I stop
this?

Disable autoarchiving. Tools>Options>Other>AutoArchive. Uncheck the box
labeled "Run AutoArchive every".

 

[Guest]

Kathleen. Your comments appear most helpful so I pose another question. When
trying to retrieve archived material I get all the comments hereto mentioned
but when I try to open the file I am told that it is not possible because the
file is larger than 32 Meg. Where now? Phil

 

[Hani]

Hi, i used to keep an important mails in archive folder, but last week i was
not able to open the archive folder. And it throws popup msg like data not
available in the mentioned path. More than 2 yrs mails in that folder. All
most i tried all the actions which mentioned below. Pls help me to retrieve
the deleted archive mails.....

Presumably there is detailed info in OL help or MS online.

When you have Archive for all folders, or the individual folder, set, any
mail that meets the criteria you set is moved from the current pst to the
archive.pst
Any mail in the current pst, whatever folder it is in, provided archive has
been set for that folder, will be archived if it meets the archive criteria.
That mails folder will be recreated in the archive.pst
Mail that doesnt meet the criteria is not archived.
If you move mail / reorganise folders in your current pst then that mail
will still be archived with the criteria you setup for the new/rearranged
folders. The new folder structure will be recreated in the archive.
So if you alter the current structure, you will likely have both old and new
structure in the archive.
NB Archive is not the same as backup
You can also open the archive within OL, just like any other pst and do what
you like with the contents.

Tks again DL
But, I remain confused. So, alternatively where I can find documentation
with a "complete in-depth detailed explanation" that covers each of these key
AutoArchive Settings, and how they work with & relate to the default (global
settings -- aka default settings) for "Aging Periods & Dates"?

I am also looking for something which explains what happens to the "folder
structure, folders/folder names & e-mail, etc." (folders created by the user)
within the Archive.pst file after the originals within the Outlook.pst file
have been later modified (i.e. name changes, adds/deletes, folder moves,
folder deletes or the folder structure is rearranged) and then successive
AutoArchive's have been run?

--
Neophyte DanO

If you Archive the mail is moved from the main pst to the archive pst ,
assuming the modified date setting is as per archive date setting, it is not
deleted
If mail has an expiry date and you archive using the delete expired items
option the mail is deleted from your main pst, but it is not moved to the
archive.

Tks so much DL.
Like both Mrs Helpmenu & Debbie S. this remains unclear to me!
I thought I read that Rt. clicking on the msg & selecting the 'expires
after' check box just 'makes the msg UNavailable after the expires
specified
date & time is reached (and puts a line through it); but that that doesn't
cause it to be deleted?

Could you perhaps tell me where I can find (or provide us with) a complete
in-depth detailed explanation for each of the 2 key AutoArchive Settings
that
appear under the "During AutoArchive" statement?
[x] Delete expired items (e-mail folders only)
[x] Archive or delete old items

Not sure what you meant by the "options" stmt wherein you said: "If you
simply autoarchive, without any delete options, then mail is simply moved
from the current pst to an archive pst."!

Since 'Options' is plural, did mean both in the doc and the AutoArchive
tool
itself?

PS.
At 145M I don't think I'm even close to the .pst file limit yet (I think
it's in the GB range for OL 2002 (SP3) -- let me know if I am wrong). I
use
"IBM Rescue & Recovery" to back up complete sys. + I also exercise other
bkup
opts.

--
Neophyte DanO

:

If you select a msg, rt click Options there is a check box to set an
expiry
date/time
If you then autoarchive, with the delete expired items option, this msg
will
be deleted when the set expiry date is reached.
If you simply autoarchive, without any delete options, then mail is
simply
moved from the current pst to an archive pst.

PS 'cannot afford to lose any email' presumably you have backups?
There is a size limit on pre OL2003 format pst's, exceed it and you will
lose mail - some if not all.


message
Mr. HelpMenu,
I agree with DebbieS. You did a great job of putting explicit details
to
this issue. An issue I too am struggling with as well. I have OL 2002
(SP3).
I have read tons of related posts & reply's, which I think result
because
OL's Help docs & what support docs are on MS.com are woefully
inadequate
here. All told, I've probably spent 16 hrs trying to locate clear
concise
information on the AutoArchive settings. But, alas I've struck out
thus
far
which is why I've never run it-can't afford to loose any eMail. So I
hope
an
MVP will see my reply, and that you never got an answer to what is an
all
to
common quandary; and that they will assist us with a great answer.

--
Neophyte DanO


:

I am having the same problem and somehow have missed the point of
how to
solve it (after reading posts below). I have the same options
selected
as
Mrs. HelpMenu. Is the following checkbox the cause of the problem?
[X] Delete expired items (e-mail folders only)
If I "uncheck" this will my inbox and "Sent items" be archived
properly?
Also, what exactly does this option mean?

Thank you Mrs.HelpMenu for taking the time to document so clearly
your
exact
situation so I knew I was in the right place.

:


Hi Mrs. HelpMenu,
Actually a bit glad to hear someone else faces the same
frustration.
I was
able to start archiving my current mail and the folders on the
left
open up
and show recent archives (email over 90 days old).

I thought my old email was deleted because I had it set up wrong,
but
that
it also could be that I had a hard drive go out in early June and
thought i
lost my old email due to that. However, the repairman saved
everything else
on my system, retrieved it from the bad hard drive, but no sign of
..pst files
that could be opened or that contained old email.

I utterly agree with you. Why would anyone set up a system that
defaults to
delete old email without even a warning. How were we supposed to
know
we
needed to adjust our settings immediately? When we are asked if
we
want to
AutoArchive now, I assumed that the files were being saved on my
system,
somewhere that I could eventually retrieve.


:

I'm sorry; I am having the same problem with my Outlook 2003,
but
your answer
is still unclear to me. I have the same settings (which I
beleive
are the
default settings) in my AutoArchive as Kathl55n. "X" means that
the
option is
selected in my settings:

[X] Run AutoArchive every _14_ days.
[X] Prompt before AuthArchive runs
During AutoArchive:
[X] Delete expired items (e-mail folders only)
[X] Archive or delete old items
[X] Show archive folder in folder list
Default folder settings for archiving
Clean out items older than _6_ _Months_
(X) Move old items to:
C:\Documents and Settings\[myusername]\Local
Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook\archive.pst
( ) Permanently delete old items

So, I do have the archive or delete checkbox on. With regards to
the
two
radial buttons ("circular spots") underneath, I have the "Move
old
items to:"
selected and the "Permanently delete old items" NOT selected.
Yet I,
too,
have the identical problem where the Archive master folder is
present in my
folder list, but all the folders contained therein (exact
mirrors of
my Inbox
subfolders) are empty. It appears it even removed some
subfolders
from my
Inbox master folder so that some of my rules no longer function.

If these messages were permanently deleted, why? What should I
do to
prevent
this from happening in the future? If they are irretrievable,
this
is a
devastating loss in my work. A question that is probably not for
you
to
answer is why would any mail client allow in the default
settings to
permanently delete a message without explicitly asking the user
first.

:

I know this isn't at all obvious......

Archive or delete is a checkbox. You need it on.

Below that is the circular spot to select whether it Archives
or
deletes.
Select one!

 

[DL]

Close outlook, run the repair tool, scanpst.exe against all your pst's run
it several times if it fixes err's
BTW what version of OL and what size are your pst's? - might be important

Hi, i used to keep an important mails in archive folder, but last week i
was
not able to open the archive folder. And it throws popup msg like data not
available in the mentioned path. More than 2 yrs mails in that folder. All
most i tried all the actions which mentioned below. Pls help me to
retrieve
the deleted archive mails.....

Presumably there is detailed info in OL help or MS online.

When you have Archive for all folders, or the individual folder, set, any
mail that meets the criteria you set is moved from the current pst to the
archive.pst
Any mail in the current pst, whatever folder it is in, provided archive
has
been set for that folder, will be archived if it meets the archive
criteria.
That mails folder will be recreated in the archive.pst
Mail that doesnt meet the criteria is not archived.
If you move mail / reorganise folders in your current pst then that mail
will still be archived with the criteria you setup for the new/rearranged
folders. The new folder structure will be recreated in the archive.
So if you alter the current structure, you will likely have both old and
new
structure in the archive.
NB Archive is not the same as backup
You can also open the archive within OL, just like any other pst and do
what
you like with the contents.

message

Tks again DL
But, I remain confused. So, alternatively where I can find
documentation
with a "complete in-depth detailed explanation" that covers each of
these key
AutoArchive Settings, and how they work with & relate to the default (global
settings -- aka default settings) for "Aging Periods & Dates"?

I am also looking for something which explains what happens to the
"folder
structure, folders/folder names & e-mail, etc." (folders created by the user)
within the Archive.pst file after the originals within the Outlook.pst file
have been later modified (i.e. name changes, adds/deletes, folder
moves,
folder deletes or the folder structure is rearranged) and then
successive
AutoArchive's have been run?

--
Neophyte DanO


:

If you Archive the mail is moved from the main pst to the archive pst
,
assuming the modified date setting is as per archive date setting, it
is not
deleted
If mail has an expiry date and you archive using the delete expired items
option the mail is deleted from your main pst, but it is not moved to the
archive.

Tks so much DL.
Like both Mrs Helpmenu & Debbie S. this remains unclear to me!
I thought I read that Rt. clicking on the msg & selecting the
'expires
after' check box just 'makes the msg UNavailable after the expires
specified
date & time is reached (and puts a line through it); but that that doesn't
cause it to be deleted?

Could you perhaps tell me where I can find (or provide us with) a complete
in-depth detailed explanation for each of the 2 key AutoArchive Settings
that
appear under the "During AutoArchive" statement?
[x] Delete expired items (e-mail folders only)
[x] Archive or delete old items

Not sure what you meant by the "options" stmt wherein you said: "If you
simply autoarchive, without any delete options, then mail is simply moved
from the current pst to an archive pst."!

Since 'Options' is plural, did mean both in the doc and the AutoArchive
tool
itself?

PS.
At 145M I don't think I'm even close to the .pst file limit yet (I think
it's in the GB range for OL 2002 (SP3) -- let me know if I am
wrong). I
use
"IBM Rescue & Recovery" to back up complete sys. + I also exercise other
bkup
opts.

--
Neophyte DanO

:

If you select a msg, rt click Options there is a check box to set
an
expiry
date/time
If you then autoarchive, with the delete expired items option,
this msg
will
be deleted when the set expiry date is reached.
If you simply autoarchive, without any delete options, then mail
is
simply
moved from the current pst to an archive pst.

PS 'cannot afford to lose any email' presumably you have backups?
There is a size limit on pre OL2003 format pst's, exceed it and
you will
lose mail - some if not all.


in
message
Mr. HelpMenu,
I agree with DebbieS. You did a great job of putting explicit details
to
this issue. An issue I too am struggling with as well. I have
OL 2002
(SP3).
I have read tons of related posts & reply's, which I think
result
because
OL's Help docs & what support docs are on MS.com are woefully
inadequate
here. All told, I've probably spent 16 hrs trying to locate
clear
concise
information on the AutoArchive settings. But, alas I've struck
out
thus
far
which is why I've never run it-can't afford to loose any eMail.
So I
hope
an
MVP will see my reply, and that you never got an answer to what
is an
all
to
common quandary; and that they will assist us with a great
answer.

--
Neophyte DanO


:

I am having the same problem and somehow have missed the
point of
how to
solve it (after reading posts below). I have the same
options
selected
as
Mrs. HelpMenu. Is the following checkbox the cause of the problem?
[X] Delete expired items (e-mail folders only)
If I "uncheck" this will my inbox and "Sent items" be
archived
properly?
Also, what exactly does this option mean?

Thank you Mrs.HelpMenu for taking the time to document so clearly
your
exact
situation so I knew I was in the right place.

:


Hi Mrs. HelpMenu,
Actually a bit glad to hear someone else faces the same
frustration.
I was
able to start archiving my current mail and the folders on
the
left
open up
and show recent archives (email over 90 days old).

I thought my old email was deleted because I had it set up wrong,
but
that
it also could be that I had a hard drive go out in early
June and
thought i
lost my old email due to that. However, the repairman
saved
everything else
on my system, retrieved it from the bad hard drive, but no sign of
..pst files
that could be opened or that contained old email.

I utterly agree with you. Why would anyone set up a system that
defaults to
delete old email without even a warning. How were we
supposed to
know
we
needed to adjust our settings immediately? When we are
asked if
we
want to
AutoArchive now, I assumed that the files were being saved
on my
system,
somewhere that I could eventually retrieve.


:

I'm sorry; I am having the same problem with my Outlook 2003,
but
your answer
is still unclear to me. I have the same settings (which I
beleive
are the
default settings) in my AutoArchive as Kathl55n. "X"
means that
the
option is
selected in my settings:

[X] Run AutoArchive every _14_ days.
[X] Prompt before AuthArchive runs
During AutoArchive:
[X] Delete expired items (e-mail folders only)
[X] Archive or delete old items
[X] Show archive folder in folder list
Default folder settings for archiving
Clean out items older than _6_ _Months_
(X) Move old items to:
C:\Documents and Settings\[myusername]\Local
Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook\archive.pst
( ) Permanently delete old items

So, I do have the archive or delete checkbox on. With regards to
the
two
radial buttons ("circular spots") underneath, I have the "Move
old
items to:"
selected and the "Permanently delete old items" NOT selected.
Yet I,
too,
have the identical problem where the Archive master
folder is
present in my
folder list, but all the folders contained therein (exact
mirrors of
my Inbox
subfolders) are empty. It appears it even removed some
subfolders
from my
Inbox master folder so that some of my rules no longer function.

If these messages were permanently deleted, why? What
should I
do to
prevent
this from happening in the future? If they are irretrievable,
this
is a
devastating loss in my work. A question that is probably
not for
you
to
answer is why would any mail client allow in the default
settings to
permanently delete a message without explicitly asking
the user
first.

:

I know this isn't at all obvious......

Archive or delete is a checkbox. You need it on.

Below that is the circular spot to select whether it Archives
or
deletes.
Select one!