lost email data

[markw]

I have been disconnected from an exchange server for sometime as I have left
the company. I added a pop3 mail account and recently tried to remove the
exchange account but was prompted to create a new data folder which I did.
After deleting the exchange account I have now lost all my mail, contacts
etc. Can anyone help me get back my data?
I have looked for pst files but only one exists and it has no data, there
are however two large ost files but the modify dates are quite old which
suggests the are from when I was last connected to the exchange server.
Please can anyone help?

Mark

 

[Mary]

You were correct to create a new profile. If you did not delete the old ost
or pst file, try using File, Open Outlook Data File and see if it's still
available. Drag anything you want to the new file and then close the old one.
You cannot open pst or ost files unless you open them within Outlook.

 

[markw]

Thanks for your reply, I can only find the .ost files and they wont open in
Outlook, I only have the option to open .pst files.

 

[Brian Tillman]

I have been disconnected from an exchange server for sometime as I
have left the company. I added a pop3 mail account and recently tried
to remove the exchange account but was prompted to create a new data
folder which I did. After deleting the exchange account I have now
lost all my mail, contacts etc. Can anyone help me get back my data?

By deleting the Exchange account, you have orphaned your PST and Outlook can
no longer access it. You'll need to invest in an OST to PST converter if
you want to get the data back. There are a couple of freeware ones I've
seen, but I don't think they handle OL 2003/2007.

 

[markw]

Thanks Brian,

I have tried a trial version of an ost - pst coverter and I can see all the
data I had up to the point when I stopped connecting to Exchange, do you have
any idea where the more current data may have gone? Where does the new data
get stored when you are no longer connected to Exchange i.e. offline?

Markw

 

[Brian Tillman]

I have tried a trial version of an ost - pst coverter and I can see
all the data I had up to the point when I stopped connecting to
Exchange, do you have any idea where the more current data may have
gone? Where does the new data get stored when you are no longer
connected to Exchange i.e. offline?

If you are working in offline mode but the Exchange account is still the
default account in the profile, Outlook should be using the OST. You can't
send or receive any additonal messages (unless you have a POP account in the
same profile) after disconnecting. If you have another account that's a
Hotmail or IMAP account, then your data will be in the PSTs associated with
those accounts.

 

[markw]

I set up a BT pop3 account after I left and have been using it to
send/receive mail but when I deleted the Exchange account I lost all my new
mail, calendar and address data.
I have looked for a pst file that I may be able to import but I couldnt find
one. Could my address book data and calendar events be stored in another file
format?

 

[Brian Tillman]

I set up a BT pop3 account after I left and have been using it to
send/receive mail but when I deleted the Exchange account I lost all
my new mail, calendar and address data.

Correct. WHen an Exchange account and a POP account are using the same
profile, they share the same folders. In your case, it was the OST.

I have looked for a pst file that I may be able to import but I
couldnt find one. Could my address book data and calendar events be
stored in another file format?

Outlook has no "address book" The Outlook Address Book service is a view of
your Contacts folders that shows those contacts that have electronic
addresses. The calendar is kept in the same file as all your other Outlook
data: the OST, in your case.

 

[markw]

Thanks for your reply Brian,
I will check the contents of the ost files again, but the last time I looked
the latest date I had was June 2007, I hope I havent lost over 6 months.
Mark