Inbox deleting emails

[Big John]

Hi


Outlook 2007, Exchange 2003

I have a user with a strange problem. Her mailbox is moving email from her
inbox to her Deleted Items overnight. I cannot replicate the issue by
opening /closing Outlook, so it looks like it is time related. Only email
arriving since last week have so far been affected. It has been happening
for about a week. No hotfixes which could cause this have been installed
recently.

She can move the mail back into her Inbox but it is moved into Deleted items
overnight again. Outlook Web Access also shows the emails being moved, so it
doesn't look like a views problem, but I can't be certain of that.

There are no Rules within Outlook that are doing this - she has no rules
configured, unless there are some hidden ones I can't see (How can I check
this?). Our McAfee VirusScan 8.5.01 is not configured to run email scans
(we route email via an external site to have it scanned and checked for
spam ), so it isn't the AV software.

There are no recipient policies configured that could be causing this to
happen. My only concern is the size of her inbox / deleted items folders -
Inbox has about 4000 messages in it, Deleted items over 5000. However, we
don't use quotas, so it can't be that either. I have asked her to do some
housekeeping, but doubt that will cure it.

Dell Latitude D620 running Vista Business, don't know if its pertinent, but
doesn't hurt to say!

Can anyone advise please?

Thanks

John

 

[Brian Tillman [MVP - Outlook]]

I have a user with a strange problem. Her mailbox is moving email from her
inbox to her Deleted Items overnight. I cannot replicate the issue by
opening /closing Outlook, so it looks like it is time related. Only email
arriving since last week have so far been affected. It has been happening
for about a week. No hotfixes which could cause this have been installed
recently.

Does she sync with a hand-held device?

 

[Big John]

Hi Brian,
Thanks for replying.
Yes, she has a Windows Mobile phone that syncs via GPRS. It has the
capability of syncing via USB cable, but its rarely used that way.

Is ther an issue there? It has only just started happening within the last
week or so.

Thanks

John

 

[William]

Hi Brian,
Thanks for replying.
Yes, she has a Windows Mobile phone that syncs via GPRS. It has the
capability of syncing via USB cable, but its rarely used that way.

Is ther an issue there? It has only just started happening within the last
week or so.

From the above, I assume she is using Exchange-Activesync to
synchronise the device with her Exchange mailbox. If she is deleting
items from the phone and then synchronising, that will cause those
items to move to the "Deleted items" on the main PC.

Has she recently upgraded / received a new phone?

 

[Big John]

Hi William,

She is using the Vista version of ActiveSync. She isn't deleting the items
off the phone herself. whatever is doing it is hidden - Rule or setting, not
sure.

Anyhow, I have removed email from the phone - so if its the phone causing
it, it should no longer happen. If it happens now, its either Outlook or the
Exchange Server. Will have to see what happens ad will report back next week
sometime.

Thanks for taking the trouble to reply.

Regards,

john

 

[William]

Hi William,

She is using the Vista version of ActiveSync. She isn't deleting the items
off the phone herself. whatever is doing it is hidden - Rule or setting, not
sure.

Somethings not right there. Vista uses "Windows Mobile Device Centre"
instead of Activesync - but neither WMDC or Activesync can handle
wireless synchronisation via GPRS. To sync via GPRS she must be using
either Exchange-Activesync or a third-party tool. Which is it?
Exchange-Activesync synchronises direct to the Exchange-Server, thus
the desktop O/S is irrelevant.

Anyhow, I have removed email from the phone - so if its the phone causing
it, it should no longer happen. If it happens now, its either Outlook or the
Exchange Server. Will have to see what happens ad will report back next week
sometime.

Hence my enquiries about Exchange-Activesync. If Outlook is closed
overnight (fully closed that is - log out to be sure) then it cannot
make changes to the mailbox. If changes happen under those
circumstances, it must be Exchange or an external device (say a mobile
phone).

As a separate thought, you could have the user change her password to
ensure that this isn't caused by malicious action.