My Email Vanished

[Jim Cladingboel]

Typing a reply to an email in Rich Text, after about 12
lines some accidental combination of keys caused the
*entire thing* to disappear. Just left with a blank screen.
No trace of it in Deleted, Sent, Drafts, Inbox or Outbox
nor in the Recycle Bin. Any ideas as to what could cause
this so I can be more careful in future?
Using XPHome/SP3 and IE7.

Jim.

 

[Geoff]

No solution to what happened (too many key combinations for me to count) but
open the original received email and start over again.

Perhaps your question may be better answered in the outlook express
newsgroup, microsoft.public.windows.inetexplorer.ie6_outlookexpress

 

[1PW]

Typing a reply to an email in Rich Text, after about 12
lines some accidental combination of keys caused the
*entire thing* to disappear. Just left with a blank screen.
No trace of it in Deleted, Sent, Drafts, Inbox or Outbox
nor in the Recycle Bin. Any ideas as to what could cause
this so I can be more careful in future?
Using XPHome/SP3 and IE7.

Jim.

Hello Jim:

Try starting a piece of test email to yourself. In the midst of the
text entry, type:

Alt - F4

Is it possible you could have typed that combination? Otherwise, I've
got nothing.

Regards,

Pete

 

[Max Goldman]

Hello Jim:

Try starting a piece of test email to yourself. In the midst of the
text entry, type:

Alt - F4
Is it possible you could have typed that combination? Otherwise, I've
got nothing.

The chance that Alt-F4 was accidentally hit is about as probable as
your becoming an MVP in the near future.

 

[Buffalo]

Typing a reply to an email in Rich Text, after about 12
lines some accidental combination of keys caused the
*entire thing* to disappear. Just left with a blank screen.
No trace of it in Deleted, Sent, Drafts, Inbox or Outbox
nor in the Recycle Bin. Any ideas as to what could cause
this so I can be more careful in future?
Using XPHome/SP3 and IE7.

Jim.

I don't know what caused it, but if it happens again, you may be able to
immediately click on the Undo tab (in OE, it's near the top left) and get it
back.
Just guessing.
Buffalo

 

[Elmo]

Typing a reply to an email in Rich Text, after about 12
lines some accidental combination of keys caused the
*entire thing* to disappear. Just left with a blank screen.
No trace of it in Deleted, Sent, Drafts, Inbox or Outbox
nor in the Recycle Bin. Any ideas as to what could cause
this so I can be more careful in future?
Using XPHome/SP3 and IE7.

Jim.

Press Ctrl/Z immediately afterwards. That can even work if you go back
to an open windows and press Ctrl/Z. But since it's been awhile, and
you've possibly closed the window, it probably won't work for you.

Ctrl/Z probably wouldn't help after an Alt/F4.

 

[Patrick Keenan]

Typing a reply to an email in Rich Text, after about 12
lines some accidental combination of keys caused the
*entire thing* to disappear. Just left with a blank screen.
No trace of it in Deleted, Sent, Drafts, Inbox or Outbox
nor in the Recycle Bin. Any ideas as to what could cause
this so I can be more careful in future?
Using XPHome/SP3 and IE7.

Jim.

A possibility is highlighting everything (control+A) and then pressing the
space bar. This will effectively replace the entire message with one
space, in just about any text editor or word processor.

Where has it gone? To the Undo buffer.

*Immediately* pressing control+Z, or Edit, Undo, will put the text back.
But once the undo buffer has been flushed and its contents replaced with
something else, the text is irretrievably gone.

HTH
-pk

 

[Twayne]

Typing a reply to an email in Rich Text, after about 12
lines some accidental combination of keys caused the
*entire thing* to disappear. Just left with a blank screen.
No trace of it in Deleted, Sent, Drafts, Inbox or Outbox
nor in the Recycle Bin. Any ideas as to what could cause
this so I can be more careful in future?
Using XPHome/SP3 and IE7.

Jim.

I call it "typing with my palms"; accidentally hitting something with my
palms in addition the keys I intended to hit. Happens to lots of
people, especially unfamiliar touch typists.

 

[Jim Cladingboel]

A possibility is highlighting everything (control+A) and then pressing the
space bar. This will effectively replace the entire message with one
space, in just about any text editor or word processor.

Where has it gone? To the Undo buffer.

*Immediately* pressing control+Z, or Edit, Undo, will put the text back.
But once the undo buffer has been flushed and its contents replaced with
something else, the text is irretrievably gone.

HTH
-pk

Patrick, I think you've found it. Ctrl+A and a space is the only logical
explanation in the circumstances. Many thanks, and thanks to all who
responded and educated me about the Undo tab, and Ctrl+Z.
What a great NG !

Jim.

 

[Patrick Keenan]

I call it "typing with my palms"; accidentally hitting something with my
palms in addition the keys I intended to hit. Happens to lots of people,
especially unfamiliar touch typists.

I had a cat who taught me a few shortcuts, stepping on the keyboard while I
was using the mouse. That's how I learned about control+scroll to change
text size in a browser.

-pk