Urgent help SOS! My email got lost...

[Mike]

Help! While I was composing a reply to an email, and while I was chatting
with somebody, the PC got rebooted -- it seems that an importnat update has
been deployed... My email was lost as a result -- I spent 2 hours writing
this long email !

Is there a way to get back this email?(I haven't saved it as "draft" yet so
it's not in the draft folder)...

Given that Outlook 2003 uses Word as its editor, will I be able to find some
temporary or auto-saved file somewhere in the PC?

Thanks a lot!

 

[neo [mvp outlook]]

The default configuration of Outlook 2003 is to save the item to the "draft"
folder in Outlook every 3 minutes. Not sure if you changed this setting,
but take a peek at Tools > Options > Preferences tab > Email Options button

Advanced Email Options Button. The settings you want to take peek at are

right at the top.

 

[Brian Tillman]

Help! While I was composing a reply to an email, and while I was
chatting with somebody, the PC got rebooted -- it seems that an
importnat update has been deployed... My email was lost as a result
-- I spent 2 hours writing this long email !

Why would you have your PC set to install updates without your knowledge or
approval?

Is there a way to get back this email?(I haven't saved it as "draft"
yet so it's not in the draft folder)...

Did you look? It may be there.

Given that Outlook 2003 uses Word as its editor,

Only if you told it to do so.

will I be able to find some temporary or auto-saved file somewhere in the
PC?

There may be a partial file. Look for an autorecovery file in the (hidden)
folder
%AppData%\Microsoft\Word, if you have automatic backups enabled in Word.

 

[Mike]

The default configuration of Outlook 2003 is to save the item to the
"draft" folder in Outlook every 3 minutes. Not sure if you changed this
setting, but take a peek at Tools > Options > Preferences tab > Email
Options button
right at the top.

very true! There is a 3 min auto-saving setting there...

but I just couldn't find the lost email in the draft folder.

What might be the problem?

 

[Mike]

Why would you have your PC set to install updates without your knowledge
or approval?

It automatically installs the updates and normally it pops up a window,
asking me if it can reboot...

Normally I will say no...

But this time I was chatting with friends, not seeing it at all... so it
rebooted...

Did you look? It may be there.

No, it's not in the draft folder. I wish it will be automatically saved
there. But it's not...

Only if you told it to do so.

How?


There may be a partial file. Look for an autorecovery file in the
(hidden) folder
%AppData%\Microsoft\Word, if you have automatic backups enabled in Word.

This folder, am I right?

C:\Documents and Settings\Michael\Application Data\Microsoft\Word

But I don't see any recent "tmp" files there...

 

[neo [mvp outlook]]

The only thing I can think of is that Word/Outlook interpreted the forced
reboot as a "No" that you didn't want to keep the draft. In which case,
Outlook might have moved it to the deleted items folder.

 

[Brian Tillman]

It automatically installs the updates and normally it pops up a
window, asking me if it can reboot...

Change the settings so that it will not install updated until you approve of
the installation.

In answer to your question of "How", click Tools>Options>Mail Format. There
are the settings to use Word or not.

This folder, am I right?

C:\Documents and Settings\Michael\Application Data\Microsoft\Word
Correct.

But I don't see any recent "tmp" files there...

It was worth a shot.

 

[Mike]

The only thing I can think of is that Word/Outlook interpreted the forced
reboot as a "No" that you didn't want to keep the draft. In which case,
Outlook might have moved it to the deleted items folder.

I checked "deleted folder" . They were not there...

 

[Mike]

Change the settings so that it will not install updated until you approve
of the installation.

In answer to your question of "How", click Tools>Options>Mail Format.
There are the settings to use Word or not.

I checked: The use of Word is already there.

I just cannot see where are the "autosaved" drafts... They are definitely
not in the draft folder.

Only when I explicitly demand "save" the draft, will they be stored in that
draft folder...

Something is wrong with my Outlook 2003...