Windows Mail Recovered Folder

[Gary VanderMolen]

I don't know how common it is, but we have seen this problem reported
here quite a few times.
Database corruption in Windows Mail is not easy to fix. Aside from the
drastic solution I provided earlier in this thread, the only other thing you
can do is upgrade to Windows Live Mail. At least it gets you away from
Windows Mail which seems to be relatively prone to corruption from external
sources.
--
Gary VanderMolen, MS-MVP (WLMail)

This problem is not as easy to fix if you need to keep the profile intact. I
have a client that has over 5000 folders and 3.5 gig of windows mail along
with many news groups to which have been checked off as read or not read. So
deleting the folder to fix the problem is not an option. There must be a
registry entry somewhere that is making windows mail reindex what it thinks
are lost or broken links to files. In this case image 5000 folders scrolling
open in the recovery folder every time you open windows mail and how long it
would take. So, someone must have an answer. This seems to be a common
problem with this new version of mail.

Thomas Chapman
Bhosted.net INC.

 

[John Schneider]

Hi Gary

I ran into the same problem.
Starting with "unable to delete" in Windows Mail. I tried to delete the
WindowsMail.MSMessageStore. I got into the problem with Windows Mail keeps
adding more and more recovered messages on each start up.

I upgraded to Windows Live Mail. However WLM also likes to continualy add
recovered messages on startup. I don't think the problem still exists in WLM.
I can repeat the problem with WLM whenever I need to rebuild the database by
deleting the WindowsMail.MSMessageStore. (I running on a danish windows vista
and I don't know whether that is causing the confusion that files are called
"Sent Item" but folder in WLM is in danish like "Send Post" and therefore
like to readd the same folder again and again.).

John

 

[Gary VanderMolen]

Deleting the WindowsMail.MSMessageStore (or its WLM equivalent) is not
recommended because it can result in generation of 'recovered' messages at
each startup. It is much cleaner to delete
C:\Users\username\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows Mail
or its Windows Live Mail equivalent. Of course, one would first need to export
any messages that need to be saved.

Gary VanderMolen, MS-MVP (WLMail)

 

[Annie]

I am having the same problem I use WLM and WM every day for different
reasons for different people for different parts of the world. The recovered
problem is a real nuisance. Did you find a solution please. I am not
technical and only use my computer as a tool.

 

[Gary VanderMolen]

If the 'recovered' problem occurs only in WM, why not abandon it and
use only WLM for all your email needs.

 

[Guest]

I have this same problem with the recovered messages, so download WLM a
while ago and only used it a few times as I have found it even more
unstable and unreliable than WM, not to mention that it organises things
in a way that just doesn't make sense to me.

I tried to open it just now and it stopped responding. Closed it down,
opened it up again and tried to import messages from WM, it stopped
responding. What a surprise (not). Every time I try to do anything with
Vista, it stops responding. I just don't know what to do to make it any
better, but having read this thread I'm wondering whether my whole
computer is full of 'recovered messages' (even though I thought I had
deleted them) and that's why it just doesn't work properly.

Which of the programs with the abbreviation WLM? If it's Windows
Live Mail, you'll get better answers in newsgroup:

microsoft.public.windows.live.mail.desktop

If it's Windows Live Messenger, you'll get better answers in
newsgroup:

microsoft.public.windows.live.messenger

 

[Gary VanderMolen]

Not all who try Windows Live Mail (WLM) like it. As you say, it
does have a different way of organizing things.
Perhaps the instability you found in WLM was caused by it trying
to import a corrupt database from WM. You can reset WM so that
it no longer has that 'recovered messages' problem.
Navigate to C:\Users\(username)\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows Mail.
Delete the whole Windows Mail directory, but if you have important
emails that you want to save, be sure to export them first. This will
reset the WM database to a pristine state.

 

[Frank Saunders MS-MVP IE,OE/WM]

I have this same problem with the recovered messages, so download WLM a
while ago and only used it a few times as I have found it even more
unstable and unreliable than WM, not to mention that it organises things
in a way that just doesn't make sense to me.

I tried to open it just now and it stopped responding. Closed it down,
opened it up again and tried to import messages from WM, it stopped
responding. What a surprise (not). Every time I try to do anything with
Vista, it stops responding. I just don't know what to do to make it any
better, but having read this thread I'm wondering whether my whole
computer is full of 'recovered messages' (even though I thought I had
deleted them) and that's why it just doesn't work properly.

Reads like some third-party program is messing with any mail program you
try.

Email scanning should be turned off in any anti-virus. Also exclude EML
files from the scan. It provides no
protection not provided by the regular resident protection.
Besides that, McAfee and Norton are not compatible with Windows Mail and
Outlook Express and should be uninstalled. The latest version of Trend's
anti-virus seems to be causing problems too.

 

[Gary VanderMolen]

As I understand it, the messages you are trying to keep are
currently in Windows Mail. Instead of having WLM import directly
from WM, try this. Open WM and export any emails you want to
save. Close it. Then delete
C:\Users\(username)\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows Mail
Since WLM is also corrupted by now, delete
C:\Users\(username)\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows Live Mail
Restart WLM, then manually import from the saved email folder.

 

[SandyC]

I tried to delete the Recovered Messages folder but it keeps appearing and
added files to it when I open up Windows Mail. A tech person told me to click
on Work Offline and delete the folder then they go away. But when I shut down
my computer and open up Windows Mail the Recovered Messages folder appears. I
tried deleting the WindowsMail.MSMessageStore but I'm not sure if I did it or
not. When I open up WM it opens up about a third of the screen which I was
told that wasn't correct. It's supposed to open up full screen. My problem
with this first started when I got the error message, Message could not be
displayed. Windows Mail encountered an unexpected problem while displaying
this message. Check your computer for low memory or low disk space and try
again. I took my hardrive to a tech and he somehow created my Recovered
Messages folder. I think he tried to Import and Exported some of my email
messages and saved them to the desktop and things aren't running right.

 

[Gary VanderMolen]

As I said below, deleting the WindowsMail.MSMessageStore file is
not recommended. Did you try the advice I offered below, which was
to delete C:\Users\username\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows Mail
(after exporting any messages you want saved)?

If that advice does not work for you, your best alternative is to upgrade
to Windows Live Mail: http://get.live.com/wlmail/overview

 

[Michael S.]

Good day. For reasons unclear to me, I lost all contents of my emails,
except the sender's address and title. I tried to recover the contents. I
was not successful and have moved on. However, I now have the annoying
presence of recovered files everytime I open Windows Mail and have to spend a
few moments deleting the contents. If I do not, everytime I open Windows
mail, the the continue to appear and replicate, continuing to recreate the
same files. I have Windows Vista Home Premium (I miss XP!). Why is this
happening? Why can Microsoft not repair this?. Can anyone help? Thank you.
Michael S.

 

[Steve Cochran]

Try running the compact and repair database functions of my Windows Mail
Utility and see if that helps rectify the problem (www.oehelp.com/WMUtil/).

steve

 

[Gary VanderMolen]

If Steve's suggestion does not help, there are two other options:

1. (easy): Upgrade to Windows Live Mail: http://get.live.com/wlmail/overview

2. (not so easy): Reset Windows Mail. Go to
http://www.vistax64.com/tutorials/62560-windows-mail-problems.html
and scroll down to the section "How to Backup and Reset Windows Mail."

 

[Gary VanderMolen]

You're welcome.