Entourage just lost all my emails

[Kay Hargreaves]

I opened Entourage this morning and it asked me to register again. All my emails (and there are lots of them) have disappeared. I tried to import from User data but database is greyed out. Is there any way I can access my 2 years worth of emails or are they lost forever?
Thanks in anticipation
Kay

[hayne]

Entourage from Office X keeps your email messages in a database file that is under the folder ~/Documents/Microsoft User Data/Office X Identities/Main Identity
Use Finder to look in this folder and surrounding ones. The file will be called "Database".
If you have Office 2004 instead of Office X, I guess the folder will be called accordingly.

[Kay Hargreaves]

Found the Database but can't import it into Entourage - I've made an alias and tried that but the file is greyed out. Any ideas how I can import this file (which looks like it is the right one as it was created at the right time)

[voldenuit]

Even if it may sound heartless to say so:

Using applications that store their data in a non-documented format is risky.

You may want to read up on your options here:

http://www.entourage.mvps.org/database/corrupt.html

[hayne]

Quote: Originally Posted by Kay Hargreaves Found the Database but can't import it into Entourage - I've made an alias and tried that but the file is greyed out. Any ideas how I can import this file (which looks like it is the right one as it was created at the right time)

You shouldn't need to "import" it - Entourage should read it at startup.
Is the "Database" file in the correct sub-folder?
How big (in bytes) is the Database file?

The fact that Entourage asked you to re-register makes it sound like it has lost its preference file or wherever else it stores the fact that you have registered.

What did you do before this problem arose that might have caused it?
Have you moved any folders around or run some utility that might have changed permissions or some such?
Anything else that might have affected your OS X user account?

What version of Entourage do you have?

[Kay Hargreaves]

Hopefully can answer all q's. I'm using Entourage 2004 11.10. Yesterday I made a full backup of my Hard disc as my PowerBook is going in for minor repair (CD disc stuck in drive!). I'm not aware that I have moved any files but will check that the file is in the correct place. Currently in mac HD:Microsoft user Data:Office 2004 indentities:Main identity
The database is big (900mgb)

[Kay Hargreaves]

Just copied 'old' database file into correct location and all emails now visible.
Many thanks for help.
Best wishes and Happy New Year
K

[hayne]

Quote: Originally Posted by Kay Hargreaves PowerBook is going in for minor repair (CD disc stuck in drive!)

I presume you have tried the usual things like holding down the mouse button while restarting the Mac.

[darkpaw]

Quote: Originally Posted by Kay Hargreaves Currently in mac HD:Microsoft user Data:Office 2004 indentities:Main identity

It should be in mac HD:Users/yourusername/Documents/Microsoft User Data/Office 2004 Identities/Main Identity/

Glad you got it working!

Quote: Originally Posted by Kay Hargreaves The database is big (900mgb)

As an aside, I suggest you compact it. Hold down the Option key just after double-clicking on the Entourage icon. You'll get a screen with a few options. Choose to compact it.

AFAIK, with Entourage (and all MS email apps), when you receive an email the database increases in size to accomodate it. However, when you delete an email it doesn't shrink the database, so every now and then you need to compact it to free up the space.

[tagmunkee]

Okay, so cleaning up my machine yesterday, I obviously misplaced something which is causing Entourage X to not recognize my identity or call up my database.

I've done what's described below...the Microsoft User folders have been restored to the Hard Drive/Documents folder. However, after restarting my computer twice, still no dice.

Is it possible that my Preferences are in the wrong folder as well? I see that all my Entourage prefs are stored in the User/Library/Preferences/Microsoft folder, but do not appear in the HD/System/Library/Prefs folder. Mostly because, I imagine, there IS NO Prefs folder in the HD/System/Library folder. Only Preference Panes.

Hmm. I am positive I did not move around anything within the Systems folders, thus I'm confused what's going on.

Help, please and thank you!

[hayne]

Quote: Originally Posted by tagmunkee the Microsoft User folders have been restored to the Hard Drive/Documents folder.

They are supposed to be in the Documents folder under your home folder.

Quote: Is it possible that my Preferences are in the wrong folder as well? I see that all my Entourage prefs are stored in the User/Library/Preferences/Microsoft folder

That's the right place for them. But preferences don't matter - the application will recreate them (with default values) if they don't exist. In fact, removing preferences is a standard way of fixing some problems.

[Greyes]

Hi all...
I'm glad to hear that some of you figured out how to restore your entourage mail. I am having a similar problem.

In Entourage, my account information is completely gone. It thinks I am a new user, and in the tools--> accounts, I am not there anymore. So, my address book, saved emails, calendar...gone...all gone.

I have looked in DOCUMENTS--> OFFICE X IDENTITIES-->MAIN IDENTITY, and there is a "Database" file that is 400kb in size. I double clicked on it and it opened Entourage, which still did not have any account info.

Help. What should I do?

Thanks,
G

[subwoof]

Hi, I had the same problem when starting up my Entourage email, it also thought I was a new user with all my emails and conatcts gone, plus my accounts had also gone. The day before I was cleaning out my files and had moved the Microsoft User Data folder out of Documents.

I have now moved this /Microsoft User Data/ back to Documents (When I moved it back into documents I had to replace a folder allready called Microsoft User Data which I think was auto created.)

I restarted the machine and YEY I now have all of my emails, conatcts and account back. Thanks for all of the above helpfull info.

[melly5bee]

I just lost two years of e-mails as well, but read the post at the bottom of this string and voila!, they're back! Entourage thought I was a new user, asked me to register, etc. Like the person below, I had been cleaning my files and moved the Microsoft User Data folder out of Documents.

I have now moved this /Microsoft User Data/ back to Documents (replacing the new empty folder it had automatically generated) and presto, Entourage and all my folders have returned.

I hope you haven't lost your files -- have you looked into the Database section of the Microsoft User Data to see if it still has a large number of files in it (I was assured when I saw mine had about 400 mb -- clearly another clean-up is due!)?

Good luck!

[Tarsipies]

I was just writing emails in Entourage when suddenly it would not send, warning there was an error and after trying for a while to get out it would not let me so I "force quit", but when I began entourage I began as a new user like the peopole above. I searched for my database and it "appeared" to be in the right place but was not. (note my addresses were still their as well as notes)

I spotlight searched and found it was located in:

gary>documents>computer>Microsoft User Data>Office2004 Identities>main identity>Database

I then copied and replace the new database file that had been constructed in

gary>documents>Microsoft User Data>Office2004 Identities>main identity>Database (note:not in the documents>computer)

when I reset a new account in Entourage.

And low and behold it was a special moment to reopen Entourage and have my emails back! I have subsequently copied the database, maillists etc onto an dvd as an extra backup... phew.

How it got into the "computer" folder, I don't know.

[Armadillo_hk]

Hi All,

I seem to have the same problem as everyone else. Mac have just replaced my MacBook. I backed up everything to my external hd before they took away my old one. 4 days later (today) my new MacBook arrived and I have transferred everything over.

My Entourage has recognised all my contacts but no settings, accounts or emails. It is 2 years of emails, and I am hoping that they are here somewhere.

Can someone please help?

Many Thanks

[yester]

When turning on my g4 this morning I noticed some unusual grey windows open that said something like "updating office". It said some other things "updating so and so (I could not read them all as they were changing fast)" then disappeared. I opened entourage and found all my data was gone. All previous emails, calendar items, notes, etc.

The Database file in Main Identity seems to be about the right size as before 650 MB, so I'm not sure what happened. I did not do anything unusual the last time I used entourage or the computer in general that I recall.

Any ideas on how to recover my lost identity? Thanks...

I'm getting calls from people who have sent me e-mails that never arrived into my Entourage inbox. Seems I am losing several important e-mails - they just never show up - not even in the spam folder. Can anyone help me with this? Thank you!

[brunie]

I am having this problem also. Using this Mac for about two weeks and because of some confusion transferring data, I ended up with duplicate Document folders, I think. I was trying to move my Document folder into the place I thought it actually belonged, and there's no telling what kind of mess I made. I restarted my Mac while holding down the mouse, I repaired permissions, I don't know what to do. Any advice?

[hayne]

Quote: Originally Posted by brunie I was trying to move my Document folder into the place I thought it actually belonged

You'll need to move the Documents folder back, or at least copy its contents into the existing Documents folder.

Or just revert to your backup. You do have a backup on an external disk, don't you?