My wife's computer has lost all its emails (Outlook express) and they have not been saved in the yahoo account.

Is there any chance that Yahoo archive deleted messages? It's our only chance.

Is there a deleted or trash folder in yahoo mail?

They aren't in there. The setting on OE was not to save a copy on the server, so the inbox and sent box contents are not on the server.

I know that if you try to close an email account with yahoo they are obliged to archive the messages anyway, for legal purposes (at least, that's is what I believe), so should they be able to retrieve them from their own archive on request?

If you have set outlook to download from the server and not leave a copy then im afraid you will not be able to get them back. I doubt very much yahoo keep a backup, even if they did its very unlikely you would be able to get your hands on them

Sorry

So the last chance is to use a file recovery program to find them on the hard drive-

Any recommendations?

if it's XP then:
have a look in here:
C:\Documents and Settings\(my username)\Local Settings\Application Data\Identities\(weird idendity number)\Microsoft\Outlook Express

if the files aren't in there then search for *.dbx as these are the outlook express email storage files and they should be in the above folder.

thanks - done all that, but they are not on the drive. I can only think I must have deleted a folder accidentally and it was too big to go in the recycle bin.

I'll have to try Piriform Recuva - tomorrow.

Wife understandably upset!

have you turned on hidden files and folder and operating system files?

http://www.microsoft.com/resources/docum...s.mspx?mfr=true

I have run a search with all the options ticked - system files, hidden files, etc.

Believe me. They have been deleted.

This Recuva looks good, though. I'll try it in the morning.

This is extremely puzzling. Please allow me to elaborate:

Wife's PC uses XP and Outlook Express 6. The emails are downloaded using POP3.

The storage folder for OE was set on the desktop - as "New Folder/emails". I can verify that by going into OE and checking the setting.

Last week I tidied up the desktop for her (BIG mistake!).

Now, the first time she tries to use OE all her emails have disappeared up to the time I tidied things up.

Performed a search using the hidden/system files options. I checked for *.dbx files over the whole C drive. None of the missing dbx files appeared .

Next, copied the Recuva program on to a stick, and ran it from there. Searched for 'email files'. One old zip file full of dbx files came up. NOTHING else, - not even as overwritten, damaged files. So the implication is that there are no other identifiable deleted dbx files on the drive.

Tried the same thing with PC Inspector. Same result.

So it looks like I have not actually deleted the emails. But if I didn't accidentally delete them during the tidy-up, what else could have happened?

All I can think of is accidental overwriting. But how could that happen?

They should at least appear as damaged lost files, even then, so I am now scanning with PC Inspector for 'lost files'.

Nothing - no lost files either.

So what could it be? I am totally stumped.

sounds like you need to try and recovery it then, not sure how it works with large files.

try looking here Free software with reviews

this one looks ok

Data recovery

sometimes the freebies will find it, but then you have to pay to recover it

I have now tried three different recovery tools, and none of them has found a single .dbx file on the drive (of the ones I am looking for).

So they don't appear as 'deleted' or as 'lost'.

There has to be an explanation for this. Could it be something to do with a corrupted NTFS directory, or something?

Now this may be the thickest piece of a suggestion this millenium, and if so i apologise due to extreme techno phobia - but if you used a "resore system" point to a time prior to your event, would this sort it out?

My apologies in advance for wasting seconds of people's lives who read this

I don't know. I imagine that because the files have at least been removed from their original directory this method will not find them. It doesn't cause the directory tree to revert to an earlier structure.