# Solved: restoring dbx files back into outlook express inbox, etc.



## eddie4kids (Mar 8, 2010)

Iam trying to restore some stored files back into outlook express from either the message store folder under C: .. drive or from the external backup drive (free agent by Seagate).

In observing a thread that reads as follows, i was unsure what to do with the "Test.dbx"
See the notepad copy below:

"""File>Import>Messages.
Select OE6>Next.
Check Import from an OE6 Store directory>Next.
Click the Browse and select the folder on the desktop>OK>Next.
Select All Folders (Or pick the ones you want)>Next.
Let it run and hopefully everything will Import successfully.
If that fails, you could try manually placing the DBX files into OE.
In OE, create a new folder named Test and click it once to open it.
Close OE and in the Message Store folder, delete Test.dbx.
Rename the DBX you want to put in to Test.dbx and place a copy of it in the Message Store folder.
Open OE and see if the Messages are in folder Test.
If they are, rename folder Test (it can be whatever you want), open it to activate and automatically change the name of it's DBX file, and then create a new folder named Test and repeat the above with the next DBX you need to restore."""
i will have about 15 files to do this to.

Do I just delete .dbx or Test.dbx ?
And what should I rename the DBX to? Rename it to Newtest.dbx or??

I need to apologize for asking how to do this, but need to get it right the first time.
thanks so much for being patient with me,
Eddie4kids


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## EAFiedler (Apr 25, 2000)

Hi *eddie4kids*

You may name the folders whatever you want. The point is to NOT name folders with the exact same name.
You could name all 15 folders as Test01, Test02, Test03 all the way up to Test15.
Or you could name the folders with the name you wish them to have.
For example:
*Mom's Recipes*

The Test folder is an exercise in getting your feet wet, so to speak. 

When you open the new folder in Outlook Express, it creates a corresponding .dbx file in the Message Store.
When you delete the newly created .dbx file and paste a new .dbx file (with the exact same name) in the Message Store, Outlook Express thinks it is the same file and will reveal the contents to you.

Can I assume you don't have the Folders.dbx file and the Import will not work?
That is the easiest method.

Just a walk through for replacing an orphan .dbx file.
You want to add the .dbx file: *Mom's Recipes* back to Outlook Express.
There is *not* a folder called *Mom's Recipes* in Outlook Express, so you create that folder.

Click the newly created *Mom's Recipes* folder to open it, if you have the Message Store (contains the .dbx files for that Identity) open in another window, you can toggle back from Outlook Express to that window and see that there is now a *Mom's Recipes.dbx* file.
Switch back over to the Outlook Express window, click on the Inbox folder.
Switch back over to the Message Store and delete the *Mom's Recipes.dbx* file.
Switch over to the folder containing the orphan .dbx files and COPY the original *Mom's Recipes.dbx file*.
Switch back to the Message Store and PASTE the *Mom's Recipes.dbx file* into the Message Store.
Actually, you could paste the original *Mom's Recipes.dbx* file right over the new *Mom's Recipes.dbx* file.​When prompted that there is already a file with the same name, do you want to overwrite it? Answer: Yes

Switch over to Outlook Express and click on the Mom's Recipes folder, give Outlook Express a minute to process the contents. The messages should then appear.​
Let us know if that works for you or not.


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## eddie4kids (Mar 8, 2010)

this is my first time on a post, so will try to reply in seqence.
Yes, there is a Folders.dbx file. 
The import did not work.

Need a little help in doing what you have instructed.
I assume the orphan.dbx file is the folder that i want to restore back to O.E.

I didn't understand the following: 
* Switch back over to the Message Store and delete the *Mom's Recipes.dbx* file.
If that occurs, won't the folder be lost? 

"you can toggle back from Outlook Express to that window and see that there is now a *Mom's Recipes.dbx* file".

where did the "Recipes.dbx" file come from? Is that the orphan.dbx folder to restore?

Switch back over to the Message Store and delete the *Mom's Recipes.dbx* file.

this hinges on me knowing that the orphan.dbx file was placed in "*Mom's Recipes" folder.*

Switch over to the folder containing the orphan.dbx files and COPY the original *Mom's Recipes.dbx file*.

Once again this is the .dbx file to be restored, eh? and this is in the message store (or in the external hard drive backup drive).

I want to thank you so much for the help so far and look forward to finally retrieving all those emails that were somehow sent to the Recycle Bin. 
Ed Faris


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## EAFiedler (Apr 25, 2000)

No, deleting the .dbx file does NOT remove the folder in Outlook Express. It does however, remove any messages that it may have contained.
Just try it, create a *Test folder* in Outlook Express, switch over to the Message Store window, you should see a *Test.dbx* file.
If you don't, Refresh the page.
Delete the *Test.dbx* file, notice the *Test folder* does not disappear from Outlook Express.
Click on the *Test folder*, again, a new *Test.dbx* file will be created, again.

Yes, the *Mom's Recipes* title is just an example.
And no, literally speaking, the orphan .dbx files are not placed in the Outlook Express folders, they are placed in the Message Store. You mentioned the Message Store earlier, you do understand that the Message Store is the directory where Outlook Express keeps its .dbx files?

So, you found *.bak* files in the Recycle bin?
Move all those *.bak* files out of the Recycle bin into their own folder and rename their extensions to .dbx. There should also be a Folders.bak file that you would rename to: *Folders.dbx*

Did you already rename the file extensions from *.bak* to *.dbx *and try the Import? Outlook Express will not recognize files that are not .dbx files for the Import.
If so and the Import fails, what is the error message?


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## eddie4kids (Mar 8, 2010)

TO EA Fiedler
I want to thank you very much for your help in solving the problem. Waht I ended up doing is hiliting the wanted folders in R.B. putting in a folder on the desktop and then changing the extension to DBX. Then IMPORTING them to my inbox.
(I should learn to change the extensions all at once instead of individually--took forever).
I do have one last question tho-- Since my inbox had too many messages, I started another folder (INBOX III), hilited the ones to move to that and "moved them, and they diasappeared. HUH?? could not find them.
should this be a new Post?

Again thanks a lot,
Ed Faris


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## EAFiedler (Apr 25, 2000)

Glad to hear the Import option worked for you.

What happens if you DRAG a message out of the Inbox folder into the new folder you created?
If you lose more messages out of the Inbox, you can always run the Import function on just the Inbox.dbx file again.

Just be sure you empty the Inbox folder in Outlook Express, first. Otherwise, the Inbox folder may become too big for Outlook Express and it may just dump the Inbox folder altogether.


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