Outlook Express Contacts Disappeared

I use Outlook Express. Yesterday, all of my contacts featured on the left hand side of the program disappeared leaving only the five contacts used in MSN Messenger. How do I get my contacts back?

Ray

 

RR36--

Could you please elaborate?
I assume you have checked the box OE View|Layout|Contacts. This then shows the OE Address Book plus some other contacts in the left hand side.
When you click on Addresses in the OE Toolbar, do you still see the full list of your contacts? If not, what happens when you reboot?
And that if that does not restore your full Contacts list, do a Search for *.wab. Do you find anything, especially with your UserName in the place of *? You should find that UserName.wab file in C:\Documents and Settings\UserName\Application Data\Microsoft\Address Book.
If you find it somewhere else, click OE File|Import and in the window "Select the Address Book File to import from" select that source and import the .wab file per instructions.

 

Contacts disappeared in Outlook Express

Windows BB Team:

Yes, I have checked the OE/View/Layout/Contacts and the box is checked. However, the only contacts showing are the ones I have in MSN Messenger.
Yes, when I click on Addresses in the OE Toolbar, I see the full list of my contacts.
I have backed up the Address Book.WAB to my desktop and saved it elsewhere also.
Yes, when I go to C:\Documents and Settings\UserName\Application Data\Microsoft\Address Book, it is there.
Yes, I have imported the backup into OE and it does not change anything. The only contacts that show are the six contacts I have in MSN Messenger.
Any suggestions?
I have even trying reinstalling by checking "Repair." That didn't help.
Ray

 

Outlook Express will not show any address book contacts in the Contacts pane if its address book contains more than 999 entries although MSN Messenger contacts may still show up.

If you think that might be the problem, open the address book (it'll show you how many addresses there are in the lower left corner of the address book window) and delete some old addresses. Close and re-open OE. See if the addresses then display in the contacts pane.

 

Disappearing Contact List in Outlook Express

Miz:

THAT's my problem. I have over 1,000 contacts. My church has over 600. The Exchange Club has 137. The gun club I belong to has over 140+ and then family, friends, etc. takes it well over 1,000. Thanks. I'll have to see what I can do to reduce it until OE decides to make the Contact list longer.

Ray

 

With that many contacts you might want to consider changing over to Outlook, Outlook Express' big brother.

It comes with Microsoft Office so if you have Office, you can install Outlook. It can handle a lot more data.

Exporting your contacts into Outlook is easy enough. Getting them all arranged the way you want them once they're in Outlook might be a little tedious.

 

Outlook Express Limits

Miz:

Thanks. I have tried Outlook and although it has some good features, I found OE more to my liking. I have forgotten what it is about Outlook that doesn't do something that OE does better, but I suppose if I change over, I could come back here and ask how to do something with it and I would get some good advise. Thanks again for your help.

Ray

 

RR36--Might be informative reading
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/assistance/HA010565781033.aspx