Outlook Express 5.0 Inbox contents are gone

I returned to my computer after work and the Inbox is now empty. I checked the folder for the Inbox.dbx and it is there!! However, there is also an Inbox (1).dbx. The original is huge and the new one is small in size. So, it seems that either the Inbox.dbx is not being recognized or that OE is looking for an Inbox (1).dbx file instead the original one. If I delete the latter, OE just creates a new (empty) one.

All of my other OE folders are fine.

I have done an AV scan and a Malwarebytes scan but nothing turns up.

Any ideas??

 

I did not find the answer as to why this has switched to Inbox (1).dbx, nor do I know why (did not mention this before) but 2 of my 3 email accts lost their passwords.

I did run a program (Flash Cookie Cleaner 1.2) this morning that was touted by Windows Secrets (Brian Livingston, Fred Langa, etc) that assists privacy by getting rid of Flash cookies (that are not normally removed by cleanup software). I think that it worked too well, maybe.

Anyway, I went into the recycle bin and restored Inbox.bak. But that only moved that file back into the dbx folder as is. Instead of fighting, I switched. I deleted the Inbox (1).dbx file, then made a copy of the bak file (so I still had a bak file, just in case) and renamed the original bak file to Inbox (1).dbx. If its going to look for that file name, I will happily feed it what it wants!! Worked like a charm.

I would still like to know how to point OE back to the original file name.

 

Thanks for that suggestion.

I read that for stability purposes, a dbx folder should be no bigger than 300mb. Agree?

I have some folders with folders in them. Would that also mean that the entire folder containing subfolders should be no more than 300mb or just the subfolders? Thanks.

 

The size limit was in a thread on Microsoft support by Bruce Hagen.

Outlook Express Inbox- Microsoft Support