# Deleted Emails



## modineg44 (Jun 25, 2002)

I deleted some email (not realizing I did) and then emptied my deleted items program. Are these deleted items anywhere on the computer? I checked the recycle bin & did not find them. I have Windows XP and use Outlook Express.

Nancy


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## Malamute (Sep 15, 2011)

I'm not exactly high speed on computer questions, but,....I believe e-mail is generally hosted on a service, not living in your computer. I believe Outlook Express is a way to connect with your e-mail service, not a service in and of itself. So, as I understand it (and may be mistaken), if you delete an e-mail, and it isn't in your e-mail service trash bin, it's gone.


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## Nevada (Sep 9, 2004)

Outlook Express uses POP3 protocol to access email. That's a protocol used to download email into your computer from your email server. By default, Outlook Express sends an instruction to delete email from the server when the download session is complete. You can tell if email is not deleted from the server because the same messages will be downloaded from the server over and over, cluttering your inbox. I think you can be sure that old messages are no longer on your server.

When you delete a message from Outlook Express the message is moved to the Deleted folder. When the Deleted folder is emptied those messages in the dbx file are marked to be removed on the next folder compaction. If your Outlook Express hasn't compacted the folders yet then there is a good chance that you can retrieve those messages.

If you are a database wizard then you already know what to do with dbx files, but it is advanced work. To make it easy there are commercial products that can do it for you. They normally sell in the $25 to $50 range. You can search for those products at google or bing.

http://www.bing.com/search?q=retrieve+deleted+message+from+outlook+express&FORM=AWRE

To be sure the messages are retrievable most of those utilities will let you scan Outlook Express for recoverable messages with a trial version, but force you to pay to do the actual recovery. I suggest you run a free trial, then decide if it's worth it to you.


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## Malamute (Sep 15, 2011)

Nevada, is there any advantage to running outlook express when a person uses yahoo for e-mail? My machine has outlook express, but it's never been set up. Is there any reason to even have it active? It shows up when I click on some e-mail contacts online, but I just use it to copy that e-mail address, then X it off and go to my e-mail to send a mesage. I didn't know it worked as you described. I think I like having all my e-mail hosted somewhere, not in my computer.

I had yahoo e-mail for years before even owning a computer, and can access it from anywhere, and any computer. When I got an ISP, I never ever used the e-mail they provided for me, already having an address that worked, and not wanting to go thru trying to notify everyone of my new address if I changed ISP sources. I get those notes from people now and then, I don't want to deal with that.


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## Nevada (Sep 9, 2004)

Malamute said:


> Nevada, is there any advantage to running outlook express when a person uses yahoo for e-mail? My machine has outlook express, but it's never been set up. Is there any reason to even have it active? It shows up when I click on some e-mail contacts online, but I just use it to copy that e-mail address, then X it off and go to my e-mail to send a mesage. I didn't know it worked as you described. I think I like having all my e-mail hosted somewhere, not in my computer.
> 
> I had yahoo e-mail for years before even owning a computer, and can access it from anywhere, and any computer. When I got an ISP, I never ever used the e-mail they provided for me, already having an address that worked, and not wanting to go thru trying to notify everyone of my new address if I changed ISP sources. I get those notes from people now and then, I don't want to deal with that.


I suppose that an argument can be made that yahoo email addresses aren't respected they way ISP email addresses are, but I don't see that as often as I used to see it. There was a time when you couldn't use a free email service like yahoo to register for things like eBay & PayPal, but those days are fading.

I use a POP3 email client because I'm accustomed to it, but all good sense tells me that the advantage is in accessing email with a webmail client. The internet isn't nearly as friendly of a place today as it was 10 years ago. When you receive email by POP3 any message sent to you is brought into your computer, along with any attachments. It's much safer to access webmail.

For that reason I offer webmail access to all of my hosting clients.

http://webmail.desertbreezenv.com/

I've been considering changing to a webmail solution for some time, but I'm stubborn.


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## texican (Oct 4, 2003)

My gmail account is accepted everywhere...
except, ironically, for my Hughesnet service... when I need to 'talk' to them, it must be done thru their email service. I usually have to 'ask' for my name and password there, as I NEVER use it.


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## arabian knight (Dec 19, 2005)

You should also be able to download from Your ISP from any location as well.
I know when I visit my friends in Iowa I go to my Telephone CO site. And pick Download E Mail. No buggy at all. No matter what you use for for E Mail service. I have always used the E Mail address from my ISP and I also have Yahoo one, but never use it.


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## Nevada (Sep 9, 2004)

arabian knight said:


> I know when I visit my friends in Iowa I go to my Telephone CO site. And pick Download E Mail. No buggy at all.


It's not a question of being buggy. The issue is security. If email messages and attachments are never downloaded into your computer you are running a lot more secure.


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## arabian knight (Dec 19, 2005)

Nevada said:


> It's not a question of being buggy. The issue is security. If email messages and attachments are never downloaded into your computer you are running a lot more secure.


 Sure is. And that is why I have my ISP's protection tightened up so not one comes into my machine they stay on my ISP's. And then they delete form their server. Having never hit my machine at all.


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## Nevada (Sep 9, 2004)

arabian knight said:


> Sure is. And that is why I have my ISP's protection tightened up so not one comes into my machine they stay on my ISP's. And then they delete form their server. Having never hit my machine at all.


You lost me. I thought you said you downloaded your email.

_"when I visit my friends in Iowa I go to my Telephone CO site. And pick Download E Mail."_


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## arabian knight (Dec 19, 2005)

Nevada said:


> You lost me. I thought you said you downloaded your email.
> 
> _"when I visit my friends in Iowa I go to my Telephone CO site. And pick Download E Mail."_


When I am away yes I download my mail just as I do here. But my ISP Stops ALL Junk Mail on their server. I can tighten it up that way.
So No Junk gets through only things I want to come through does.
Added Note:
I should have added those junk e mails are in my ISP's Quarantined File, so unless I go in there and download things they do not come to me at all, even when I am down at my friends house, I only get my Regular E mails nothing from those in that Junk File that is on my ISP's Server. That is the way I have my E Mails Security set up. Tight.


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## Malamute (Sep 15, 2011)

"Junk" e-mails arent the only thing that's unsafe, or in that box. Good e-mails are also sometimes mistakenly routed there, I always look to see what's in the spam box before dumping it all unopened.

Some viruses can get in your friends e-mail accounts and route viruses thru them. you receive an e-mail from a "friend", and it had a virus. They can also send their own e-mails and have viruses hitch-hike on their e-mails into your box. That's the thing about not actually dowloading it into your computer, it's hosted somewhere else, you're just reading it online, not downloading it and whatever may be attached. Just stopping spam doesn't guarantee you won't get viruses. I think that's what Nevada was refering to.


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## arabian knight (Dec 19, 2005)

Well that is why a person has a good virus protection set up.
I get very few even fro friends. I just don't get them. I have been on the net now for over 15 years, and have yet to get anything nasty at all on any computer I have had. And now having a Mac is even better yet. Although I do have protection even on it.


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## Nevada (Sep 9, 2004)

arabian knight said:


> Well that is why a person has a good virus protection set up.


A virus or malware can always get through. The problem is that many people don't know what kinds of files can have a nasty payload. I think most will be cautious of an .exe or .bat file, but .jpg and .doc files can also be dangerous. It's even risky to have images enabled in an offline reader like Outlook Express. Even if you are careful about all of those dangers, the email could still have a nefarious script embedded in the html.

My email server is even at risk for processing email. I scan for Linux rootkits daily to make sure I don't pick something up while processing email.


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