FAQS! FACTS! FAX!  514 (23/05/06)

Q. My Wife has lost the entire contents of her Outlook Express Inbox, Deleted and Sent Items folders on her XP Pro computer. It began when a friend recommended and downloaded a Windows ‘cleanup’ program from the web. We then shut down the PC and it went through a process of ‘washing and bleaching’. When she next booted up and went into OE her emails had all disappeared.

I have done a System Restore back to before the disaster. The program has gone but the emails have failed to return. I suspect everything is still hiding on the hard drive somewhere but I don't know where. Is there anything you can do to help her? She's completely distraught at the moment.

Peter Lane, via email

A. Hopefully nothing has been lost and if the emails are still on the drive they should be in the message store folder. By default, in Windows XP, this will be in C:\Documents and Settings\<yourname>\Local Settings\Application Data\Identities\{GUID}\Microsoft\Outlook Express. (GUID is the ‘Global Unique Identifier’, a long string of characters unique to your PC).

If you’ve followed my previous Top Tip for moving the Message Store to a more accessible location then you can find it from OE’s Tools menu, select the Maintenance tab and click the Store Folder button. Otherwise you can search the drive (Start > Search), looking for files with the extension '.dbx'. (enter *.dbx in the file search box). If nothing shows up check the cleaner program’s Help section, to see if it has a backup facility for restoring deleted files. If the files have been deleted there is a very slim chance you might be able to get some of them back using a undelete tool like PC Inspector File Recovery (freeware).

If you find your messages and you can see all of your dbx files then there is a good chance you’ll be able to re-integrate them with OE using Import on the File menu. If the files have been corrupted then I suggest trying the Outlook Express recovery tool dbxtract (shareware, 5$ registration).

Q. I have a new computer with Windows XP Home. I am connected to the Internet via BT Yahoo Broadband. All woks well and there are no problems browsing the net and using BT Yahoo Mail. However, if I go to Start > Programs > Connect to my ISP, it results in the message ‘No dialing tone Error 680’.

Further, if I try to use Outlook Express, either directly or via Internet Explorer, I get another error message, which seems to be linked to the previous failure to connect to my ISP.

L. J. Lines, via email

A. There’s no need to go through the Start menu to connect to your ISP, it should happen automatically when Windows has finished loading. If, as you suggest, everything is working normally, then the answer is don’t do it. The Error message you are seeing when you open Outlook Express is another matter. Sometimes it relates to a poor connection but there are other possibilities. If there is a dial-up modem on your PC make sure that it is disconnected or disabled. You may not even know you have one as they can be built into the motherboard. To find out open System Properties (Winkey + Break or right-click My Computer and select Properties) then Hardware > Device Manager. Click the ‘+’ sign next to Modem. If a dial-up modem is listed right-click on it and select Disable > Disable in this hardware profile. Close Device Manager and reboot.  In Internet Explorer go to Tools > Options Connections and make sure that ‘Never dial a connection’ is checked.

Failing that try updating the broadband modem driver from the manufacturer’s website and if it’s still playing up disconnect any other telephone devices from the line (apart from the PC) and try again. Swapping the ‘Microfilter’ that connects between the modem and you telephone socket may help and if problem persists ask BT to test the line.   

Q. Ever since I installed XP Pro, I have had problems with scrolling up and down the screen.  It used to be a smooth action; now it jerks and refreshes with each scroll click.  Any ideas?
Carolyn Mitchell, via email

A. This is almost always due to a problem with the graphics card driver. When you install XP or upgrade from an earlier version of Windows XP will usually try to use its own default drivers but you should always use the one supplied by the graphics card manufacturer, which can download from the company’s web site. You can find out the make and model of your graphics card from Device Manager. I have also come across a couple of instances of third-party mouse drivers causing this problem. IN this case it’s usually better to use the built in Windows driver, which you can do by disabling the existing driver in Device Manager.

Q. I am running Windows XP SP2. When I try to use the Search function on the Start menu I get no response. Other than re-installing Windows how can I get it working?

L.D. Mellor.

A. If you haven’t already run a thorough virus and malware scan you should do so. Otherwise it could be a problem with the Registry, a damaged system file or a configuration issue, so let’s begin with that. Go to Run on the Start menu, type ‘msconfig’ (without the quotes) select the Services tab and if shown, deselect Index Services. Click OK, reboot and try again.

If it is a damaged system file you should be able to replace it using the Windows System File checker. Go to Run on the Start menu again and type ‘SFC /SCANNOW’ (no quotes), click OK and follow the prompts.

If you are comfortable working with the Registry then open Regedit and work your way to the following key: 

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\

Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer\NoFind

If it exists and the Value is shown as 01 00 00 00 change it to 00 00 00 00.

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© R. Maybury 2006, 1605