Raymond.CC Blog

Oh My!! I accidentally deleted a very important e-mail in my Microsoft Outlook 2003!
Thanks to the Shift+Del that I am so used to whenever I need to deleted something.
Shift+Del automatically deletes files/emails without going in to Recycle Bin or Deleted Items folder. So be careful not to be too used to use this command or else you’ll end up accidentally deleting important files :(
PST has its own FAT, so to speak, and when an e-mail is deleted, it is simply marked to be replaced.

Luckily I found a few ways to recover my deleted emails in Microsoft Outlook 2003.


1. Software – GetData Recover My Email For Microsoft Outlook
This software able to recover individual deleted messages or deleted attachment from your Microsoft Outlook mailbox. It can even access your PST file even if it’s corrupted.
See how easy it is to use from the picture below.

FYI, there is also another software that is able to do the same for Outlook Express from this author.

2. A rather unorthodox solution – Corrupt and then recover the PST file
Make a backup first!
As the following steps involve corrupting Outlook’s PST file, I strongly recommend you make a backup before attempting the process outlined in this article. I realize PST files can be rather large, but it’s better to be safe than sorry.

1. To corrupt the PST file, please use any hex editor of your choice. If you don’t have one, try searching for one on CNET’s Download.com.
2. Delete positions 7 through 13 with the spacebar. Since you’re using hexadecimal numbering, this actually clears 13 characters in the following positions:

(The editor displays the code “20” each time you clear a position with the spacebar.)
3. After clearing those positions in the file, save it. Your PST is now corrupted.
4. Run the Inbox Repair Tool, SCANPST.exe, to recover the file. On Win2K and WinNT systems, the executable is located in C:\Program Files\Common Files\System\Mapi\1033\NT. You can also find it on the Office 2000 CD-ROM in Drive:\Pfiles\Common\System\Mapi\1033\NT. In WinXP, the file is located in C:\Program Files\Common Files\System\Mapi\1033. For additional information on the Inbox Repair Tool, see Microsoft Knowledge Base article 287497.
5. After creating a backup, the Inbox Repair Tool repairs the damage and recreates the PST. Open the new PST in Outlook. The Deleted Items folder should contain all removed messages, so anything you’ve emptied will be restored.

Though this technique falls outside the lines of the usual measures available for repairing or recovering data, it may be the best available option for retrieving specific messages that have been permanently deleted from Outlook. It’s a fairly simple operation to perform, and you don’t have to spend any money on recovery tools.

Edit: I also found out that Microsoft Outlook has built-in Recover Deleted Items function at Tools menu. You must select Deleted Items from navigation pane to open the deleted items folder first.
Then select Recover Deleted Items option from the Tools menu.
A new window should appears with a list of the items that have been deleted within the past 14 days
Although this method has been discussed, but I wasn’t able to find that function in my Microsoft Outlook 2003 Service Pack 2 :(