? recover M$-OLe inbox.dbx

Hi Guys,

I have a client who's inbox.dbx file gets corrupted, this would be the third time, renaming it and allowing Outlook express to build a new one gets him up and running again.
I have no idea as to what is causing the problem.. he claims OLE locks up during the mail transfer.. when he restarts OLE the splash screen comes up then OLE closes.. delete/rename inbox.dbx and OLE is working again..ideas on this? anyone?
also this fellow has some "important" messages locked one of these damaged files and wants me to try to recover it.. $h1t.. the files are at least 40Mb in length.. I know if I can extract his messages I may find an answer to the problem..
I am not familuar with the structure of the dbx files and am clueless after using hex and text editorson the damaged files. any clues or perhaps a utility that may help would be appreciated. I am not expecting miracles..

Thanks..

The Undertaker

there are two usefull tools, an mbx reader and a dbx reader that can extract those files , I use 'm all the time. I'll see if I can obtain a copy at work and send them to you if you are interested.

Bye Johnuitv

Thanks Johnuitv,

Yes I would be interested in the mbx & dbx readers if it is possable for you to get ahold of them.

cheers Undertaker

Hi Guys,

more of an update.. Found a prog DBXtract.exe, this helped me recover my clients emails. couldn't explain why the problem (excepting the usual M$ $h1t). my suspicion is a problem is the message scanning function in his AntiVirus (AVG).. have changed him over to another to see what happens..

Thanks guys..

Cheers

Now that you've recoverd his e-mails can't you just uninstall OutLook Express and then reinstall it? From what I've heard uninstall/reinstall is a standard MS fix. If it keeps messing up, maybe then it is his AV software.

I have done a few reinstalls of outlook here. It normally fixes whatever problem we are having. Scarry, but it works.

If you are using win98 SE then it should be under the add/remove programs tab on Control Panel. U just deselect it, hit ok. Wait for windblows to pull its head out of its arse. Then Reselect it. Wait for windblows to pull its head out of its arse. Also, its alot easier if you copy the whole damn cab files to hd. Makes driver search and stuff quicker and easier.

Thanks for the advice guy's,

Here is the status.. O/S is Win Me and IE 5.1 ..
after recovering his emails I uninstalled AVG then removed OL xpress - restarted the beast - installed IE5.5 sp2 and OLx, then Norton 2002 AV .. 1 week down and no phone call so it is a start..
Other things I have done here - checked the HDD - after the first problem I set up a automatic daily Scanndisk, as well each visit have run "DiskTools" mechanical and surface test.. all clear (as best I can give for a single pass).

My reason for suspecting the AV is more to do with other problems I have had with AVG in Me, and the diferences in how the 2 progs deal with the incoming messages b4 forwarding them to the inbox.
Checking the HDD was as a matter of course.. inspite of the reliability of modern drives I still check them..
Only things I have not tested are his UPS and PSU - he uses his machine the rest of the time for video editing and has not reported any problems in that area (his video files are placed on a 2nd and 3rd HDD

Thanks again..

Cheers