[Nobody]

I could use some help.

I (foolishly) installed MS Office and decided I'd like to try out Entourage so I could check both my .mac and Hotmail account at once. I set up Entourage and started receiving my .mac mail through there. But then I had no addresses. Then when I checked my .mac account through the Mail.app, nothing is there. All my mail seems to go straight to Entourage, like it's sucking the mail right out of Mail.app.

So....I took the MS Office folder and prefs and backed them up on a CD, (so I wouldn't lose some email messages I needed) and deleted the apps off my hard drive. Now I am getting mail at the .mac address again, but I have no history of emails arriving there (because I imported them all to Entourage when I started using it) and no addresses in the address book.

HELP....where are these files located, can I get them back, and how. Thanks for any help.

[Nobody]

Go to Home-Library-Application Support if you are running Jaguar. You will find a folder named Microsoft User Data.

If you are running an earlier version of OSX, I think the flder resides in Home-Documents.

When you set up your mail did you go to System Preferences-internet and set either Mail or Entourage as your default mail reader?

Peter

[ 11-10-2002: Message edited by: Peter ]

[Nobody]

Thanks, that helped me some.

Here is what I find:

Home:Library:Addresses, with a file named "Address Book:addressbook

then...

Home:Library:Application Support:AddressBook, with files:

ABPerson.index
AddressBook.data
AddressBook.data.beforesave
AddressBook.data.previous

I can't seem to access these files in any program, includoing Addresse Book or Mail. I'm guessing one of those files contains my data. How do I get to it?

Also, I don't seem to be able to retreive emails I have had for the last 3 or 4 months, after I imported all my mail boxes to Entourage, then back to Mail.app. Where are those email stored and can I retreive them?

Thanks again for all your help on a Sunday morning. Much appreciated.

[Nobody]

keywest -

Perhaps you set up your .mac account to use IMAP in Mail.app, but as a POP account in Entourage?

With an IMAP account, the (usually) mail remains on the server. With a POP account the mail is sent to your mac and (usually) deleted from the server. This would account for how Entourage "sucked" all your mail.

Mail can import from Entourage (Mail's File menu, "Import Mailboxes...") but I believe Entourage will have to be installed for it to do so (it runs an Applescript on Entourage to export the mail.)

If my supposition on how you configured the .mac account in Entourage as POP is correct, and if you still have the content of the Microsoft User Data/Office X Identities folder where Entourage stored the mail, you could also use Entourage to put the mail back on the IMAP server:
- Re-install Entourage. It should find your old mail Database if it's still there.
- Create a new account in Entourage with the same .mac address, but set it up as IMAP. This should show the account in the mailbox pane on the left side of Entourage's Mail window.
- Open the New IMAP account so the Inbox is visible in the pane.
- Select the mail stored in Entourage (in the main "Inbox" or whatever folder you might have moved it to. Drag it to the IMAP account's Inbox icon.
This should put the mail back on the IMAP server, and when you open Mail you should be able to see it again. (You can remove the POP version of the account from Entourage and see the same mail there as well.)

[Nobody]

keywest -

Try using Finder's "Find" function to search your disk for a folder named "Office X Identities". (I suspect its in your Documents folder under Microsoft User Data.) That's where Entourage stashes its database.

(I hadn't seen your second post when while I was typing my previous.)

As long as that database is still on your disk, if you re-install Office, Entourage will pick up your old eMail and any Addresses you imported. That's a start to retreiving them.

[Nobody]

Car1son,

Thanks so much. This kind of tech support on a Sunday morning is unbelievable.

I'll try your suggestions. You have been very helpful. Thanks again for taking the time to help out.

[Nobody]

keywest,

The Address Book files you found in Home-Library-Application Support are
for Apples Address Book program.

As Car1son said, if you found the
Microsoft User Data folder in your
Application Support folder, then all
your data is in there. Make sure to
back up that folder before you make
any more moves.

Peter

[ 11-10-2002: Message edited by: Peter ]

[Nobody]

Wow. Followed your instructions and it worked like a charm. Perfect. Thanks again so much. I will be passing along your good deed to someone who needs my help.