Missing/lost message, Outlook/Exchange, where has it gone

exchangeexchange-2003outlook

One Outlook user claims to have not seen one mail message. It is not in any of his mail folders, not in the deleted folder, not in the list of recoverable deleted items (items held by exchange after deletion).

It is really not in his mailbox. Checked on OWA, (and on another workstation using Outlook 2003 with a different login).

Exchange message tracking tells me that the message was delivered to his mailbox.

His mailbox is not full or even very large, he deletes his completed mail.

It was delivered yesterday, well within the Exchange recovery interval, and there are older items in his recoverable email list.

There aren't any relevent rules shown, (looking through Outlook Web Access).

Outlook 2007, Exchange 2003 SP2 (6.5.7638)

What can you do in Outlook 2007 that has the effect of removing a message from your mailbox, without leaving it in the recoverable deleted items? Where has it gone?

Best Answer

The "Deleted Items" folder and the "Junk E-mail" folder have seperate recoverable items lists.

You can see a recoverable items list for the "Mailbox" in Outlook when using an Exchange connection, but not in Outlook Web Access, and not when using a IMAP connection.

So, to answer the question: One way to remove a message from your mailbox, without leaving it in the recoverable deleted items, is to move it to Junk E-mail, then delete it. It will be in recoverable junk items, not recoverable deleteted items.

Another way is to do "Shift Del" (also known as hard delete) from your inbox. This leave the item in recoverable inbox items.

To see recoverable inbox items in OWA, use the url to go directly to [the inbox folder]:
http://[myserver]/exchange/[my user]/inbox
then add the command "showdeleted"
http://[myserver]/exchange/[my user]/inbox/?cmd=showdeleted
This also works for other folders:
http://[myserver]/exchange/[my user]/deleted#20items/?cmd=showdeleted
But not for subfolders:
http://[myserver]/exchange/[my user]/?cmd=showdeleted does not show anthing, even though inbox and deleted#20items do.

To see recoverable items in any mail folder in Outlook 2000+ (using an Exchange connection while logged in as the actual user), enable the "DumpsterAlwaysOn" registry connection: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/178630

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