At IU, how can I recover deleted items in Outlook if I am an Exchange user?

Note: UITS cannot recover data accidentally deleted from an individual's mailbox on the Exchange mail system. UITS will restore Exchange data only in the event of a system failure.

Recovering deleted items from the Deleted Items folder

Note: You cannot perform the following recovery operation in Outlook for Mac OS. However, using a Windows client, the recovery feature is available regardless of the client used to delete the items, including IMAP configurations.

When you delete items (i.e., messages, folders, tasks, appointments, or contacts) using Outlook at Indiana University, they move to the Deleted Items folder. You may retrieve them by opening the Deleted Items folder, locating the items, and then moving them to another folder. When items are deleted or emptied from the Deleted Items folder, they are recoverable for 15 days, then permanently deleted. However, you can recover items during the 15-day holding time. Follow the directions below to recover items from the 15-day retention area:

1. Open the Deleted Items folder, and from the Tools menu, select Recover Deleted Items... .
   
   
2. A separate window will open, containing the items that you have deleted within the last 15 days. Highlight the items you want to recover, and click the Recover Selected Items button (it looks like an envelope).
   
   
3. This will place the items into your Deleted Items folder. From there you can move or drag them back to your Inbox, or to any folder you wish.
   
   Note: All items in the recovery window appear with an envelope icon, regardless of object type. If the item recovered is a non-mail item (such as a contact, appointment, or task), Outlook will recover it properly with the appropriate icon when it appears back in your Deleted Items folder.

Note: The maximum available time in the retention area is 15 days. This is the exact same access that Exchange administrators have. Consequently, if you delete something from the 15-day retention area, or the time limit has expired on an item, it is not recoverable even with administrative intervention.

Recovering deleted items from other folders

Every folder in Exchange has a deleted items retention area, but the deleted items recovery function is only enabled on the Deleted Items folder by default. Items find their way into the deleted items retention area of specific folders through various ways; following are some of the most common:

• If you hard delete an item (i.e., delete it with Shift-Del)
  
  
• If you delete an item when you are connected to Exchange through an IMAP client
  
  
• If you use a PDA, some synchronization programs will hard delete items.

Installing the Outlook Deleted Items Fix

To enable the deleted items recovery function on folders other than the Deleted Items folder, you will have to install a registry key and Dword value. Since manually editing the registry is potentially dangerous, UITS has developed a utility that will make the required changes automatically. To enable the Outlook Deleted Item Recovery utility, go to IUware Online at:

Installing custom settings manually

If you are unable to download the utility, you can install the registry key and Dword manually.

Warning: This document contains instructions for editing the registry. If you make any error while editing the registry, you can potentially cause Windows to fail or be unable to boot, requiring you to reinstall Windows. Edit the registry at your own risk. Always back up the registry before making any changes. For information on how to back up your registry, see In Windows 95, 98, 98SE, and Me, how do I make a backup of the registry? or In Windows NT, 2000, and XP, how do I back up the registry? If you do not feel comfortable editing the registry, do not attempt these instructions. Instead, seek the help of a computing support provider.

Make sure to close Outlook, then use the following instructions to install the registry and Dword keys:

1. Create a new Dword value named DumpsterAlwaysOn set to 1 (one) in the following registry key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Exchange\Client\Options

   Once this is done, you must restart Outlook.

2. Select the parent folder and click Tools, then Recover Deleted Items... . You can then choose anything within that folder to restore from the last 15 days.

For more information, see article 178630 in Microsoft's knowledge base.

You can search Microsoft's knowledge base at:

Also see:

• In Microsoft Outlook, what is AutoArchive, and how do I use it?
• Using Outlook Web Access, how do I empty my Deleted Items folder?
• In Outlook Web Access at IU, what are the buttons and icons in the toolbar?