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In Outlook for Windows, how can I recover deleted items if I am an IU Exchange user?

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

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Recovering deleted items from the Deleted Items folder

Note: You cannot perform the following recovery operation in Outlook 2011 or Entourage for Mac OS X. However, in Outlook for Windows, 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 in retention and recoverable for 15 days before they are permanently deleted. To recover items during the 15-day period:

  1. In Outlook 2010, click the Deleted Items folder, and then from the Folder tab, select Recover Deleted Items. In previous versions, open the Deleted Items folder, and then 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 Recover Selected Items (the icon 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: 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.

Warning: When mail is deleted from Mac OS X Mail, the messages go to the Trash folder as usual. However, messages deleted from this folder do not go to the Exchange retention area, and they are not recoverable. Additionally, mail that is hard-deleted via Option-Delete skips the Trash folder and also does not go into the retention area.

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Recovering deleted items from other folders

Every folder in IU Exchange has a deleted items retention area. In Outlook 2010, the deleted items recovery function is enabled on all folders by default. However, in previous versions, 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 IU Exchange through an IMAP client

  • If you use a PDA with certain synchronization programs (i.e., since some will hard-delete items)

Installing the Outlook Deleted Items Fix

In Outlook 2010, since the deleted items recovery function is enabled on all folders by default, you do not need to install a registry key to enable it. In previous versions, 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, download the Outlook Deleted Items Fix from IUware.

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. If you do not feel comfortable editing the registry, do not attempt these instructions. Instead, seek the help of a computing support provider.

Close Outlook, and then 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, 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 at the Microsoft Help and Support web site.

Search Microsoft Support.

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This is document ainh in domain all.
Last modified on June 05, 2013.

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