windows outlook express file repair tool

The Bottom Line

Repair Tool for Outlook Express opens .dbx files that Outlook Express can no longer read and lets you recover messages from these folders either individually or all in one go. The option to save recovered mail to formats other than .eml would be nice.
Repair Tool for Outlook Express is no longer available.

• Repair Tool for Outlook Express opens broken .dbx files and recovers mail from them
• You can preview and recover only certain messages using Repair Tool for Outlook Express
• Repair Tool for Outlook Express can undelete recently deleted messages, too

Cons

• Repair Tool for Outlook Express can recover only to .eml files, not directly to .dbx

Description

• Repair Tool for Outlook Express opens Outlook Express dbx files, even if Outlook Express cannot.
• You can recover mail from broken .dbx files either per folder or individually using Repair Tool.
• Repair Tool for Outlook Express exports messages to .eml files, which can be dragged back to OE.
• A folder structure (by sender, subject or date) makes it easy to find the recovered .eml messages.
• Repair Tool for Outlook Express may also recover mail recently emptied from the "Deleted Items".
• All mail can be previewed right in Repair Tool for Outlook Express.
• Repair Tool for Outlook Express supports Windows 9x/ME/NT/2000/3/XP and Outlook Express 5/6.

 

Guide Review - Repair Tool for Outlook Express 1.7 - Outlook Express Recovery Tool

When Outlook Express cannot open the folder in which you keep your most important messages, good advice is hard to come by. Outlook Express itself does not offer any, and looking at the corresponding .dbx file (after you have identified it) in any text or hex editor does not help much either. You need not despair yet, though. Launch Repair Tool for Outlook Express and find your folders — including the problem folder — listed conveniently. All (or at least most, I could not test all circumstances, of course) messages are there to look at right in Repair Tool for Outlook Express, and they're ready for recovery, too. Repair Tool for Outlook Express can either export all messages from a folder or just those you specify (use the context menu).
While the recovery to .eml files works nicely and is always a safe bet, more formats would be nice. Repair Tool for Outlook Express might even try to repair the broken .dbx file directly in place so Outlook Express could open it. But then what's a little inconvenience of dragging and dropping when you have nearly lost but can now safely recover important mail?