Lost Entourage

My entourage program came up blank when I turned on my compuer and
opened the program. That is, the calender came up blank, with none of
my appointments or downloaded hlidays, and the Notes and Tasks sections
were also devoid of entries. I believe that the file extension for
Entourage is .rge, but a search found nothing.

I'm pretty sure my old calender and other files are floating around
somewhere; please help this very non-savvy user out.

Thanks

matt
Wed Jan 26 12:10:55 CST 2005

<urbandesign@cox.net> wrote:

> My entourage program came up blank when I turned on my compuer and
> opened the program. That is, the calender came up blank, with none of
> my appointments or downloaded hlidays, and the Notes and Tasks sections
> were also devoid of entries. I believe that the file extension for
> Entourage is .rge, but a search found nothing.

What happens when you choose Entourage > Switch Identity? m.

--
matt neuburg, phd = matt@tidbits.com, http://www.tidbits.com/matt/
AppleScript: The Definitive Guide
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0596005571/somethingsbymatt
Read TidBITS! It's free and smart. http://www.tidbits.com

urbandesign
Wed Jan 26 12:37:54 CST 2005

My results are no different when I switch identities.

matt
Wed Jan 26 13:12:44 CST 2005

<urbandesign@cox.net> wrote:

> My results are no different when I switch identities.

I guess I was assuming that Entourage had forgotten your actual identity
and had created a new clean one for you; I was sort of hoping Entourage
would "find" your stuff if you simply chose your actual identity. What's
the state of the Microsoft User Data folder? Is your Identity and
Database in there somewhere? Can you see the one that ought to contain
your stuff? If so, can you verify and repair it with the Database
Utility? m.

--
matt neuburg, phd = matt@tidbits.com, http://www.tidbits.com/matt/
AppleScript: The Definitive Guide
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0596005571/somethingsbymatt
Read TidBITS! It's free and smart. http://www.tidbits.com

Greg
Wed Jan 26 13:15:21 CST 2005

I have the exact same problem with Entourage. The program launches,
but I cannot see the mailbox and the calendar, contacts, ect are all
blank. I know there is data there because I can see the icons
associated with each entry, just no text. I can even see a new mail
notify window when I receive a new message, but I cannot see the
message itself.

All other office 2004 apps work fine.

I have unistalled all office applications and reinstalled Office 2004
many times. No luck with any of this.

Looking for suggestions.

matt
Wed Jan 26 13:42:22 CST 2005

Greg <gregk@sover.net> wrote:

> I have the exact same problem with Entourage. The program launches,
> but I cannot see the mailbox and the calendar, contacts, ect are all
> blank. I know there is data there because I can see the icons
> associated with each entry, just no text

Ah, I didn't understand. I thought the OP was saying he'd lost his
database. If your description is what's happening to him, then he's not
- he's saying he's got the same old database and the same old data, it's
just that the text is blank. I've never heard of that one, but could it
be a weird font problem? Does changing Entourage's Font preferences help
at all? m.

--
matt neuburg, phd = matt@tidbits.com, http://www.tidbits.com/matt/
AppleScript: The Definitive Guide
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0596005571/somethingsbymatt
Read TidBITS! It's free and smart. http://www.tidbits.com

urbandesign
Wed Jan 26 15:28:45 CST 2005

Hey, Matt -- Thank you for your responses. I looked in the Microsoft
User Data folder > Office 2004 Identities > Main Identity. In that
folder was a database with 18 MB of information. I couldn't open the
file, however; could only open its file information tab. Nor did I see
a utility option for the folder. Is there another utility in my regular
mac utilities folder that I can use?

Diane
Wed Jan 26 15:49:47 CST 2005

On 1/26/05 10:03 AM, in article
1106762620.833358.36490@z14g2000cwz.googlegroups.com, "urbandesign@cox.net"
<urbandesign@cox.net> wrote:

> My entourage program came up blank when I turned on my compuer and
> opened the program. That is, the calender came up blank, with none of
> my appointments or downloaded hlidays, and the Notes and Tasks sections
> were also devoid of entries. I believe that the file extension for
> Entourage is .rge, but a search found nothing.
>
> I'm pretty sure my old calender and other files are floating around
> somewhere; please help this very non-savvy user out.


Most likely you have accidentally moved your data. Hopefully, you have not
deleted the file. If you have deleted the trash, it's gone. Sorry!

Select Switch Identity and see if your old identity is still listed.

Entourage expects the folder to be in your Documents folder. For OS X users,
that's the Documents folder in your User's folder.

To find your old database, search for "Microsoft User Data" (without the
quotes).

If you have not used a new identity in Entourage, then copy the entire
Microsoft User Data folder to the correct location.

Fix if you have more than one Microsoft User Data Folder...


Move the entire identity folder you want to use to the Office Identities
folder that Entourage is recognizing. Your identity is named "Main" by
default. Be sure to rename one so you do not overwrite. Your identity folder
can contain more than one identity.

Switch Identities to view your old mail. If you have not used the new
identity, delete it. If you have used it and want to combine the new mail
with your original database, drag each folder to the desktop from one
identity. This creates an MBOX file. Switch identities. Drag the MBOX files
into the folder window of Entourage.


You can delete the old folder after you are satisfied with the transfer.

<http://www.entourage.mvps.org/faq_topic/identities.html#id2>

--
Diane Ross, Mac MVP
Entourage Help Page <http://www.entourage.mvps.org/>
Entourage Blog <http://blogs.msdn.com/entourage/> lists the EHP as one of
the top five resources.

matt
Wed Jan 26 15:52:05 CST 2005

<urbandesign@cox.net> wrote:

> Hey, Matt -- Thank you for your responses. I looked in the Microsoft
> User Data folder > Office 2004 Identities > Main Identity. In that
> folder was a database with 18 MB of information. I couldn't open the
> file, however; could only open its file information tab. Nor did I see
> a utility option for the folder. Is there another utility in my regular
> mac utilities folder that I can use?

Look for Database Utility (just ask the Finder to find it) and see if
the database is corrupt. However, I'm a little worried by the other
response on this thread that the problem is not that the main identity
is not being opened but that it is not being portrayed. m.


--
matt neuburg, phd = matt@tidbits.com, http://www.tidbits.com/matt/
AppleScript: The Definitive Guide
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0596005571/somethingsbymatt
Read TidBITS! It's free and smart. http://www.tidbits.com

urbandesign
Wed Jan 26 18:50:51 CST 2005

well, the database file is where it should be, and i have no ther
identity to switch to ... anybody else have a suggestion? thanks

Joel
Wed Jan 26 19:38:18 CST 2005

On 1/26/05 6:50 PM, in article
1106787051.819893.251320@c13g2000cwb.googlegroups.com, "urbandesign@cox.net"
<urbandesign@cox.net> wrote:

> well, the database file is where it should be, and i have no ther
> identity to switch to ... anybody else have a suggestion? thanks
>

1. Run Database Utility (hold down the Option key IMMEDIATELY after you
double-click on Entourage and it should load).

2. Repair permissions (you can do this from the Disk Utility program in
Applications -> Utilities).

Paul
Wed Jan 26 22:25:19 CST 2005

On 1/26/05 1:28 PM, in article
1106774925.421773.174580@f14g2000cwb.googlegroups.com, "urbandesign@cox.net"
<urbandesign@cox.net> wrote:

> Hey, Matt -- Thank you for your responses. I looked in the Microsoft
> User Data folder > Office 2004 Identities > Main Identity. In that
> folder was a database with 18 MB of information. I couldn't open the
> file, however; could only open its file information tab. Nor did I see
> a utility option for the folder. Is there another utility in my regular
> mac utilities folder that I can use?

18 MB is the size of the new empty database you now have.

It's pretty clear that you accidentally deleted or moved the Office 2004
Identities folder, or the entire Microsoft User Data folder. The next time
you opened Entourage new default empty versions were created automatically.

Perhaps you just _moved_ them somewhere else. They have to be in your user
Documents folder to function.

As Diane advised, do a Finder search for Microsoft User Data. If that turns
up only one copy, search for Office 2004 Identities. If only one, search for
Main Identity. And then for Database.

Chances are pretty strong that you just moved one of these folders somewhere
else by accident.


--
Paul Berkowitz
MVP MacOffice
Entourage FAQ Page: <http://www.entourage.mvps.org/faq/index.html>
AppleScripts for Entourage: <http://macscripter.net/scriptbuilders/>

Please "Reply To Newsgroup" to reply to this message. Emails will be
ignored.

PLEASE always state which version of Microsoft Office you are using -
**2004**, X or 2001. It's often impossible to answer your questions
otherwise.

Barry
Thu Jan 27 09:09:11 CST 2005

On 27/1/05 4:25 am, in article BE1DAD2F.86842%berkowit@spoof_silcom.com,
"Paul Berkowitz" <berkowit@spoof_silcom.com> wrote:

> On 1/26/05 1:28 PM, in article
> 1106774925.421773.174580@f14g2000cwb.googlegroups.com, "urbandesign@cox.net"
> <urbandesign@cox.net> wrote:
>
>> Hey, Matt -- Thank you for your responses. I looked in the Microsoft
>> User Data folder > Office 2004 Identities > Main Identity. In that
>> folder was a database with 18 MB of information. I couldn't open the
>> file, however; could only open its file information tab. Nor did I see
>> a utility option for the folder. Is there another utility in my regular
>> mac utilities folder that I can use?
>
> 18 MB is the size of the new empty database you now have.
>
> It's pretty clear that you accidentally deleted or moved the Office 2004
> Identities folder, or the entire Microsoft User Data folder. The next time
> you opened Entourage new default empty versions were created automatically.
>
> Perhaps you just _moved_ them somewhere else. They have to be in your user
> Documents folder to function.
>
> As Diane advised, do a Finder search for Microsoft User Data. If that turns
> up only one copy, search for Office 2004 Identities. If only one, search for
> Main Identity. And then for Database.
>
> Chances are pretty strong that you just moved one of these folders somewhere
> else by accident.
>

There is another possibility...

If you are running Norton Anti-Virus it may have quarantined your old
database file if you received a mail infested with a known virus that Norton
picked up in a scheduled scan.

Even though PC viruses don't affect macs, NAV will still recognise them and
may well have quarantined the containing file, which in this case would be
the entire database. If you are running Norton, then check that and see if
the file is still there. You will be OK to restore the file untouched (don't
let NAV attempt to de-infect the file!). Once restored you can identify the
mail (almost certainly in the Junk Mail Folder) and safely delete it.


--
Barry Wainwright
Microsoft MVP (see http://mvp.support.microsoft.com for details)
Seen the All-New Entourage Help Pages? - Check them out:
<http://www.entourage.mvps.org/>

Barry
Thu Jan 27 23:20:25 CST 2005

On 27/1/05 12:50 am, in article
1106787051.819893.251320@c13g2000cwb.googlegroups.com, "urbandesign@cox.net"
<urbandesign@cox.net> wrote:

> well, the database file is where it should be, and i have no ther
> identity to switch to ... anybody else have a suggestion? thanks
>

Are you running Norton Antivirus? Check to see if it has quarantined your
database file.

--
Barry Wainwright
Microsoft MVP (see http://mvp.support.microsoft.com for details)
Seen the All-New Entourage Help Pages? - Check them out:
<http://www.entourage.mvps.org/>

Norman
Fri Jan 28 21:58:40 CST 2005

On 1/27/05 9:20 PM, in article BE1F7C19.3B2D2%barry@mvps.org.INVALID, "Barry
Wainwright" <barry@mvps.org.INVALID> wrote:

> On 27/1/05 12:50 am, in article
> 1106787051.819893.251320@c13g2000cwb.googlegroups.com, "urbandesign@cox.net"
> <urbandesign@cox.net> wrote:
>
>> well, the database file is where it should be, and i have no ther
>> identity to switch to ... anybody else have a suggestion? thanks
>>
>
> Are you running Norton Antivirus? Check to see if it has quarantined your
> database file.

Barry and others watching this thread. Apparently the conflict has been
fixed.

I inquired Jan. 28 about the quarantine issue in the Symantec-sponsored
forum at www.macfixit.com and learned the following from Nick_Syamantec:

"The [Norton AntiVirus 9.0.3] Engine changes are included with the latest
[January 2005] virus defs. If you're up to date, you shouldn't have
quarantined inboxes if you use Entourage X or 2004. We changed the Virus
Engine so that we will no longer attempt to repair or quarantine an e-mail
box. Obviously, this caused problems in the past - people not too happy when
their entire inbox was sent into quarantine or worse... "

in response to another query from a Norton AntiVirus 9.0.3 user: "[if you
get a virus warning, delete the offending e-mail/attachment]. This should
prevent you from accidentally forwarding it onto one of your Windows friends
and also will remove that Alert box."

Respectfully, Norm

Barry
Sat Jan 29 13:57:26 CST 2005

On 29/1/05 3:58 am, in article
BE2049F0.8CF8%nnager@vnoxsxpxaxmv.fullerton.edu, "Norman R. Nager, Ph.D."
<nnager@vnoxsxpxaxmv.fullerton.edu> wrote:

> On 1/27/05 9:20 PM, in article BE1F7C19.3B2D2%barry@mvps.org.INVALID, "Barry
> Wainwright" <barry@mvps.org.INVALID> wrote:
>
>> On 27/1/05 12:50 am, in article
>> 1106787051.819893.251320@c13g2000cwb.googlegroups.com, "urbandesign@cox.net"
>> <urbandesign@cox.net> wrote:
>>
>>> well, the database file is where it should be, and i have no ther
>>> identity to switch to ... anybody else have a suggestion? thanks
>>>
>>
>> Are you running Norton Antivirus? Check to see if it has quarantined your
>> database file.
>
> Barry and others watching this thread. Apparently the conflict has been
> fixed.
>
> I inquired Jan. 28 about the quarantine issue in the Symantec-sponsored
> forum at www.macfixit.com and learned the following from Nick_Syamantec:
>
> "The [Norton AntiVirus 9.0.3] Engine changes are included with the latest
> [January 2005] virus defs. If you're up to date, you shouldn't have
> quarantined inboxes if you use Entourage X or 2004. We changed the Virus
> Engine so that we will no longer attempt to repair or quarantine an e-mail
> box. Obviously, this caused problems in the past - people not too happy when
> their entire inbox was sent into quarantine or worse... "
>
> in response to another query from a Norton AntiVirus 9.0.3 user: "[if you
> get a virus warning, delete the offending e-mail/attachment]. This should
> prevent you from accidentally forwarding it onto one of your Windows friends
> and also will remove that Alert box."
>
> Respectfully, Norm
>
>

Thanks for that Norman.

At least we should see this problem start to drop off the radar now, IF
people are keeping their definitions file up to date...

--
Barry Wainwright
Microsoft MVP (see http://mvp.support.microsoft.com for details)
Seen the All-New Entourage Help Pages? - Check them out:
<http://www.entourage.mvps.org/>