1) Often a repair of Internet Explorer will repair OE at the same time.
Click on My Computer, Control Panel, Add/Remove Programs
A window will appear with another smaller window that lists programs. Scroll down to Microsoft Internet Explorer 6 SP1 & Internet Tools. Hightlite it and click the Add/Remove button. A window will appear giving 3 options. Select the Repair Internet Explorer option. Click OK. Let it do its thing and then try OE again.
2) Your files may not be lost. The biggest trick (problem) is figuring out where your particular e-mail program keeps all your messages. Outlook Express uses small databases to store your information. Once you figure out where those databases are, you can copy them, back them up, or do whatever else to it your little heart desires.
If you are running a newer version of Outlook Express, it's fairly easy to figure out where your e-mail databases are. Just hit the Tools menu, Options. On the screen that pops up, click the Maintenance tab, then click the Store Folder button. Outlook Express will show you where it's keeping your e-mail databases. But since you cannot run OE keep reading.
Note that you can also change this location should you want it to be easier to find. I keep mine in a folder named "outlook express" in the "My Documents" folder. That way, all I have to do it back up my "My Documents" folder and I automatically have my e-mail backed up.
If you don't have that option, don't worry. Outlook Express usually keeps your e-mail database(s) in the following location:
C:\Windows\Application data\Microsoft\Outlook Express
If you have your computer set-up for multiple users, your Outlook Express mail is probably in:
C:\Windows\Application data\Identities\ID NUMBER\Microsoft\Outlook Express
Note that the "ID NUMBER" folder above will probably be a folder that uses an alphanumeric code for it's name.
If for some reason you don't see the Outlook Express folder in the above location, right-click your Start button, select Find (or Search), and enter *.dbx in the Named field (make sure you select your C drive from the "look in" drop down box). This will bring up these "dbx" files, which live in the folder you're looking for. Note that on some older versions of Outlook Express, these may have been "mbx" files, so if you can't find *.dbx files, try *.mbx.
