Tech: E-Mail Catastrophe

Subject: Tech: E-Mail Catastrophe
From: Amos
Date: 28 Jun 03 - 10:29 AM

I have through colossal stupidity on my part, and a bad case of Microsoft Rage, lost my whole email history,

This includes all the email addresses of Mudcatters I have written to.

I am reconstructing the list and would like to have your addy in it if it was. If so I need you to send it to me.

Thanks,

Amos
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Subject: RE: Tech: E-Mail Catastrophe
From: Bill D
Date: 28 Jun 03 - 11:03 AM

yep..MS rage will do strange things...sorry to hear it,Amos...at least Mudcat addresses will be fairly easy to replace. Hope it is as painless as possible to get replaced.

when you get it all replaced, as much as it can be, have more than one email program with addresses in it, even if you don't use it much. I have 3 email programs which I often use to download mail, but only Eudora is set to erase them from the server

(Or..even pasting email addys into a text program and saving it as a plain file will at least help...and possibly printing it out for the worst case scenerio)

Subject: RE: Tech: E-Mail Catastrophe
From: Allan C.
Date: 28 Jun 03 - 11:18 AM

...which brings up the point...there is merit to having one's email address posted in the Members Photo & Info section. It really is a tremendous help when trying to reconstruct a demolished email address listing, among other things. (While you're there, why not update your info in the Locator section as well?)

Subject: RE: Tech: E-Mail Catastrophe
From: MudGuard
Date: 28 Jun 03 - 11:19 AM

The Mudcat Member Info: Email page might help you...

Subject: RE: Tech: E-Mail Catastrophe
From: wysiwyg
Date: 28 Jun 03 - 12:33 PM

.... our emails are all gone?.....

I have a lot of it stashed.

~S~

Subject: RE: Tech: E-Mail Catastrophe
From: Amos
Date: 28 Jun 03 - 01:38 PM

I have most of it in text form, Sooze. God knows what will ever become of it, but it seemed too much fun to throw out.

A

Subject: RE: Tech: E-Mail Catastrophe
From: GUEST,.gargoyle
Date: 28 Jun 03 - 01:50 PM

I've made five bucks everytime I sold that e-mail list. They pay well for active live addresses. The birthdates, combined with a personal profile/picture and city/with and some ancestry-research on the net will yield a mother's maiden name.

Sincerely,
Gargoyle

Do update it! Some of you have moved to other states.

Subject: RE: Tech: E-Mail Catastrophe
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 28 Jun 03 - 02:26 PM

And the old, boringly repetitious:

When you get it rebuilt, do an export and save it in a safe place somewhere off the machine - for next time.

John

Subject: RE: Tech: E-Mail Catastrophe
From: wysiwyg
Date: 28 Jun 03 - 03:13 PM

OK...

~S~

Subject: RE: Tech: E-Mail Catastrophe
From: Amos
Date: 28 Jun 03 - 03:21 PM

Oh, John, what a concept!!! :>) Thanks!!!

A

Subject: RE: Tech: E-Mail Catastrophe
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 28 Jun 03 - 04:37 PM

Saving a backup of email and addy books is a little more "techy" than just copying files, but it really is something that needs to be done. The main difficulty is that most email files are in a database format, so you can't easily save individual messages - you have to save the whole $%#@ database. And you can't easily restore single messages or single addresses - you have to restore the whole $%#@ database.

In some programs (OE is one) you can save individual email files for each message, but it's rather tedious to do so.

If your address book, or message folders, get too large, it can be hard to find a place big enough to store them. And since you have to import the whole archive to get a message back, it can be a problem getting it back if you're short on disk space.

As a courtesy to your correspondents, it's also a "recommended practice" that you archive your address book off the machine, and then delete from the book you keep on the machine the addresses of people you don't send to on a regular basis. There are a number of virus/trojan/worm nastys that can use any addresses on your machine to harm those in your book - and make it look like you did it, so keeping a minimal book on your machine is "a nice thing to do."

John

Subject: RE: Tech: E-Mail Catastrophe
From: Dave Swan
Date: 28 Jun 03 - 05:10 PM

Sir,

Lane, Fielding, Patterson and Swan, Layabouts for Hire, offer an e-mail address book recovery service in which you may be interested.

While you deal with endless chains of voice mail and tech support people, inserting troublesome recovery discs, or attempting endless re-starts of a go-back program, a fully qualified LFPS layabout will take your place on the couch, drink your beer, and operate your remote control.

Until the end of June we will scratch your dog's ears at no additional charge.

At day's end, when the problem still has not been resolved, you will be assured that your weekend hasn't been wasted. Someone has been putting a dent in the cushions and breaking wind just the way you would have.

Call LFPS now. We can't fix your computer any better than you can...we just don't care. Remember,when it's too much trouble to do nothing, we're at our best.

D Swan
West Coast Division
LFPS Layabouts for Hire

Subject: RE: Tech: E-Mail Catastrophe
From: Amos
Date: 28 Jun 03 - 05:21 PM

DeRE MR JesSSuppppppppppp,

P;ease Pt me onnn yur emil listt.Id llluv to her form you.

My Mijjjkky    nevr rites again.''Llove

XOXxo KoKo

---

Dear Madame:

I am honored and indeed, flattered by your request, and although I must admit a severe case of trepidation, I have acquiesced to your request. My trepidation is not so much at the prospect of receiving electronic mail from you, which is always a delight and occurs quite too infrequently; but rather, at the overwhelming contemplation that you might conceive that I would be capable of taking a place in your life in any way comparable to that of Biggus Mickus, whose name may be wisible, but whose conquests and influence are indeed renowned throughout the land. I hasten to assure you I would never count myself qualified for such an exalted assignment, not to say assignation, and find the very concept of such a challenge downright disabling, so much greater are his attributes than my own in that regard. I therefore urge you, dear Madam, to write whenever the spirit so moves you, but to reserve those higher duties of the heart for your true companion in life, and not seek so mediocre a replacement in my humble self.

With sincerest regards,

A.

Subject: RE: Tech: E-Mail Catastrophe
From: Amos
Date: 28 Jun 03 - 05:30 PM

Dear Mister Swan:

Thank you for the kind offer to engage your firm to keep up with my laying about while I repair the recent catastrophe to my computer. However, I am happy to advise you that the problem was caused not by the computer itself, but to an operator error. As a Mac user I am accustomed to fixing such errors readily and rapidly. I assume the scenario on which your offer was based was derived from an Intel operator's experience, but I am pleased to be able to advise you that I do not go in for that kind of thing.

With warmest regards,

A. Moosemanqué Derrière
Lost Tails and Related Parts Recovery, Incorporated
"When Your Ass is Grass, Call A. Moosemanqué Derrière!"

Subject: RE: Tech: E-Mail Catastrophe
From: Amos
Date: 28 Jun 03 - 05:40 PM

John:

Under Office for OS X there is a single database file, called "Database" which covers all saved mail and addresses. It is easy enough to back up and restore from. So far the kinds of hack attacks you mention have not surfaced int he Mac community even though we use Microsoft software soemtimes!

Regards,

A

Subject: RE: Tech: E-Mail Catastrophe
From: wysiwyg
Date: 28 Jun 03 - 05:53 PM

OK Big Guy-- coupla angles to look at, prolly no help in them--

1. So.... people you want to be in communication have not lost YOUR email address... why not just sit in quiet confidence that you will be hearing from them?

2. Jokes-- what about jokes-- did you routinely save text copies that would include the headers?????? ALl it takes is one from each person, and most people eventually send ONE.... NO?????????? (shock)

3. Did you ask your ISP for help-- investigate yourself via their records? (Hm, if we tell your employer about this, and let them know what a dangerous character you are..... they'll even PAY for the work! :~) )

4. Assuming it's the home puder, cuz at work MIS would have some clues hiding in periodic system backups.... ??????-- so what about those addys on the work puder-- gotta be some duplication???

5. And... what about home-MIS, in other words the fair Miz Dalee? She cain't hep you recover? No home-backup convention in place (hint-hint establish one system wide)

WHO is Keeper of the Fambly Commoonicayshuns? Oh, sorry, right, that was you...

6. (brightly) I bet Miz Barky has some of the addys you want, did you ask her to give them up?

7. You said Microsoft-- Are you SURE Microsoft Access has not grabbed these all for you when you were not looking???

8. Last angle-- if I had done it, how would you advise me when you rode to the rescue, after you got done teasing me about having not had a Mac? :~)

~Susan

Subject: RE: Tech: E-Mail Catastrophe
From: Amos
Date: 28 Jun 03 - 05:58 PM

Well, I did manage to locate a backup file which nicely restored my communications as of a year ago. It was very weird to open my Inbox after swapping the older database into the system, to discover all the conversations I had been having in April 02 staring at me!! The job was different, and a lot of other things as well, and it took a minute to recover my place in the present!!

This means I now have most of your addresses, and I will abide in your first suggestion with divine confidence for any others!

Access isn't in evidence in my system, but this version of MS Offi e does maintain a database -- that's what I had lost.

A

Subject: RE: Tech: E-Mail Catastrophe
From: wysiwyg
Date: 28 Jun 03 - 06:07 PM

Oh, never worry about missing email! People WILL write to you, and if there are deadlines involved you WILL hear from them eventually! :~)

And BTW-- one last suggestion-- if you know you need someone's addy, you probably know their PHONE numnber. Call em up! Maybe they even have a pile of old messages they can fling your way!

~Duh!

~S~

Subject: RE: Tech: E-Mail Catastrophe
From: Amos
Date: 28 Jun 03 - 06:39 PM

Sooze:

my phone numbers are in the same database.

:>)

A

Subject: RE: Tech: E-Mail Catastrophe
From: wysiwyg
Date: 28 Jun 03 - 07:08 PM

Wul, ya know where they ARE, and their NAMES, right??

~S~

Subject: RE: Tech: E-Mail Catastrophe
From: Amos
Date: 28 Jun 03 - 07:25 PM

LOL!! Some of 'em!

A

Subject: RE: Tech: E-Mail Catastrophe
From: wysiwyg
Date: 28 Jun 03 - 07:32 PM

Translator function working (rusty): Lost yer whole mind then eh?

~S~

Subject: RE: Tech: E-Mail Catastrophe
From: wysiwyg
Date: 28 Jun 03 - 07:35 PM

Solutionizer working (rusty): Just keep bashing your head against the wall for a few hours longer, perhaps using some power tools in the garage while screaming "This is a caTASStrofee!!!! And I am so DUM!".... that ought to restore it all, at least the mind part.

Or--!!! ..... well never mind, you know what to do.

~S~

Subject: RE: Tech: E-Mail Catastrophe
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 28 Jun 03 - 08:02 PM

Amos -

Windows generally uses a single address book for all applications, and a single set of db files for email, so it's no big deal to do a backup. The only real problem is that people seldom think about it until it's too late.

As to the immunity of other systems, it is the concensus of experts (the associations have published warnings) that both Mac and Unix/Linux systems have an alarming number of vulnerabilities - but they've been relatively safe because "nobody cares." Hopefully, there is some coherent and useful work being done to plug the holes before it becomes a "fad" to target them, as the crud now do to Windows. Complacency is not justified. (Of course, neither is panic.)

John

Subject: RE: Tech: E-Mail Catastrophe
From: GUEST
Date: 29 Jun 03 - 12:01 AM

Folks, keep the chat to PM.

Subject: RE: Tech: E-Mail Catastrophe
From: wysiwyg
Date: 29 Jun 03 - 12:05 AM

Help requested, help given. Sorry if it looks like chat to you--it isn't, and if you don't get it, that's OK by me.

~S~

Subject: RE: Tech: E-Mail Catastrophe
From: Amos
Date: 29 Jun 03 - 02:37 AM

Guest:

Ya don't like it, don't read it. And I'm being polite...

A