There is some scenario -- I do not know what triggers it, the one I've
seen in the most detail the machine had been powered off without a shutdown,
but I know I've had that happen on numerous other occasions -- where Windows
2K will decide that its existing user profiles are no longer valid, and will
create a new profile for each account when it logs in.
  Since the profile will contain things like desktop shortcuts and the OE
mailbox, I believe that's what has happened to you.  If you look in the
Windows directory under Profiles, you should see two that start with the
account name you log in with.  One is the new profile it has created for
you, and the other is where your old email, etc, is hiding.

David Gillett


On 20 Aug 2003, at 19:39, bob wrote:

> When I started my backup computer today I found that the desktop
> background had changed and many of my shortcuts were missing.  These
> changes seem to have occured spontaneous BUT I must check with my grand
> children to make sure they didn't change any settings.  The biggest
> nuisance is that when I recreated the OE short cut and opened it the
> address book was gone and all the archived e-mail.  My important e-mail
> is not on that machine, but I'd like to understand what happened so it
> doesn't happen again.  Where can the e-mail files be?
>
> I use Norton AV and am current with my virus library so I don't think
> that's the problem, but could it be new virus judging from the symptoms?
>
> Bob Warasila

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