Hotmail Outlook Auto Deletes Messages

I don't know if I am in the correct forum or even if there is one on majorgeeks for this issue.

Only yesterday I discovered to my horror that Microsoft cleans up and deletes emails in inboxes, folders etc when the emails in them are over a certain number of years. I had vital information in there and precious photos. I actually thought it was a safe place to keep my emails. I have read that when old Hotmail accounts were changed over to Outlook, this was when older emails were deleted. There is a way to get previously deleted emails back but I don't want this I wanted to retrieve my inbox and folder emails not emails I have personally deleted. I have found out today that I can download Mailstore Home to archive my emails on a POP3 mailbox. This wont help me get my old precious emails back but I am going to try it going forward. Hope this helps others who weren't aware of this issue. If there is anyone who has some miracle resolution to my problem though I would love to hear it.

 

Hi DavidGP - I didn't find out until yesterday that there was such a thing as a desktop client so I presume I am on an online version of Outlook. As you say the problem probably occurred when Hotmail accounts were changed over to Outlook. I am using Windows 10 but only got this in the last two weeks. Before that I was using Vista on my old PC.

I already tried going into the deleted and did 'recover deleted messages'. All this did was recover emails I didn't want and had deleted anyway and only found those for 2016.

In the folders I cannot see one named Archive. In the specific folders I have set up, they only seem to go back to 2007. If I have 2007 why have I not got the ones before that? I think Microsoft deleted them when they changed to Outlook.

I do have a copy of one of these emails I saved from my old Hotmail account to my documents on the PC. It's an email dated 2006. I can read this email but the jpg photo attached I cannot open and get this message:-
Hmm, we can’t reach this page.Try this•
Make sure that you’ve got the right web address: http://by101fd.bay101.hotmail.msn.com

I have a call arranged with Microsoft on Sunday but I am not hopeful. Like you say I will get a POP3 desktop client to stop this happening in future. I don't know why Microsoft don't send a message or have clearly displayed on your email page that they auto delete from the inbox and folders every so often for something so vitally important. Its very distressing to lose precious information.
Thanks for your help.

 

Hi David GP. Back with an update for what it's worth. I received my support call but was told my problem couldn't be dealt with on the phone so I would need to go on a webchat with Microsoft. I did this and for an age the advisor skirted around the issue until I got him to realize what the problem was and stated my belief was that Microsoft had actually deleted the older emails. Its not just the older years from my inbox but all the older ones from my folders which have gone. He apologised but never admitted or denied that they were at fault. I asked him to pass on my comments ie that it is so devastating to find this out and I know that hundreds if not thousands more have been affected due to web searches I have done. I also suggested that for something as serious as this, Microsoft should send email warnings that they are about to delete emails older than a certain year. He said he would do this but its too late now anyway as he confirmed nothing could be done. So I got precisely nowhere. I will set up Mailstore Home. thanks for your advice.

 

I've had a similar problem in the past with a UK ISP and it was an accident arising from system changes rather than being a deliberate action or policy. I suspect it's the same with MS - that you were a victim of an accidental data loss rather than MS doing this routinely.