Wow look... View Text Message Backup in Outlook!?

[link68759]

Not really true. Lots of ppl backup their sms beforehand to prevent loosing certain texts.
If those ppl happen to have accidentally deleted one of those important text messages, they are forced to do a hard reset.

Whereas, if they had the necessary control, they could restore just that one message they had accidentally deleted.
And that is only ONE of many many scenario's...

Again, blind backup like this is very very limited, and is really bound to cause some issues in the long run for a lot of ppl.

Except that I'm fairly certain the backup doesn't work this way at all, and once you delete a text, it gets removed from the backup server, baring some people with weird issues.

You have a different idea in your head of what this is- it's merely a method by which you can seamlessly resume where you left off when you hard reset or get a new phone. And with that in mind, it works flawlessly. It is not a "backup" for you to do whatever you will with- for that you should look into other solutions. 8.1 might enable apps to do this.

 

[genuine555]

Except that I'm fairly certain the backup doesn't work this way at all, and once you delete a text, it gets removed from the backup server, baring some people with weird issues.

You have a different idea in your head of what this is- it's merely a method by which you can seamlessly resume where you left off when you hard reset or get a new phone. And with that in mind, it works flawlessly. It is not a "backup" for you to do whatever you will with- for that you should look into other solutions. 8.1 might enable apps to do this.

No I don't. OP did. I know what it is mate. Was just supporting OP's idea of how it should have been (or as it "once" was).

Well, on my phone it is found in a section called...euhm, : "backup" :winktongue:
But on the more serious side, on Windows Phone platform, no indeed it is not!
But does that mean it shouldn't ? Euhm : no. Contrary.

A couple facts to support the idea of having a form of "backup" in the true sense of the word: On any "windows" desktop platform, if you make a backup of a drive, you can manipulate that backup copy in any way possible. So at least from the desktop end for MS there is nothing ground-breaking or impossible about the idea. Rather "necessity" !
Then the fact that indeed Windows 8 is already evolving the Windows Phone platform towards that capability through the use of apps, shows clearly that this backup feature thing on WP is only the very start of something that it has yet to evolve into once integration with the desktop levels improve and expand. In other words it is very clear that this feature only recently "birthed" into existence on WP already called "backup" is only the seed for something much more elaborate and expanded yet to come. No rocket-science in simply seeing that.

Then why try to defend the idea that the seed is perfect the way it is ? Clearly it is not and lots of ppl are having genuine "issues" with the feature as it is...
It is like someone gives you a seed and says: plant this and in a few years you'll get a big apple tree and it'll give you apples each year all your life.
...and then you going: "nah mate. I'll just keep this seed in my pocket. It is perfect the way it is mate".
That's rediculus :smile:

 

[JamieKitson]

1. Go to Outlook.com

3. Click the label "Messaging history"

5. Remove the final "b" from the URL so that it is now "https://bay168.mail.live.com/default.aspx?id=64855&owa=1&owasuffix=owa%2f#n=1541631139&fid=" (notice there is no more "b" in the end of the url)

Thanks, this is still working.

 

[JFcreations]

As per mth17's suggestion above....
Deleting the b at the end of the URL for Messaging History and then pressing 'enter' worked for me to view current sms text messages sent and those received and sent after the date back-up was turned on on my Lumia 920. 'Arrange by' must be set to conversation for this to work. If you go back or forward a page using your internet browser's back or forward arrow and your messages disappear, delete the b at the end of the URL again.
HELP PLEASE: However I REALLY, desperately need help to recover deleted text messages that were received and sent prior to turning the back-up on on the Lumia 920. Can any of you brilliant people out there help me? Looking forward to a quick resolve - fingers crossed!

 

[genuine555]

As per mth17's suggestion above....
Deleting the b at the end of the URL for Messaging History and then pressing 'enter' worked for me to view current sms text messages sent and those received and sent after the date back-up was turned on on my Lumia 920. 'Arrange by' must be set to conversation for this to work. If you go back or forward a page using your internet browser's back or forward arrow and your messages disappear, delete the b at the end of the URL again.
HELP PLEASE: However I REALLY, desperately need help to recover deleted text messages that were received and sent prior to turning the back-up on on the Lumia 920. Can any of you brilliant people out there help me? Looking forward to a quick resolve - fingers crossed!

Well, the normal backup procedure won't help you there...if they aren't backed up I think they are gone, no ?
Not sure but I think they will also be gone on outlook.com...

 

[anon(123856)]

As per mth17's suggestion above....
Deleting the b at the end of the URL for Messaging History and then pressing 'enter' worked for me to view current sms text messages sent and those received and sent after the date back-up was turned on on my Lumia 920. 'Arrange by' must be set to conversation for this to work. If you go back or forward a page using your internet browser's back or forward arrow and your messages disappear, delete the b at the end of the URL again.
HELP PLEASE: However I REALLY, desperately need help to recover deleted text messages that were received and sent prior to turning the back-up on on the Lumia 920. Can any of you brilliant people out there help me? Looking forward to a quick resolve - fingers crossed!

Thank you for your post. I could never get this to work. Arranging by conversation view is the key.

 

[genuine555]

Thank you for your post. I could never get this to work. Arranging by conversation view is the key.

Yep, but it was already mentioned a few times in this thread...

 

[anon(123856)]

Yep, but it was already mentioned a few times in this thread...

So you're keeping score?

 

[JFcreations]

So frustrating!
Would either a hard or soft reset bring deleted SMS's back? If either of these would work, exactly what happens to the phone when you do this. What changes on the phone?

 

[Brian Brannon]

How do you make this work if there is no messaging history folder? I get a pane on the right of the page when I open messaging in outlook that shows my IM history only

 

[genuine555]

So you're keeping score?

Lol...no. Simply saying it has been mentioned already.

 

[genuine555]

How do you make this work if there is no messaging history folder? I get a pane on the right of the page when I open messaging in outlook that shows my IM history only

Like mentioned in post #48, if you follow this to the letter :

Sweet! This worked, basically,

- login to outlook.com
- click on messaging history
- remove the "b" at the end of the URL
- click on Arrange By
- click on Conversation view

...then it should work.

 

[Corey 64]

I think he's asking what to do if the "Messaging History" folder is gone completely. Recently MS made some changes to outlook.com on one of my accounts (they haven't made the change on the other two), which removed this folder, changed around the menus, etc. I can't seem to find a way to view my text history now, as there's no "Messaging History" folder to click before I delete the "b".

Has anyone else had these changes made to their account, and if so, had any luck getting to their text history? Alternately, I've been trying to contact MS to find out if they can switch this account back, but no matter what method I use to contact them I get no reply. Does anyone know a better way to get to someone at MS that can actually help me?

Thanks,

Corey

 

[genuine555]

Alternately, I've been trying to contact MS to find out if they can switch this account back, but no matter what method I use to contact them I get no reply.

Hate to say it, but that pretty much sums up MS customer support. I've been frustrated about that aswel, but seems like they don't care a lot about real-time support :-(

 

[b_wilson]

Just got email from Outlook.com team that "Messaging History" folder was getting removed. I followed the suggestion to make a new folder and copy all messages into the new one...and VIOLA!...I can now see all of my text messages, not just facebook messages.

Makes me happy. Hopefully stays this way.

 

[Pete]

Makes me happy. Hopefully stays this way.

You know that any text messages you get from this time forward won't be moved automatically into your new folder, don't you...?

 

[wayn1ak]

So the trick of deleting parts of the URL to make the text message backup appear is not working for me anymore. Also, after migrating my Messaging history data to a new folder, most of my texts disappear from my phone. Anybody know a way to make the text backups appear?

 

[Pete]

So the trick of deleting parts of the URL to make the text message backup appear is not working for me anymore. Also, after migrating my Messaging history data to a new folder, most of my texts disappear from my phone. Anybody know a way to make the text backups appear?

You'll need to move those contents back to the original folder if you can. I think that because you've forced the view (and therefore selection) of the SMS messages, you've moved them out. If you'd done the same thing without manipulating the URL, you'd still have your SMS messages on your phone. I don't think that Microsoft is removing the folder, just making it inaccessible.

I use the Contact QuickView method of accessing my SMS messages in outlook.com and all of my content is still there after following the backup instructions.

 

[SgtCornel]

You'll need to move those contents back to the original folder if you can. I think that because you've forced the view (and therefore selection) of the SMS messages, you've moved them out. If you'd done the same thing without manipulating the URL, you'd still have your SMS messages on your phone. I don't think that Microsoft is removing the folder, just making it inaccessible.

I use the Contact QuickView method of accessing my SMS messages in outlook.com and all of my content is still there after following the backup instructions.

Hi o Aperture o,

I use the same method you use by selecting the "Contacts" quick view, however, I can only see messages sent to me. I cannot see txts I have sent. I used to be able to access it by clicking on the "Contacts" quick view, then change the "5" at the end of the URL to a "3". But that only seemed to work when I had a Message History (Folder, not quick view). Now that it is removed, the "3" trick doesn't work.

Has anyone found a way to view sent AND received texts via outlook.com?

EDIT: Just a note to people using the URL trick. Each folder and quick view translates to an ID.
Any created folders have a unique ID. Standard folders have assigned ID's.
-Inbox is "fid=1"
-Drafts is "fid=4"
and so on. Just click the folder to see its folder ID (fid).

For quick views, it is the same:
-Unread is "qvid=1"
-Contacts is "qvid=5"
-Photos is "qvid=53"
and so on. Just click the quick view to see its quick view ID (qvid).

So, I am not sure that, for me, when I would click on Contacts, which would change my URL to qvid=5, it would show all texts received (but not sent). Simply changed it to a 3 and it showed ALL texts sent/received. I believe the removal of the "Messaging history" folder broke some sort of link that used to work.

 

[illidanx]

Hi o Aperture o,

I use the same method you use by selecting the "Contacts" quick view, however, I can only see messages sent to me. I cannot see txts I have sent. I used to be able to access it by clicking on the "Contacts" quick view, then change the "5" at the end of the URL to a "3". But that only seemed to work when I had a Message History (Folder, not quick view). Now that it is removed, the "3" trick doesn't work.

Has anyone found a way to view sent AND received texts via outlook.com?

EDIT: Just a note to people using the URL trick. Each folder and quick view translates to an ID.
Any created folders have a unique ID. Standard folders have assigned ID's.
-Inbox is "fid=1"
-Drafts is "fid=4"
and so on. Just click the folder to see its folder ID (fid).

For quick views, it is the same:
-Unread is "qvid=1"
-Contacts is "qvid=5"
-Photos is "qvid=53"
and so on. Just click the quick view to see its quick view ID (qvid).

So, I am not sure that, for me, when I would click on Contacts, which would change my URL to qvid=5, it would show all texts received (but not sent). Simply changed it to a 3 and it showed ALL texts sent/received. I believe the removal of the "Messaging history" folder broke some sort of link that used to work.

Your finding about "qvid=3" is awesome. Now I can view all my recent messages without the "Message history" folder.

Now I'm using a mouse and keyboard recorder to copy all my text message to notepad