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I've got to admit, I loved the way Recovery for Outlook Express performed. Not only did it recover all the messages in my deliberately damaged .dbx files (edited using Ma�l H�rz's nice HxD hex editor) it conveniently placed them directly into Outlook Express as a new folder. It's much easier to drag or rename emails and email folders within OE than it is to import the individual email files that some programs produce.

Unfortunately, Recovery for Outlook Express is as expensive as it is effective. Businesses might not blanch at the $150 price, but then again, they'll normally be using OE's big sibling Outlook, which offers its own repair tool. And while ROE isn't exactly ugly, a better-looking GUI might help lessen the sticker shock for the average SOHO user.

In the end, ROE offers the ultimate in one-button recovery convenience. But in my admittedly limited testing, Advanced Outlook Express Repair is just as effective at one-third the price. The demo version recovers only the first ten messages. --Jon L. Jacobi