I was reading my e-mail when the hard drive started making strange sounds and the system froze. I restarted it and ran a disc-scan and defragmented. Turns out there were some bad clusters.
Next time I opened my Outlook express, all the mail from my folders is gone but all the settings are still in effect.

Does anyone know if there is any way that I can recover and restore all the e-mails?

Your mail is stored as a .dbx file. Search your HD for these:

*.dbx

You should be able to find them. As long as there isn't a problem with the files (they will range in size), I'd try copying them to another folder. Then removing them from the directory they were in.

Now, next time you open OutlookEx, it click on each folder and a new .dbx file will be created. If you had any folders (you will see the names of them as the ones you copied and moved), manually create 'new folders' in your OutlookEx. Clicking on the folders should create new .dbx files for those too.

Check the OutlookEx folder to be sure it did this.

If all is well, try copying the old .dbx files and pasting them into (and over) the new .dbx files OutlookEx just made.

Make sure the attributes of the files are '(normal)' and not read only. This could even be your problem now, and you might want to be sure that the .dbx files you have are *not* 'read only'.

Anyway, if your old .dbx files are ok, then you shold be in pretty good shape to restore your mail. If not, then you'll be in bad shape.

Before you try that, goto view current view and make sure you have a view all messages

I have tried to do what chicken suggested, but unfortunately there's nothing.
Is there an easier alternative where I can store my mail somehow, back it up?

What version OE.......

tell ya what..... if you are in the states call 1-888-575-9408

ask for the supervisor mike....

I'll try to get you thru it