Recover a mistakenly deleted distribution list

It's a common problem: That big Delete button   is prominently displayed and you've wiped out an entire distribution list, instead of just one name.

(I hear you—there should be a warning when the Delete button is pressed. A little bird [no, not the Twitter bird]  told me that our engineers are aware of this and are considering implementing a change for Outlook 2010.)

Now, go DIRECTLY to your Deleted Items folder; do not wait. The deleted list should be there, and all you need to do it drag it to the Contacts button at the bottom of the navigation pane. Note that if you emptied the Deleted Items folder (or if you have it set up so that each time you close Outlook, it's automatically emptied), you are out of luck, my friend.

Unless...

Unless you're using Outlook 2007 with Exchange Server. In that case, in the Deleted Items folder, click Recover Deleted Items on the Tools menu.

Locate the distribution list and then click Recover Selected Items. (Then drag that naughty distribution list back to your Contacts.)

If you don't see Recover Deleted Items, you're probably not using Exchange Server or you need to talk to your administrator...and you're probably really irritated right about now.

— Crabby