Re: Transferring OutlookExpress Files From XP To Vista and Windows7 ?

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Hi, Robert.

A bit on in years now, so please bear with me.

My first name also is Robert, and I turned 74 in July. Maybe I can help. ;<)

First the ground rules:
WinXP comes with OE, which will not run on any Windows version after WinXP.
Vista comes with Windows Mail (WM), which will not run on any Windows Version except Vista.
Microsoft has announced - in about 2006 - that neither OE nor WM will be developed any further.

Windows 7 comes with NO email or newsgroup application at all.
OE won't run on Win7.
WM won't run on Win7. (Well, a few experts have done it, but it is not for "us mere mortals").

The Windows Live suite was introduced about 3 years ago, but became popular just this year. It includes a half-dozen or more components, including Mail, Messenger, Write, Calendar, Contacts, Movie Maker - and maybe a couple I've forgotten; all their names start with "Windows Live". We generally refer to Windows Live Mail as "WLM" - or "WLMail" when we need to distinguish it from WLMessenger.

Windows Live Mail (the word "desktop" was removed from the name of the program over 2 years ago) will run in WinXP, Vista and Win7. It does not come included in any of those, but can be downloaded (along with any other Live components we want) from http://download/live.com and installed in any of them.

WLM is like OE in many ways, but there are significant differences, too. One major difference is in the way they store messages. OE stores messages in .dbx files that OE calls "folders". There is one Folders.dbx which acts as the index for all the others. The others have names that you create, such as "Family.dbx". If you get 1,000 emails from your kids, they might all be in Family.dbx; a single corrupted byte in any one of those mails might cost you the whole folder. WLM will store those emails as 1,000 separate files, each with a cryptic long numeric name and the .eml extension. If one file is corrupted, you will lose only that one message. Because of this basic difference, OE and WLM cannot share message stores; other consequences flow from this as well.

WLM will run "side by side" with either OE (in WinXP) or WM (in Vista), and many of us used that technique to ease the transition to WLM. You can, if you like, download WLM now and install it in your WinXP. It will automatically Import and Convert your OE Accounts and messages (and hide - but not delete - your shortcuts to OE). You can set both OE and WLM to "leave messages on the server"; that's the default setting in WLM, but you will want to set ONE of them to delete messages after a reasonable time (14 days) to keep your mailbox on the server from getting full and blocking further incoming mail. Use both apps for a few days or weeks until you are familiar with WLM. When you are ready, just stop using OE (you can't delete it) and let WLM become your only mail/news client.

Then, when you transition to Win7 (or Vista), you can use WET (Windows Easy Transfer - included with both Vista and Win7) to export all your WLM and other settings from WinXP to a temporary holding area, and then import them into WLM after you install it on your new Windows.

Just remember that a few OE (and WM) store folders do NOT get duplicated automatically when you run OE/WM and WLM side by side. Sent Items, in particular, will reside only in the app that sent those items, so you will need to export/import that folder from your OE in addition to all the messages that are duplicated in OE's Store Folders and WLM's Message Store. You MAY want to also carry forward OE's Drafts, Junk and Deleted items folders, which won't be handled automatically.

So you can choose between two transition paths from WinXP to Win7:
1. Download and install WLM into WinXP now and transition to it in WinXP. After you get WLM installed into Win7, use WET to transfer your files and settings from WLM to WLM.

2. Wait until Win7 arrives and you've downloaded and installed WLM. Then use WET to transfer your files and settings from OE to WLM.

If you have questions, just ask. Or visit this newsgroup (which still has "desktop" in its name because it's hard to change newsgroup names):
news://msnews.microsoft.com/microsoft.public.windows.live.mail.desktop

Good luck! I think you'll like Windows Live Mail - and that you will LOVE Windows 7. ;<)

RC
--
R. C. White, CPA
San Marcos, TX
rc@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Microsoft Windows MVP
Windows Live Mail 2009 (14.0.8089.0726) in Win7 Ultimate x64

"Robert11" <rgsros@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message news:h8de6n$qm7$1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Hello,

Expect to get a new PC as soon as te new ones come out with Windows7 installed in late Oct.
Presently using OE 6 and XP.

Trying to learn about some of this now, though.
Imagine the transferring problem is the same for Vista as it will be for Windows7 probably.

I guess I will be forced to use Windows Live rather than OE with Windows7
My needs are simple, and OE has done everything I require, but I understand that Windows Live is a pretty basic one also.

Is it possible to transfer all my saved OE Folder files like SENT, etc. from OE to
Windows Live (easily) ?

Read a brief mention that if you go to OE/ TOOLS/ OPTIONS/ MAINT. there is "some" way of creating a folder with all the stuff you want to transfer, and then loading it into WindowsLive.

A bit on in years now, so please bear with me.

Is this the (best and easiest) way to do it, or... ?

Any specifics and details would be most appreciated.

Thanks,
B.

.

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