Backup emails folders and restore to Laptop

18pcs · Aug 16, 2010

I need to make a backup of my WLM storage folders and folder structure of my PC and restore the same to my notebook and vice versa (on return from business trips).
I have tried using Static Email Backup as well as KLS Mail Backup, but both are unable to do the above.
Maybe I am doing something wrong, but can someone advice me how to go about this.
Previously in OE6 all i needed to do was copy the storage folders from the PC to the Laptop and this did the job very well.
All advice will be highly appreciated and thanks.

osholt · Aug 16, 2010

18pcs said:
I need to make a backup of my WLM storage folders and folder structure of my PC and restore the same to my notebook and vice versa (on return from business trips).
I have tried using Static Email Backup as well as KLS Mail Backup, but both are unable to do the above.
Maybe I am doing something wrong, but can someone advice me how to go about this.
Previously in OE6 all i needed to do was copy the storage folders from the PC to the Laptop and this did the job very well.
All advice will be highly appreciated and thanks.

Firstly, as I will say to anyone in this sort of situation, I would strongly recommend you use IMAP not POP.

IMAP syncs all email with the server and back to ALL PCs using your email address configured with IMAP(or more simply: if it's read on one PC it's read on all PCs. If it's deleted on one PC it's deleted on all PCs).

If you are currently using a GMail I can help you set up GMail IMAP or paying for hosting of your own domain (and have less than 50 users with email addresses) I can probably help migrate you to Google Apps (for free) which supports IMAP.

Of course all of that is optional and just me offering to help a little too much

.

Now to answer your question.

I believe it can be done using Windows Live Mail Backup Free.

You then just import your messages back into WLM via File > Import.

Oli

18pcs · Aug 17, 2010

As I have mentioned in my op, static email backup doesnt work for me. The reason being , i use the laptop sometimes and all my email inboxes are set to keep messages on the server until download to my main PC. So there are some messages downloaded on the Laptop also until deleted from the server. Now when I restore using Static Live mail backup it adds emails to the current store and does not overwrite all messages. So there is lot of duplication.

The worst thing about Windows Seven in my humble opinion is the lack of an email client like OE. People have been using OE since the beginining and are used to it more than anything, atleast I am. If I could somehow get a copy of Windows Mail (VISTA) probably it would sort my problems.

roncerr · Aug 17, 2010

Why can't you use IMAP as osholt suggeated? I use both IMAP and POP3. POP3 on only one computer and IMAP on all the others. The POP3 computer that downloads and deletes from server is the main computer used to archive messages. All others merely view the new stuff on the server that has not been downloaded and deleted by the main (POP3) computer.

18pcs · Aug 17, 2010

Thanks for your reply and suggestion. I can look into IMAP certainly but first I need to do a simple task and that is to get my storage folder along with folder structure , identical into my laptop from my PC, which strangely, I cannot. I have a outlook express account on my Laptop and first WLM on startup started importing the emails from there without my consent. I moved the folder out of oe and deleted the storage folders in WLM and then reinstalled it and started it , this time it did not download the oe mails but on restore the folder structure and mails are all messed up and is in no way identical to my pc. I have tried using two programs but the same result.

Creer · Aug 17, 2010

There is also another software which can be helpful when we are talking about email backups, have a look at this thread:
http://www.sevenforums.com/browsers-mail/29578-do-backup-your-e-mails-great-application.html

18pcs · Aug 18, 2010

Software concerned is Mailsoft Home but unfortunately the free version does not have restore facility so not useful for me.

roncerr · Aug 18, 2010

It shouldn't require additional software besides the original OE, containing your emails, and a fresh install of WLM. WLM includes an import feature to import from the OE format message store. The only tricky part is finding this message store on your old PC with OE. If you want to know where it is, OE will give you a clue where to start looking. Use the Maintenance tab within OE options to find the beginning of the Windows Explorer folder structure. Within Windows Explorer go to that point and look for the subfolder called "Outlook Express". It should contain a bunch of *.dbx files which contain your messages. Copy the "Outlook Express" folder anywhere onto your new computer, or put it on a CD or USB stick. Then when you use the File/Import feature in WLM choose the "Outlook Express" option and import. Use the browse option to navigate to the "Outlook Express" folder. The messages and the folder structure from OE will be copied to a new foler within WLM called "Imported Messages". Now you can create new folders within WLM to which to move the messages. When everything has been moved to where you want them you can delete the "Imported Messages" folder along with any email you don't want to save. You can also delete the "Outlook Express" folder when you're sure you won't need it again.

18pcs · Aug 19, 2010

Thanks Roncerr for your reply. I have done as above right in the beginning when I installed W7 and WLM. However I have retained the imported folder structure on my WLM folder and am using it to move all emails into their respective folders rather than create new folders in WLM. The simple reason for this is WLM folders are account based and my OE folders are simply inbox, sent items etc. SO even if I want to move the imported folders into WLM I cannot as the emails contained in each of these folders is from multiple accounts.
As of now I dont have oe on my main pc. All I have is WLM and its storage folder along with the imported storage folders. On my main PC everything seems to be going fine. All I need to do now is to make a identical copy of the full storage+imported folders and copy to my laptop. When I travel I set my laptop accounts "Not to leave messages on Server" so that I also have all the sent messages also in my database when I copy it back to the main PC.
I am not able to do a simple task of copying the storage folder from the PC onto the laptop using any software and for this reason am crying for help.

roncerr · Aug 19, 2010

18pcs said:
...I am not able to do a simple task of copying the storage folder from the PC onto the laptop using any software and for this reason am crying for help.

Not the entire storage folder all at once, but there is a way to move the contents of any folder whose contents consist of only messages (e.g. the sent items sub-folder containing only a bunch of emails). Simply create a new folder on your desktop called "Sent" and within WLM use the shift-click method to select all emails in WLM's sent items subfolder; then drag them to the "Sent" folder on your desktop. When you want to add them to the other WLM on the other PC copy the "Sent" folder to that PC. In Windows Explorer on that PC use the shift-click again to select all and drag them to the subfolder within WLM where you want them.

One way to think about it is that the folder structure in an email program is incompatible with the folder structure of Windows Explorer; however the emails contained within either type of folder are compatible. So move the emails around all you want but the WLM folders can only be moved around within a single WLM program.

18pcs · Aug 20, 2010

This really doesnt make any sense. Is there any way to get an installer for Windows Mail 64bit ? Atleast it has a sensible storage folder system or atleast it is similar to the familiar OE.

roncerr · Aug 20, 2010

18pcs said:
This really doesnt make any sense. Is there any way to get an installer for Windows Mail 64bit ? Atleast it has a sensible storage folder system or atleast it is similar to the familiar OE.

Outlook Express was the last system to use *.dbx files to store groups of emails. Windows Mail and WLM store them as individual files (with strange headers) within Explorer's structure. WLM also hides them by default. Not sure what you mean by an "Installer for WM 64bit". There is a tutorial in these forums about how to make Windows Mail work on Windows 7. I'm just confused about what you could do (and how you did it) with Windows Mail in Vista that you can't do with WLM?

18pcs · Aug 21, 2010

I have tried Thunderbird which I didnt like. I have helped my wife with Windows mail on her vista laptop and it seems to be very similar to oe. The folder structure is similar. There are no separate account folders and things stay in place when you move them up or down unlike WLM. Besides I was able to copy the full storage folder and back up to a usb drive/cd drive. I have not had the need to restore this folder but I think it will be just as easy as OE.
By installer for WM i mean I want a file which I can run and install rather than copy folders and play with the registry. If I could find a installer for WM 64 I would mind buying it too.

roncerr · Aug 21, 2010

18pcs said:
...Besides I was able to copy the full storage folder and back up to a usb drive/cd drive. I have not had the need to restore this folder but I think it will be just as easy as OE...

I agree, backup is very important. But as far as I can tell the back up process is the same in WM and WLM. In both cases the the App Data folder is hidden by default in Windows Explorer so you make it visible so you can find the mail folder called either "Windows Mail" in Vista or "Windows Live Mail" in Windows 7. The easiest way to back up is to save the entire folder. To restore I would use the import function within each program and navigate to the backed up folder. If you want to save an individual sub-folder you can do that as well in both programs but WLM does have a more complicated folder structure so it's a little harder to sort out which folders you want to save. WLM's "Storage Folders" are actually called that in Windows Explorer as well so that is easy to find, backup, and restore.

However it looks like you want to sync the full folder structure of your mail program between two computers by working exclusively within Windows Explorer rather than use the import feature. I haven't tried that in OE, WM, or WLM since I use Explorer only for backup and if I have to do a rare restore I can use Import and then move things around within the mail application. All I can suggest is to backup your valuable emails and delete them from WLM in both computers. Then create a few emails to play with and try moving the entire WLM folder (within AppData) from one computer to the other and have it replace the one that's there. (There may be some file permissions that will have to be granted.) Perhaps it will work.

18pcs · Aug 24, 2010

roncerr said:
18pcs said:

This really doesnt make any sense. Is there any way to get an installer for Windows Mail 64bit ? Atleast it has a sensible storage folder system or atleast it is similar to the familiar OE.

Click to expand...

Outlook Express was the last system to use *.dbx files to store groups of emails. Windows Mail and WLM store them as individual files (with strange headers) within Explorer's structure. WLM also hides them by default. Not sure what you mean by an "Installer for WM 64bit". There is a tutorial in these forums about how to make Windows Mail work on Windows 7. I'm just confused about what you could do (and how you did it) with Windows Mail in Vista that you can't do with WLM?[/QUOTE]

You were very right Roncerr. I managed to get WM working, loved the look but folder backup and restore are same like WLM and also I cannot run WM on my laptop which has XP. So for me I have to stick to WLM now until something better comes along. Maybe in this time will get used to it.

Backup emails folders and restore to Laptop

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