Windows 7: Where are my emails after a backup restore?

I backed up a PC with HD errors and restored to a new PC. Everything, including my contacts in windows live mail was restored, but the most important information in my case, namely all my email messages are nowhere to be found, not to mention the server settings for email server which had to be manually reset.

This seem to be about the most important data set for most people, other than family photos, so can someone please tell me where my email files are and why backup/restore ignores them. I don't understand why this has wasted hours of my time. I must be missing something ridiculously obvious.

Thanks

Hi Debra,
Have you checked this earlier thread for some guidance?

why is restore not restoring my emails?

I read that but it tells me nothing. I don't have any indications of any corruption.

If you still have access to your old PC, and haven't tried this already, give this a try:

Windows Live Mail - Export and Import Email Accounts

Windows Live Mail - Export and Import Email Messages

I believe the problems you are facing relate to the fact you are restoring to a different machine.

Hope this helps.

I am about to set up the old machine and do as you suggest, but the whole point of backups is to be able to restore to a new PC if the old fails. That MS doesn't have an answer for this problem is pitiful, and for the record I had a similar problem when doing an "easy transfer" to another PC a year ago. Only windows live mail is the problem.

Ok, good luck this time around.

Please let us know how you get on.

As a matter of interest, what backup & resore method did you use?
Also, not sure what version of WLM you are running but there may be a later version available - not saying that may fix the problem though.

I'm not particularly surprised mail was not backed up. You need to find out the folder in which the saved email resides on the old hard drive and do the necessary to back it up manually WITHOUT using a backup program. That means old-fashioned drag and drop of that folder to some other location periodically.

It's a good idea to do that periodically with ALL of your personal files. I never rely on a backup program to be my only backup.

Windows Backup is not particularly easy to understand and it may be that you simply made an error in its settings--or not. You might consider other backup programs---imaging programs for Windows and so-called "file by file" backup programs for personal data. Any decent file by file program can be configured to backup up specific folders.

So, you are saying windows backup doesn't work for email. Is that a known secret?

No, I'm not saying that.

As far as I know, it backs up what it is asked to back up.

But it can by cryptic and not easily understood. If you don't fully understand it and make the correct choices, you naturally won't be sure what it is doing.

That's why I decided early on not to use it. Those who do use it successfully ascended the learning curve----I wasn't willing to take the time to do that because there are less cryptic alternatives.

When I have done a System Restore in the past, it also makes my email resend from the Restore Date forward. Give System Restore a try if you have any points to go back to.