Solved How Do I Move Email Messages from Old PC (OE) to New PC (WLM)

Durango · Nov 17, 2011

My old PC is running Outlook Express under XP. My new PC is running Windows Live Mail under Windows 7. I want to move my OE email messages/folders to my new PC.

I used Windows Easy Transfer to move most of my data over (documents, pictures, favorites, etc.), but I never saw the option for moving email messages.

So now I'm wondering if I can simply import the messages. WLM has an Import Messages function, where you have three choices for the format you want to import from - OE, WLM or WM. If I want to import in the OE format but yet my OE email messages reside on another PC, how do I direct WLM where to find these messages? Can I move the messages to a flash drive and direct WLM to look there? Or is there a better way? Thanks in advance.

BrightBlessings · Nov 17, 2011

Open OE and then in Tools, Options, on the Maintenance tab, there's a button labeled Store Folder. Click that and it will tell you the folder containing your email folder. Copy and pasting the path into run will open the store folder.

Copy your dbx store folder onto a flash drive and then use the import function in WLM they then will appear in your storage folders in WLM.

This works for me with no problem apart from a little bit of sorting things the way I like them.

Durango · Nov 18, 2011

Thanks for the quick response. What you say makes sense, as I know Windows Easy Transfer didn't move the Messages.

Both PCs belong to a friend who I am trying to help, so I will try your suggestion once I go back over to her house.

koolkat77 · Nov 18, 2011

they are hidden files. go here Import messages into Windows Mail from Outlook Express

Durango · Nov 19, 2011

koolkat77 said:
they are hidden files. go here Import messages into Windows Mail from Outlook Express

Those are good instructions for manually importing the messages......thanks.

But the first thing it says is "you need to transfer the messages manually or use Windows Easy Transfer". I tried twice to use WET to transfer the messages, and I could never get it to work. I never had the opportunity to select "messages" for transfer. I could select documents, pictures, favorites, etc. - but never messages. I wish someone could tell me how to do that - what did I miss?

koolkat77 · Nov 19, 2011

Durango said:
koolkat77 said:

they are hidden files. go here Import messages into Windows Mail from Outlook Express

Click to expand...

Those are good instructions for manually importing the messages......thanks.

But the first thing it says is "you need to transfer the messages manually or use Windows Easy Transfer". I tried twice to use WET to transfer the messages, and I could never get it to work. I never had the opportunity to select "messages" for transfer. I could select documents, pictures, favorites, etc. - but never messages. I wish someone could tell me how to do that - what did I miss?

did you find the hidden files?

BrightBlessings · Nov 19, 2011

Durango said:
koolkat77 said:

they are hidden files. go here Import messages into Windows Mail from Outlook Express

Click to expand...

Those are good instructions for manually importing the messages......thanks.

But the first thing it says is "you need to transfer the messages manually or use Windows Easy Transfer". I tried twice to use WET to transfer the messages, and I could never get it to work. I never had the opportunity to select "messages" for transfer. I could select documents, pictures, favorites, etc. - but never messages. I wish someone could tell me how to do that - what did I miss?

Durango
What I suggested does indeed work. I have done it that way many times.

Durango · Nov 19, 2011

BrightBlessings said:
Durango
What I suggested does indeed work. I have done it that way many times.

I'm sure it does, and I plan on trying it when I return to my friend's house. But I still wonder why Windows Easy Transfer can't be used to transfer email messages, as advertised.

Thanks for your help.........

Durango · Nov 29, 2011

Thanks to all - your suggestions worked and I got my friend's email messages imported to her new computer. The process yielded one thing that I didn't expect. It imported all of her email folders/messges into a folder named Imported Folder under a Heading called Storage Folders. Also under Storage Folders were folders entitled Drafts, Sent Items and Deleted Items. I thought that was a little strange. I couldn't delete these other folders, but she said she could live with that configuration.

So if my friend is happy, I'm happy. :thumbsup:

koolkat77 · Nov 29, 2011

glad

please mark the thread as solved

Durango · Nov 29, 2011

koolkat77 said:
glad please mark the thread as solved

Sorry, I forgot to do that.

roncerr · Dec 2, 2011

Durango said:
...under Storage Folders were folders entitled Drafts, Sent Items and Deleted Items. I thought that was a little strange...

WLM stores messages related to a specific POP3 account under the account. However when it comes to newsgroups or IMAP email accounts, where messages are typically left on the server, there are no folders for storing WLM local objects under the account. That's because the account is reserved for displaying what is on the server. So WLM puts local drafts, sent items, and deleted items related to all of those account types under storage folders. This includes imported files since it's not evident under which pop3 account imported objects belong.

Durango · Dec 2, 2011

roncerr said:
Durango said:

...under Storage Folders were folders entitled Drafts, Sent Items and Deleted Items. I thought that was a little strange...

Click to expand...

WLM stores messages related to a specific POP3 account under the account. However when it comes to newsgroups or IMAP email accounts, where messages are typically left on the server, there are no folders for storing WLM local objects under the account. That's because the account is reserved for displaying what is on the server. So WLM puts local drafts, sent items, and deleted items related to all of those account types under storage folders. This includes imported files since it's not evident under which pop3 account imported objects belong.

Thanks for the explanation. Is there anyway I can now delete these empty folders under Storage Folders, since they will never be used? My friend uses the correspoinding folders under her POP3 account.

roncerr · Dec 2, 2011

Durango said:
...Is there anyway I can now delete these empty folders under Storage Folders, since they will never be used?...

You can't delete the 3 built-in folders under "Storage"; you can delete anything else you added. The storage area may come in handy for saving items from one of the accounts before deleting the account; otherwise when you delete the account all the saved messsages under it will be deleted with it. Also, your friend may want to try imap or newsgroups someday and they won't work right without the storage area.

Solved How Do I Move Email Messages from Old PC (OE) to New PC (WLM)

New member

My Computer

New member

My Computer

New member

My Computer

New member

My Computer

New member

My Computer

New member

My Computer

New member

My Computer

New member

My Computer

New member

My Computer

New member

My Computer

New member

My Computer

New member

My Computer

New member

My Computer

New member

My Computer