Outlook express to windows live mail

I've just spent the last five days researching how to import orphan Outlook Express .dbx folders (and the unseen email messages in them) from a backup drive from an XP machine to to WLM (and Thunderbird) on a 64-bit Win 7 machine, so I think I can be of some assistance on the first steps. The Outlook Express .dbx files by themselves are unusable until they have been reconstituted within the Outlook Express program. The trick is to create empty folder names in Outlook Express on any XP machine that exactly match the names of the .dbx files containing the messages you want to import into Thunderbird or WLM. For example, if you have .dbx file named Jill's Music.dbx, you'd create a folder named Jill's Music within Outlook Express. You'll need to click on each folder after it has been created; otherwise, the .dbx file will not be created in the message store. Shut down Outlook Express, then copy the .dbx files containing your messages to the folder that contains the new empty .dbx files, i.e., overwrite the empty files with your .dbx files containing your email messages. (You can search the internet on how to find the message store location. The trick there is to change the default Windows option to show hidden files; otherwise, often you won't be able to see the folder in Explorer.) When you fire up Outlook Express, all your folders and messages will be present. When you download and install WLM on the XP machine, it'll automatically import all the Outlook Express folders and messages. (Note: my first intention was to import into Thunderbird from Outlook Express using the above approach, but apparently Thunderbird can't handle importing large numbers of messages -- it just grinds away for hours w/out discernable progress. It will work with small numbers of messages, however.) My next step, which I haven't yet done, is transfer the WLM files to the Win 7 machine. I'll let you know how that goes.

Finally after much frustration, I have finally got my G-Mail accounts in WLM to not only receive but to finally send. Now WLM will let you add subfolders for which I have, WLM also will allow you to set message rules so as to direct the incoming mail to the proper folder/sub folder within WLM just like in OE, only problem is they are not working and have no idea as to why. Seems like every thing is going to the WLM Inbox, one other thing comes to mind is that I have rules set up for mail to be redirected to sub folders in WLM Inbox and they work, but the Rules set up for any other account and folders don't work at all, mail just goes to the respected Inbox.

Some day this will all get sorted out and working properly.

Ok, reporting on the last step of converting Outlook Express on a Windows XP machine to Windows Live Mail (WLM) on a Win 7 64-bit machine: copying the Outlook Express files (.dbx) to a thumb drive, launching WLM on the Win 7 64-bit machine, importing files of Outlook Express type and pointing to the .dbx files on the thumb drive was successful -- all the messages and their attachments were imported successfully. There was some doubt at first that it had worked, as each folder appeared to be empty. However, clicking on each folder started the indexing process in WLM for that folder and all the messages appeared, in turn.

The same process also worked for importing the .dbx files from Outlook Express into Thunderbird 2 on the Windows 7 (64-bit) machine. The important first step, again, is to ensure that all folders and their messages are viewable from within Outlook Express before using the .dbx files for importing into WLM or Thunderbird, as the process didn't work for me, otherwise. Please see my first post regarding creating empty folders in Outlook Express to match the .dbx names and moving the .dbx files into the folder containing the Outlook Express message store.

Thanks to TheSchaft for the tip re: displaying the menu in WLM, as all this wouldn't have been possible w/out that piece of information.

Hi im new to the foreum and win7 as well. i imported oe messages to wlm and found them in the storage folder. next day i login to wlm and storage folder is empty.

not sure what happened. any suggestions?

TheSchaft said:

DeaconFrost said:

If it was me, I'd probably load Windows Live Mail on the old box and see if it asks to import OE's information. Once it does, export it however WLM does it, and move those files by flash drive to the new computer, and import them.

This will work. It is the way I moved all the mail, settings, contacts, rules, account info from OE on XP to WLM on Windows 7.

When I loaded WLM on the XP machine, it automatically did the transfer/import. I then got a copy of KLS - KLS Mail Backup - Freeware Outlook Express, Windows Live Mail, Thunderbird, Firefox backup and backed up the WLM to an external drive.

On the Windows 7 machine, I ran WLM, let it set its default folders, then did a "recovery" using KLS. Loaded in everything but the passwords.

rmbrad said:

...I really hate to think I have to type all of these contacts into a new mail program.

If you use the WLM import wizard, the only thing you have to do is create new folders and sort them. Are you saying they won't import using any of the input formats (like .wab or .csv)?