Solved No clue on how to get Windows Mail into WLM

[boweasel]

I've tried so many different methods that have not worked, but the bottom line is that I only have a handful of messages on WLM, all for today, whereas on my Vista Windows Mail I have hundreds of emails that go back to 2011. I really need those emails,

And I can find no method for exporting/importing my contacts.

When I set up the Windows 7 desktop, one of the things that seemed really simple was setting up WLM. I had already set up my Verizon mail seperately, and it seemed like all the fields in WLM were populated with the correct info, so I was done in just a few mouse clicks.

Then I noticed that my Windows Live mail only contained the Verizon mail that had been received that day, and that I had no contacts.

One of the confusing things to me is whether I actually have a Microsoft account, or not. Or NEED one. I dunno. I certainly don't remember specifically creating one, yet I do have WLM on the W7 PC, and it is working. It's just not working properly.

I have gone onto the Vista PC, Windows mail and selected export and created an .iaf file which I copied to an empty folder on an external drive which I then connected to the W7 and tried to import into WLM. It said there were no messages in the folder. In Vista I then navigated a folder I had to unhide - somewhere in C:\users\(user name)\appdata\local\microsoft\Windows Mail if I remember correctly - copied that to the external drive, went to WLM in attempted to import that folder. That sort of worked in that I at least got 2 days worth of msgs from Vista's Windows Mail into WLM, but there's a couple of hundred msgs that never made it.

I then deleted the mail account in WLM and attempted to export/import the mail settings from WM to WLM, and apparently got the WLM email re-setup, but I have only a few msgs, all from today.

I then tried to set up a Microsoft account, in case I wasn't already set up. Thay ultimately ended on a 'Microsoft account is unavailable. Microsoft account is unavailable from this site, so you can't sign in or sign up. The site may be experiencing problems.

I am befuddled.

 

[Kaktussoft]

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/3798-windows-live-mail-import-windows-mail-messages.html
Windows Mail - Messages

Where do you get stuck?

 

[ThrashZone]

See if this helps,
How to transfer emails and contacts from Outlook Express to Windows - Microsoft Community

 

[Kaktussoft]

For the contacts... just put them in C:\Users\<windows logon name>\Contacts on new machine and grep them from C:\Users\<windows logon name>\Contacts on old machine

 

[boweasel]

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/3798-windows-live-mail-import-windows-mail-messages.html
Windows Mail - Messages

Where do you get stuck?

One of the problems is that the screenshots I always encounter do not resemble what I'm seeing in WLM on the W7 PC. And this is the first time I've ever seen anything that mentions Storage Folders. My screens look different than the tutorial ones, but on the left of my WLM screen I have (underneath Outbox) Storage Folders. Under that I have Drafts, Sent Items and Deleted Items. All are empty. Under that is Imported Folder, Imported Folder (1), then IF (2), (3) and (4). All of the Imported Folders have an arrow to their left. When I open the last one (IF4), I see the folder I created (1msgs). I saw this folder get populated on Windows Mail with 623 items from my inbox, a couple hundred sent, etc. There is another arrow to the left of 1msgs. When I click that I see Local Folders and Microsoft Communities. Local Folders has the arrow which contains Deleted Items, Drafts, Inbox, Junk Email, Outbox and Sent Items. Clicking Inbox just brings up a page of envelopes under the From heading, with nothing in the subject , and a date of today at 3:55 PM.

Oh wait... if I continue to scroll in the seemingly empty box I eventually come to my emails. I ignored the hundreds of lines of 'blanks' and selected all the actual emails, and copied them to the inbox. They are now all there. Thanks.

Now for the Contacts. I don't even know where they're listed in WLM, let alone how to import them from WM

 

[Kaktussoft]

Messages are back correct?
Contacts are in folder C:\<oldusername>\Contacts. Just copy them to your account C:\<newusername>\Contacts

 

[boweasel]

For the contacts... just put them in C:\Users\<windows logon name>\Contacts on new machine and grep them from C:\Users\<windows logon name>\Contacts on old machine

I see you actually answered my followup question before I asked it..., but I don't follow you... What does 'grep them them from c:\users\...' mean? I copied the Contacts file from the old PC to the new one, but when I click on Contacts on the botton left of the WLM screen I get a msg 'You have no contacts. To see your contacts from Windows Live sign on with your Windows Live ID, and there is a clickable sign in link. I don't know what my Windows Live ID is, or if I even have one. I did ask previously if I needed one, and I was beginning to think I didn't, but now....?

 

[Kaktussoft]

new pc C:\Users\<your windows logon name>\Contacts now has a lot of files? Click on some of them. Are they contact info?

 

[Kaktussoft]

Can't you simple EXPORT the contacts on old machine. Afterwards import on new machine.
C:\<username>\Contacts was not the correct location... wrong google link... sorry.

 

[boweasel]

new pc C:\Users\<your windows logon name>\Contacts now has a lot of files? Click on some of them. Are they contact info?

Yes, contacts seem to all be in that file. I just don't see them in WLM.

 

[boweasel]

Can't you simple EXPORT the contacts on old machine. Afterwards import on new machine.
C:\<username>\Contacts was not the correct location... wrong google link... sorry.

On WLM I don't see an option to import Contacts. Just Import Messages.

 

[Kaktussoft]

Can't you simple EXPORT the contacts on old machine. Afterwards import on new machine.
C:\<username>\Contacts was not the correct location... wrong google link... sorry.

On WLM I don't see an option to import Contacts. Just Import Messages.

When you exported in windows mail.... what file(s) were created? A csv-file or multiple files?

How to import contacts in Windows Live Mail? - YouTube

 

[Kaktussoft]

Do this! http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/3818-windows-live-mail-import-windows-7-vista-contacts.html

 

[boweasel]

Do this! http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/3818-windows-live-mail-import-windows-7-vista-contacts.html

YESSSS! That was the missing step. Why doesn't Microsoft simply supply step by step instructions on how to do this stuff? Instead, now YOU, as a contributor to this forum, and I have to copy the procedure, because I've never seen it fully workable script listed anywhere else.

And if I want to access my WLM from another PC, does THAT PC have to have Windows Live Mail installed? That's certainly a problem! Not every PC that's even capable of using WLM actually has it installed. The only reason I ask is because my Verizon Email disappears. I've gone into the WLM settings on W7 and the WM settings on the Vista PC and check-marked the box that says to keep a copy of my email on the server. I doesn't matter. It populates with a few emails, then it goes away.

 

[Kaktussoft]

Do this! http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/3818-windows-live-mail-import-windows-7-vista-contacts.html

YESSSS! That was the missing step. Why doesn't Microsoft simply supply step by step instructions on how to do this stuff? Instead, now YOU, as a contributor to this forum, and I have to copy the procedure, because I've never seen it fully workable script listed anywhere else.

And if I want to access my WLM from another PC, does THAT PC have to have Windows Live Mail installed? That's certainly a problem! Not every PC that's even capable of using WLM actually has it installed. The only reason I ask is because my Verizon Email disappears. I've gone into the WLM settings on W7 and the WM settings on the Vista PC and check-marked the box that says to keep a copy of my email on the server. I doesn't matter. It populates with a few emails, then it goes away.

Never get mail from the mailserver form 2 or more pc's! Half of the mail will be on 1 pc....other half on other pc. Unless..... you " check-mark the box that says to keep a copy of my email on the server" and 'get the messages form another pc before they expire.

If that doesn't work... hmmm .... does WLM delete it even if that option has been checked (check on other pc)? Or does WM delete it (check on other pc)?

WLM is just an mail client... it doens't matter if other pc's have another mailclient

 

[boweasel]

I'm thinking it might be a phone problem. One of our phones might be set up with a third party mail client, and if that box is unchecked on that phone, I'm figuring that it overrides the settings on Windows Mail and WLM.

 

[Kaktussoft]

I'm thinking it might be a phone problem. One of our phones might be set up with a third party mail client, and if that box is unchecked on that phone, I'm figuring that it overrides the settings on Windows Mail and WLM.

That setting tells the mailserver to keep the mail (most of the time fetched mails are kept for 14 days). If client hasn't that setting... mail will be deleted on mail server after fetching it.

So it doesn't overidde any settings!!! If phone has that setting not checked..... any other client doesn't see the mail anymore (after fetching by phone).... it's already deleted.

Easy to test (just send yourself a mail). Adjust the settings so it works

 

[boweasel]

That setting tells the mailserver to keep the mail (most of the time fetched mails are kept for 14 days). If client hasn't that setting... mail will be deleted on mail server after fetching it.

So it doesn't overidde any settings!!! If phone has that setting not checked..... any other client doesn't see the mail anymore (after fetching by phone).... it's already deleted.

Easy to test (just send yourself a mail). Adjust the settings so it works

Maybe we're on a slightly different page, here. I WANT to keep the mail on the Verizon server. That way I can easily check my email at work, where I don't have Windows Live Mail or Windows Mail. I just have access to the internet where I can sign on to Verizon, enter my password and view my email. The problem is that my Verizon email gets pulled off the server by some unknown mail client. It can't be happening on my Vista desktop, since Windows Mail has the box checked to keep a copy. Ditto for Windows 7 and Windows Live Mail.

That's why I'm thinking it's some setting on my phone or my wife's. If WLM fetches the Verizon mail and keeps a copy, and the 10 minutes later Windows Mail fetches and leaves a copy, and then 10 minutes later the phone fetches and deletes it from Verizon... well, that would explain it, wouldn't it?

 

[derekimo]

When you say "Some unknown mail client" are you talking about on the phones?

What kind of phones? There has to be a setting somewhere.

 

[boweasel]

Well, I'm guessing the phones. I've taken the battery out of my iphone, and all my Verizon emails are still on the Verizon webmail page. It's been over 3 hours now, and the emails since 6:49 PM EST are on both WLM and Verizon webmail.