Recovering emails from Outlook pst file

[ambriel]

My laptop died last week. Fortunately the hard drive was unaffected and I have this now in a USB enclosure that I can access via my new laptop.

The problem is that the old machine came pre-installed with the SBE version of Office 2007 whereas the new one came with a trial version of Office 2010, which has subsequently been activated as the Starter edition of Office 2010.

So, I have an Office 2007 pst file and only Windows Live Mail on the new laptop.

Can anyone suggest a way of bringing the pst into WLM?

I've already done extensive searching for a solution but they all seem to require that there is a running version of Outlook in order to extract the data from the file and present it in a way that WLM can import.

I did look at Mailstore Home but it says that this configuration (pst) is only supported in the Server version, which having been installed refuses to run claiming the trial period has expired.

Any suggestions please?

Would it just be simpler to fork out another £150 for a key for Office 2010?

 

[jimbo45]

Hi there
download and install pfbackup.exe from the ms site.

Then open outlook backup -- in 2007 it will be added to the main file menu as BACKUP or in 2010 it will be in the ADDINS folder.

Then in the open backup just point the directory to your .pst file

it will then add these folders a local folder which you cam open as normal mail, move the mail to your current active folders and then close it again.

here's the link -- although it doesn't say outlook 2010 it works fine.

Download Details - Microsoft Download Center - Outlook 2007/2003/2002 Add-in: Personal Folders Backup


Cheers
jimbo

 

[ambriel]

Thanks Jimbo, I tried that but it won't let me install on a machine without Outlook loaded - presumably because this machine has 2010 Starter activated that blocks it.

Fortunately I've been able to lay hands on a copy of Offive 2007 which I'm going to install on another PC and activate with my key. Hopefully that'll enable me to export the messages to a format I can then import into WLM.

 

[ambriel]

Well, I think I've managed it.

I installed Outlook 2007 onto the PC. It wouldn't accept my SBE activation key but ran on a 'few trial goes' basis which was enough for me to load it up and connect my personal folders pst file to it.

I then used Mailstore Home Client to archive the Outlook messages, and then exported them as EML files to a folder.

Once that was done I could import them back into WLM from the EML files.

Bit of a marathon, but seems to have worked ok.

Now to uninstall Outlook 2007 and think about whether to shell-out again for a 2010 license...

 

[jimbo45]

Hi there
IMO I wouldn't bother with Window Live Mail.

I WOULD however go for a full 2007 or 2010 office license (Note the Student and Teacher edition doesn't include Outlook).

Just EXCEL alone IMO is worth every penny for the license --I'm a Huge user of spreadsheets -- in fact if my computer was taken away that would be the ONE application I'd miss more than all the others including some multi media apps. (Photoshop would be another one I'd miss and Powerpoint too).

Sometimes it's worth paying for a DECENT product rather than messing about with "Freebies" --although you could consider OPEN OFFICE.

You might find a version of Office 2007 cheaper than 2010 but I'd really go with the current release.

Cheers


jimbo

 

[ambriel]

I agree, however having only relatively recently having spent £150 on Office 2007 I'm more than a bit narked at MS for not providing an upgrade option to 2010.