Windows Mail

mick823 said:

Poppa Bear,

I installed the WLM Beta (Wave 4) and it solves a few of the dislikes I had with the previous version. Like you, I am annoyed by the multiple accounts listing in the left side panel and would prefer a single master account. I have 4 email accounts and the left panel is just too cluttered with multiple folders to suit my taste.

I am still trying to figure out how/where WLM stores the contact information. Some experimenting shows contact information in at least 3 locations on the hard drive.
\Users\YourUserName\Contacts is the contact list from the Windows Mail Program. (Not WLM)
\Program Files\Windows Live\Contacts has a series of .dll files and no visible "contact" information.
\Users\YourUserName\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows Live Contacts contains 3 folders with names such as {e38afe96-0218-476c-9ec8-df7623a011af} which are all empty.

Experimenting by adding a test contact while in Windows Mail, closing the program and opening Windows Live Mail to find that the test contact is not there tells me that the contact information is being stored somewhere other than the Users\YourUserName\Contacts folder that is used by Windows Mail. The question is where? Any ideas?

The following information is applicable to Windows Live Mail Wave 4 Beta.

There are three main contacts folders found in the following pathways.

Item 1 contains .contact type files. Individual contacts are visible and can be added/deleted/edited. These contacts are not used by Windows Live Mail except to be imported into WLM contact folders.

Items 2, 3 & 4 contain .edb type files. Individual contacts are not visible, and can only be added/deleted/edited through Contacts button in main window of Windows Live Mail. It is necessary to make hidden files visible and also untick the 3 options under show hidden files to be able to see all these folders.

1. Start Orb --> User Name --> Contacts --> billsmith.contact

2. Start Orb --> User Name --> AppData --> Local --> Microsoft --> Windows Live --> Contacts -->

a) Default Account --> DBStore --> contacts.edb

b) Default --> DBStore --> contacts.edb

3. Start Orb --> User Name --> AppData --> Local --> Microsoft --> Windows Live Contacts --> {alpha numeric string} --> DBStore -->

a) Backup --> New --> contacts.edb

b) contacts.edb

The following is a summary of the effect of singularly deleting each one of the contacts.edb files with either "Sign in" or "Stop signing in" switched on, found at:

Open: WinLiveMail --> Top Left tab WLM main window --> Options --> Mail --> Connections tab --> Sign in or Stop signing in.

For the sake of simplicity, the results will be listed as 2a, 2b, 3a & 3b.

A) Stop signing in: Switched on. This stops synchronizing of web based contacts and hard drive contacts, which happens in both scenarios 1 & 2 in part (B).

2a Contacts visible. No effect.
2b Contacts gone. New, empty contact.edb file created.
3a Contacts visible. No effect.
3b Contacts visible. No effect.

B) Sign in: Switched on. "Remember to sign me in" box unticked at start up prompt.

Scenario 1. Do not sign in to Windows Live on start up of WinLiveMail by cancelling prompt.

2a Contacts gone. New, empty contact.edb file created.
2b Contacts visible. No effect.
3a Contacts visible. No effect.
3b Contacts visible. No effect.


Scenario 2. Sing in to Windows Live on start up of WinLiveMail using prompt sign in.

2a Contacts gone. New, empty contact.edb file created.
2b Contacts visible. No effect.
3a Contacts visible. No effect.
3b Contacts visible. No effect.

Interpretation of results:

A) Stop signing in switched on so you are never signed in to Windows Live.

The contacts are stored in DBStore folder found at:

Start Orb --> User Name --> AppData --> Local --> Microsoft --> Windows Live --> Contacts --> Default --> DBStore --> contacts.edb


B) Sign in: Switched on. "Remember to sign me in" box unticked at start up prompt.

Scenarios 1 & 2. Whether signed in to Windows Live or not, at prompt on start up of WinLiveMail.

The contacts are stored in DBStore folder found at:

Start Orb --> User Name --> AppData --> Local --> Microsoft --> Windows Live --> Contacts --> Default Account --> DBStore --> contacts.edb


* When you have "Stop signing in" switched on, you're never signed in to Windows Live Mail: The contacts used are stored on the hard drive in DBStore under:

Start Orb --> User Name --> AppData --> Local --> Microsoft --> Windows Live --> Contacts --> Default --> DBStore --> contacts.edb

* When you have "Sign in" switched on in Connections tab, whether you actually sign in or not: The contacts used are stored on the hard drive in DBStore under:

Start Orb --> User Name --> AppData --> Local --> Microsoft --> Windows Live --> Contacts --> Default Account --> DBStore --> contacts.edb

Notice they're both in Windows Live, not Windows Live Contacts. You'll have to draw your own conclusions.

Cheers PB

Well, there is this video on Youtube where reinstating Windows Mail on Windows 7 seems to be easier than this method.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4ECd...dY&feature=sub

Greg S said:

Is there any way to lose the Quick Views in the top left pane of WLM? I have the Unread Mail check box selected and grayed out..

Yes greg there is a way,lol. Menus toolbarbutton > Layout > Folder Pane. Uncheck the Show Quick Views

Question: why would anyone want to show the Storage Folders? Isn't the Windows Mail tree above it the same thing?

Hey Greg, sorry I gave you a bum steer in an earlier post on losing the Quick Views folder in left panel. I thought you meant delete it entirely from the program.

Yeah, why would you want Storage Folders!!! I peronally leave the Quick Views and configure it to use it as a master folder, a bit like Local Folders in WinMail, so I don't have to open each individual account.

BTW WLM Wave 4 doesn't have a Menu view. Most of the command buttons are shown in the "Ribbon"... see post here. Item 4 is a pic of the View tab which has buttons towards the right top for layout options.