How do I move my Outlook Express folders to my new machine?

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Hello
I have some problems moving accounts from one XP comp to another. (The simple thing to do is to configure mail account on another machine but often the user doesn't remembers account settings). The problem is that comp with info that I need doesn't work so I can access the HD but not boot XP from it to simply export to *iaf.
Is there a way to move/copy account settings without opening OE on comp with needed info.
The other question is how to export account settings in Outlook 2003?

hope to get an answer:)

Or, you can simply do it with some software tool.

For example: http://www.amicutilities.com/outlook-express-backup

That's shareware, so you can download it, backup on one computer, restore to the other ( no limitations in the trial ), and then uninstall.

The shareware version worked just fine for me, no need to buy it! :) ( however, if I will use it for regular backups I would buy it )

Works both with MS Outlook and Outlook Express

Alicia

I want to move all mail from hotmail inbox to outlook express in my computer, i try number of times, after completing configuration showing me error.

ex: could not connect to hotmail as msay_ali@hotmail.com.

Hotmail no longer allows email access via Outlook Express for free email accounts.

That error message seems pretty clear.

I made the mistake of trying to open .dbx files with outlook now all my .dbx files have changed to
outlook for type of file and opens with outlook
express. So my computer sees all .dbx files as outlook files. Any suggestion to correct this?

It shouldn't matter. If you just run Outlook Express it'll open the files correctly. Just don't try to double click on dbx files in Windows Explorer.

Having tried to follow instructions using high level Export and Import commands and then failed I did my own research and with other info I found on the net I did succeed. So here is how to do it.
Instead of trying the high level approach by using the commands on the OE page I drilled down to locate the actual Folder files and found where they are located on each PC. Then I simply copied these files from the old PC to the new PC. Then with one more trick involving a file called “Folder.dbx” I got my new PC to recognize the new Folder files now on my new PC and display them in OE.
It is quite an easy process – once you know how.
I did not attempt to bring my Address book over – one step is enough at a time.

Here is what I did:
( My old PC is using OE version 6 on Windows98 )
1. On the old Win98 PC go to Explorer and ask it to Find in C:\ drive the folder called Outlook Express.
2. Among the list of files and folders that then display you will see one called C:\Documents and Settings\Your username\Application Data\Identities\{a very long number in form xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxx}\Microsoft\Outlook Express.
3. Click on that folder location displayed on the Find results page displayed and it will open
4. You will then see several files displayed with the dbx extension. The files listed are your OE folders and will include Inbox.dbx, Outbox.dbx, Sent.dbx, Deleted.dbx, as well as each of your other OE folders each with an extension of dbx. Note there is one file called Folder.dbx – this is a special file as I’ll explain soon.
5. I am not an OE guru but I think that OE stores its information in a database (db) format. Hence the extension “dbx”on each folder we found. I imagine the “x” is to label the files as belonging to “outlook eXpress” ie the “x” from the word Express. The file Folder.dbx I think lists or is a pointer to the folders in use so OE knows which ones to display. I noticed that deleted folders seem to remain in the Outlook Express folder (until it is restarted), so the Folder.dbx points only to the folders still in use in your OE.
6. If you have already used OE on the new PC and you want to keep the information in the Folders already created you need to add another step. Create new folders in the newPC called Old_Inbox,Old_Sent,Old_Deleted. Then paste all your emails in your Inbox,Sent and Deleted into these folders.You can later paste them into Inbox, Sent and Deleted folders after the oldPC folders have been copied over to the newPC.
7. Now COPY and PASTE all the files with .dbx to a file on a removable media eg a CD, or removable hard drive, or USB memory stick, etc etc. With ONE exception however. DO NOT copy the Folder.dbx file across. Best leave it behind. Alternatively, just delete it from the files copied to the removable media
8. Connect or insert the removable media to the WinXP new PC
9. Repeat steps 1 to 4 on the new PC using the Search command for Files and Folders in XP. You will find on your new PC the same folder location with identical files with .dbx, except for your customized folders in OE on your old PC. Note there is a Folders.dbx file here too on the new PC
10. Now COPY and PASTE all the dbx extension files on the removable media into the Outlook Express folder you have just located in your search on the new PC. Easiest to PASTE these into the Outlook Express folder displayed in the Search page results on the new PC.
11. Now if you OPEN OE in the new PC you will notice that none of your customized Folders from OE on the old PC appear. But do not panic yet. This is because the new PC’s Folders.dbx file on the new PC is not yet pointing to these files.
12. Fortunately OE will create a new Folders.dbx file if it cannot find it when OE is Opened. Perhaps you could DELETE it but as a safer approach just change its extension dbt from dbx, so you can easily restore it if you have to. You will need to close OE first or it won’t allow you to do this.
13. Now reopen OE on the new PC and lo! your customised folders will now appear each with their emails inside.
14. Open each of the folders called Old_Inbox, etc and paste their emails content into the folders called Inbox, etc. Check the emails are all in the new Inbox,etc folders.Then DELETE the folders Old_Inbox,etc
15. Lastly, go to the Outlook Express folder on your Search results page and see what files are there. Note there is a new file there called Folders.dbx as well as the Folders.dbt. DELETE the Folders.dbt or you can leave it there until you feel comfortable all this is working OK.

Goal: Move ALL existing Outlook Express folders from PC1 (desktop) to NBK1 (Lenovo T60).

Result: Outlook Express on NBK1 imported only a subset of ALL existing Outlook Express folders.

Note1: At home in Bellevue, my ISP is COMCAST.

Note2: I needed to make this "email transfer" from PC1 to NBK1 because I wanted to use my email away from Bellevue, in Vienna.

Note3: I screen-captured each single step in a Powerpoint file - I know exactly what I did.

BEGIN SUMMARY OF MY STEPS:

(1) In Bellevue, I copied ALL existing Outlook Express folders (some 150 folders, 234 MB total) from PC1 to an IOMEGA 40 GB portable HDD.

(2) In Vienna, I copied those same ALL existing Outlook Express folders from the IOMEGA 40 GB portable HDD to NBK1, My Documents/OUTLOOK EXPRESS/Outlook Express PC1 subfolder; verified all files copied OK.

(3) In Vienna, I configured the email account first to make sure "email works". See explanation further below in Note5.

(4) I then followed exactly the "importing steps" described by you - which I printed in August and took along with me to Vienna.

(5) When done, I immediately noticed that the subfolders named CCC, DDD, FFF, PPP, ... ZZZ (with all their further nested subfolders) failed to appear in Outlook Express on NBK1.

(6) I verified that, e.g. "Fields, Michael.dbx" was indeed in the specified location, yet it did not get imported.

(7) I decided to work - while in Vienna - with only a subset of the original Outlook Express folders and check with you upon my return to Seattle in September.

END SUMMARY OF MY STEPS

Note4: The existing inbox with several read and several unread emails was imported correctly. The "newly created inbox" started receiving "new emails" on location in Vienna - through a different ISP - without any problems.

Note5: Sending email repeatedly produced an error message "... authentication required ...". After some research of my own, I came to understand that it was necessary to ADDITIONALLY check the box "My server requires authentication" for the Outgoing Mail Server and further specify for Logon Information "Use same settings as my incoming mail server". This is not necessary when I use email on a computer connected to my COMCAST-provided cable modem Internet connection at my home in Bellevue.

Note6: In the Outlook Express on NBK1, I kept "all newly created emails" either in the Inbox or in the Sent Items. I did not contaminate the previously existing folders named AAA, BBB, HHH, etc with any new items.

Dear Leo, I work in the rocket launching business at Boeing so I am accustomed to some mishaps and failures here and there in our own business ... this particular Outlook Express failure has me stumped - please advise what I could try next !

Thanks, Peter Halamek in Bellevue

Here are some other hints on moving Outlook Express mail from one computer to another:
1. First copy the Outlook Express folder from the source computer by this method using a floppy or USB drive:
(a) On that computer click START, then SEARCH and in the file-name box enter OUTLOOK EXPRESS
(b) In the SEARCH window, go to VIEW and select DETAILS to properly see the results
(c) Find the OUTLOOK EXPRESS folder that is buried in a directory with a long name like this: "c:\documents & settings\username\local settings\application data\identities\long string of characters\microsoft"
(d)Right Click on that folder and select SEND TO and then select your moveable media, floppy, USB Drive, etc.

2. You can either merge this to your other computer by jumping to 4. below or you can create a separate mail box folder such as TransferIN and TransferSENT to keep these files isolated from your current Inbox and Sent folders. To create the isolated folders:
(a)Open Outlook Express in the destination computer and right click on LOCAL FOLDERS in the directory list on the left (If not in view, goto VIEW, LAYOUT and click FOLDER LIST). In the right click menu, select NEW FOLDER and enter a folder name such as TransferIN. Create another folder named TransferSENT.
(b)CRITICAL point: In Outlook Express you must now double click on these two new mail folders to activate them. Click on TransferIN until it opens and shows "no items.." and then TransferSENT until it opens. THIS IS A MUST.
(c)Goto START and click MY COMPUTER. Click on the floppy or USB drive containing your copied folder. Right click on INBOX.dbx and select RENAME. Change the name of that file to TransferIN.dbx (must have the extension and exact spelling previously used). Do the same with SENT ITEMS.dbx and rename to TransferSENT.dbx.

3. Transfer by going to the FILE menu and selecting IMPORT then Messages. Select your version of OE (you can go back to your source computer and open OE there, go to HELP and ABOUT to identify the version).
(a) Select "IMPORT MAIL FROM AN OE6 STORE DIRECTORY" click OK
(b)Click BROWSE and find your floppy/USB drive and click the + sign to its left; then select OUTLOOK EXPRESS and click OK
(c)Click NEXT and then click SELECTED FOLDERS
(d)Highlight TransferIN and then hold down the CTRL Key and highlight TransferSENT. Release and both these files MUST BE highlighted!
(e)With both highlighted, click NEXT and those two folders will transfer the emails to your destination computer and into those mailboxes by that name.

4. If you just want to merge the transferred emails into your existing INBOX and SENT ITEMS folders, skip step 2 above and follow the instructions in Step 3 above except in 3(d) select the files INBOX.db and SENT ITEMS.dbx since you haven't changed them.

Best of luck

Hi Leo,
re importing a wab file of the addresses saved earlier or from another pc etc. My problem is I followed your instructions, and the imported addresses in the source wab file are sorted into dozens of folders. But on importing, the addresses are just lumped together in the main identity contact list folder - ie the original folders are not re created - which would take hours to do manually. Any suggestions? ps i am using OE5, prefer to keep it for safety sake - upgrades can be painful.

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