Summary: Windows XP keeps your user data in a different place than Windows 9x. Your Outlook Express folders are part of that user data.
I upgraded to WinXP and my Outlook Express Inbox items disappeared ... are they lost?
Probably not. Personally I would have expected the upgrade to automatically handle this but perhaps there are technical issues that prevent it. It boils down to fundamentals: Windows 9x is fundamentally a single-user operating system and Windows XP is fundamentally a multiple-user operating system.
And that means that XP needs to organize things a little differently.
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Under Windows 9x (which includes Windows 95, 98 and Windows Me), Outlook Express probably placed your folders in database files kept somewhere underneath "c:\windows\Application Data\Microsoft\OutlookExpress". I say probably because there are some differences based on how your system and OE are configured.
Under Windows XP, those same files will probably reside somewhere underneath "c:\documents and settings\[username]\..." where "[username]" is replaced with the account name used to log into Windows. That means that each user that logs into the machine will have a different set of Outlook Express folders.
I'm guessing that after your upgrade Outlook Express was configured to look in the location appropriate to Windows XP but that your old folders remained in their Windows 9x location.
First, let's find exactly where your mail folders are. Press the Start button, Search, For Files or Folders.... Press All files and folders, then enter *.dbx as All or part of the filename: (Outlook Express keeps your mail in ".dbx" files). Press Search and let it go.
You'll probably find that there are .dbx files in two locations: the newer one underneath "c:\documents and settings", and another. Remember or write down that other.
To recover the mail that is in those old folders, we'll import the messages into the new location.
In Outlook Express hit the File menu, then Import, then Messages.... Select the appropriate Microsoft Outlook Express from the list of options, press Next, and Next again. At this point Outlook Express should be telling you that it thinks your messages are stored in a certain location. If that's the location of the old files we discovered above, great, but if not press the Browse button and select the directory where those old mail files are located.
Press Next and Outlook Express should import all your old messages.
You can read more about where Outlook Express stores its mail, and how to change that to your own liking in this Knowledgebase Article: How to Change the Default Location of Mail and News Folders.
Article C1912 - March 24, 2004
I have same problem as the subject. I also can't import, same as comment posted by Jan Hendrik Rust at April 4, 2007 04:53 AM. Where do you post your answer?
Posted by: Rory at May 15, 2007 2:58 AMhi, brother thank you for hte prior solution
Posted by: rosansharma at May 17, 2007 4:23 AM.now i am having a problem in 2000 server
after installing remote desktop in machine ,i cannot connect to that machine through other machines ,
so i want to know that from where to enable
remote desktop in windows 2000 server
help me as soon as u get the mail
and in details
Sir,
Posted by: Santosh Srivastava at June 19, 2007 5:20 AMI have installed WinXp on my laptop and import outlook 6 data from PC ( OS-Win98 ).
In Win98 outlook data are saved
"c:\windows\Application Data\Microsoft\OutlookExpress".
But I can't findout in where are saved outlook data in WinXp. How can backed up my outlook data.
Please Help me.
the outlook express inbox email address i cannot find it thanks
Posted by: Roland Grupp at September 28, 2007 2:02 AMthank for your help, save my rear side..
Posted by: larry at October 2, 2007 7:05 PMLeo - Employee has a pc running winxp pro and oe6 already collecting emails and an old pc running win98 and oe6 emails. Can I combine the two inbox and sent items emails on the xp pro pc and how?
Posted by: Lori at January 22, 2008 11:37 AMThanks in advance,
Lori
My system crashed after trying to install an old version of Alien Vs Predator. It would not boot into XP pro at all. I tried everything recomended by HP but to no avail. I reinstalled (flashed) the operating system from the backup partition over the existing one but this deleted my username Walt account and renamed it HP_Administrator. All three of my other username accounts were ok but my personal one walt with the email was renamed. this account had my outlook files about 4 years worth. overlaying the OS let me back into the system, but When I scan for any outlook files it gives me only the other accounts but not my Walt usesrname account which is the one I need. Has XP, Outlook, or Inboxer renamed the outlook files to something else or is it possible it is encripted somewhere on the system? Is my walt account gone for ever now? I cant find any reference to it and my system is too buggy now and I must wipe the drive but not before i know there is no hope. We are building a house and all our contact info was in there also much over seas family stuff. Is it too late for my outlook 10 or 11 files. has my walt account been renamed and squished somewere. The new HP_Admin account had all the desktop Items downloaded and my pictures from my Walt account in it. Its really weird. there is just no walt Account in Documents and settings.
Posted by: walt at March 4, 2008 10:09 PMHi, Leo
Posted by: Joseph at June 27, 2008 4:13 PMThank you so much for answering my questions in advance. I just upgraded my Windows 2000pro. to Windows XP and lost all emails in outlook express. Can you give me a help? Thanks again!
Joseph
In my outlook express inbox, some of my mails get Vanished/evaporated.
Posted by: Sultan Hyder at October 5, 2008 9:46 AMIt has happened twice, during past 10 days. First it happened, I did not have a very clear recollection of what all mails I had lost. I checked in the deleted items folder,
then other folders, retrieved few, and thought I may have accidentally deleted the others. Still, I knew that atleast 3 mails had vanished.
Then yesterday, right all mails received between 1st October to 4th October vanished from Inbox. This time I had not deleted any, and had not emptied the deleted items folder even once in the past 7 days.
Any suggestions/ solutions on how do I retrieve 'evaporated' mails from the Inbox?
Best Regards
mu outlook expres6 sent items e-mails was harddeleted (shift+del) before 10days how to recover sentitems e-mails
Posted by: Rakesh at November 13, 2008 1:34 AM