How to Move Your Outlook Express Folders and
Email Messages to a New Computer
(The "|" character represents a new menu or dialog)
1. Prior to moving your folders and email messages you should consider:
1.1. Deleting all items in the Sent Items Folder (Choose the Sent Items folder | then click on an email message | press the Ctrl key & the A key simultaneously | press the Delete key).
1.2. Emptying the Deleted Items folder (Choose the Deleted Items folders | then click on an email message | press the Ctrl key & the A key simultaneously | press the Delete key).
1.3. Compact your Email Store Folder (Click Tools | Options | Maintenance | Clean Up Now | Compact).
2. Create an email store folder you can find:
2.1.1. Create a new folder where you can easily find it such as: My Documents\Email.
2.1.2. Go into OE | Tools | Options | Maintenance | Store Folders | Change | enter your folder path (My Documents\Email) - or browse to it and click OK | OE will state that this will not be in effect until your close and reopen OE | Click OK | Click OK until you're back to OE and then close and reopen OE.
2.1.3. You should see all of your email folders and messages and folders now and they will be stored in the folder you designated.
3. Copy your OE Store Folder (My Documents\Email) to your means of transport:
3.1.1. You can use a USB Device, direct connect cables, a Zip Disk, a network drive, an FTP site and other means to get your old email Store Folder to your new machine.
3.1.2. If you use a CD remember that some CD writing utilities change the properties to read only on all files when they write them to a CD - you will need to change the properties back to not be read only when copying the folders and files to a new computer.
4. Option 1. If you DO NOT have any existing email messages in Outlook Express (OE) on your new computer then:
4.1. Create a new folder (I prefer: My Documents\Email).
4.2. Copy all of you old computer's email files to this folder from your means of transport.
4.3. Open OE | Click Tools | Options Maintenance | Store Folders | Change | enter your OE Store Folder (My Documents\Email) or browse to it and click OK | It may say something similar to "this appears to be an existing email store..." or something along those lines | choose the option it presents to use the chosen folder as the new store rather than moving your existing folders and email messages there (as there are no email message yet)| Click OK until you're back to OE and then close and reopen OE.
4.4. You should now see all of your old computer's folders and email messages!
5. Option 2. If you DO have emails in OE on the laptop then you will have to import the messages into the existing email store:
5.1. Open OE | Go to Help | About MS OE | It should display Version 6.x.x.x.
5.2. Run Windows Critical updates until you have all the latest OE updates loaded.
5.3. Open OE got to File | Import | Messages |Choose MS OE 4 or 6 (whichever the tower had) | Click Next | Click the option next to Import Mail from an OE 6 Store Directory | Click OK | Click Browse and browse to your means of transport and the OE store folder | Click Next | Click the option next to All Folders | Click Finish.
5.4. You should now see all of your old computer's folders and email messages added to your existing folders and email messages!
6. You should consider doing Step #2 just for ease of finding and backing up your email Store Folder in the future.
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