How do I back up my e-mail messages?

[COJOi]

I am using Windows XP and Outlook Express 6. I would like to back up my e-mail messages, save them on a pen drive, and transfer them onto a new computer. How do I go about doing this please? Thanks.

[kevinss]

This is easy.

Create a folder on your pen drive called 'email' or whatever. It doesn't matter what you call it.

Navigate to C:\Documents and Settings\{the user name you log in with to use OE}\Local Settings\Application Data\Identities\{long string of random characters}\Microsoft\Outlook Express\

You'll see some files there titled "inbox.dbx", "deleted items.dbx", etc etc etc.

Copy those files to the folder you created on your pen drive.

On the new machine, insert your pen drive and open outlook express.

Click File:Import:Messages

Select "Microsoft Outlook Express 6"

Click "Import mail from an OE6 store directory"

Click Browse...

Navigate to your pen drive's letter, and to the folder you copied the .dbx files to.

It will import them. That's all there is to it.

[COJOi]

I followed your instructions and this is the error message:

No messages can be found in this folder or another application is running that has the required files open. Please select another folder or try closing applications that may have files open.

[VERT]

Make sure Outlook is not running when you are coping the files over

[COJOi]

OK, I forwarded all of my e-mails to myself, saved the attachments in a folder, and then proceeded to import the messages and I still get the same error. ARGH! Thanks for the help so far.

[Uncle Bob]

I use a Zip drive that way. Use File save as. They will go to my documents. Make a new folder. Drag'ndrop to the folder. Use "send to" to send to your pen.

[COJOi]

Thanks Uncle Bob! That worked great. I just made a new folder, selected all of my messages in OE, dragged and dropped, saved them to my pen drive and dragged and dropped them in the new computer.

[COJOi]

Well, the drag and drop method is not really the best way because if you have multiple messages with the same title, it asks you if you want to replace the message. I would to know how to back up the message without have to go through such a lengthy process. I am trying to help out a friend and she has over 500 messages. There has got to be an easier way.

To recap:

I am trying to back up OE 5 Inbox (Windows 98 system) and I would like to transfer them to OE 6 (Windows XP).

Thanks.

[kevinss]

Well, if your messages are from on OE5 installation on the old machine, then you would select OE5 instead of OE6 when importing. My instructions should work if you do that.

I do this at least twice per day at my shop. It's never failed before. I wouldn't think it would be a permissions issue as the filesystem on the pen drive would obviously have to be FAT or FAT32 since 98 doesn't support NTFS natively.