pst file

[babylon5guy]

Hi,
My friend totally corrupted his hard drive. Can I search for his pst file for his mail and use it on the new install of Win 98. He has outlook express. Would the backup.pst be the one I need?
TIA

[glc]

Outlook Express doesn't use pst files, only Outlook does. Outlook Express uses dbx files, separate ones for each folder.

[babylon5guy]

Thanks again glc,
Wow didn't know that. Will regular Outlook read them? Or do I have to put them in Outlook Express on the new install? Will outlook express let you save them as pst files? I guess I'm not explaining myself too well, but when someone switches from express to regular outlook how do you transfer your mail?

[glc]

Express saves all mail in dbx files and uses the Windows address book (the wab file). Outlook uses a single pst file for *everything*. When you install Outlook on a machine that already has a working install of Express, it offers to upgrade it for you, and it does that very nicely, importing your mail, settings (minus the password, that has to be re-entered), and contacts.

[babylon5guy]

Thanks glc, I'll just transfer the mail using the dbx files to express on the new install then start regular outlook and make it the default. I take it you do this all with import function in express?

[glc]

I manually copy the folder with the dbx files and the wab file over to a temp folder, then use import - import wab, import messages from a store directory, manually set up the account.

[babylon5guy]

Thanks glc, you've been a big help, my knowlege of express is obviously very limited.

[babylon5guy]

Hi glc,
Just wanted you to know how it worked out. Just great is how. I did what you said and I thought I'd have to import each folder separately, but I put them all in the same folder like you said and express did them all at once! Just had to do the wab file separately. Then I made regular outlook the default mail program and it did pull in everything from express. What I thought was going to be a big job ended up painless! Thanks again.