Backing up Outlook Express

[keifir]

hi,

anyone knows how to back up the Outlook Express mail? I need to reinstall the Win98 os after getting new mainboard and i really want to keep all my mail so i can use it in the fresh install. Will MS Backup work for this purpose?

[mc2phat]

http://support.microsoft.com/support...n_SRCH&SPR=OEX

[tacoeater]

To backup Outlook Express data: OE5.x

Copy mail files to a backup folder
Export the Address Book to a file
Export the mail account to a file
Export the news account to a file
To restore or import Outlook Express data:
Import messages from the backup folder
Import the Address Book file
Import the mail account file
Import the news account file

Copy Mail Files to a Backup Folder
To make a backup copy of your Outlook Express e-mail message files:
On the Tools menu, click Options.
On the Maintenance tab, click Store Folder.
Select the folder location, and then press CTRL+C to copy the location.
Click Cancel, and then click Cancel again to close the dialog box.
Click Start, and then click Run.
In the Open box, press CTRL+V, and then click OK.
On the Edit menu, click Select All.
On the Edit menu, click Copy, and then close the window.
Right-click any empty space on your desktop, click New, and then click Folder.
Type mail backup for the folder name, and then press ENTER.
Double-click the Mail Backup folder to open it. On the Edit menu, click Paste.
Close the Mail Backup window.
Export the Address Book to a File
NOTE: This step is very important when multiple Identities are in use. A .WAB (Windows Address Book) file is used by Outlook Express 5.x versions, even if multiple Identities are used. The individual data for each Identity is stored in a folder, by user name, within the .WAB file in use.
Exporting this data, while logged in to a specific Identity, is the only means of segregating the Address Book data. If the .WAB file becomes dissociated from the user Identities, the data can only be exported in total - not folder by folder.
To export your Outlook Express address book:
On the File menu, click Export, and then click Address Book.
Click Text File (Comma Separated Values), and then click Export. Click Browse.
Locate the Mail Backup folder that you created.
In the File Name box, type address book backup, and then click Save. Click Next.
Click to select the check boxes for the fields that you want to export, and then click Finish.
Click OK and then click Close.
Export the Mail Account to a File
To make a backup copy of your Outlook Express mail account:
On the Tools menu, click Accounts.
On the Mail tab, click the mail account that you want to export, and then click Export.
In the Save In box, locate the Mail Backup folder on your desktop, and then click Save.
Repeat these steps for each mail account that you want to export. Click Close.
Export the Newsgroup Account to a File
To make a backup copy of your Outlook Express news accounts:
On the Tools menu, click Accounts.
On the News tab, click the news account that you want to export, and then click Export.
In the Save In box, use locate the Mail Backup folder on your desktop, and then click Save.
Repeat these steps for each news account that you want to export. Click Close.
Importing Outlook Express data
To restore data, you may need to re-create the Identities for each user, prior to using the following steps. Repeat each step, as needed, for each Identity.
Import Messages from the Backup Folder
To import your Outlook Express e-mail messages from the Backup folder:
On the File menu, point to Import, and then click Messages.
In the Select an e-mail program to import from box, click Microsoft Outlook Express 5, and then click Next. Click Import mail from an OE5 store directory, and then click OK.
Click Browse, and then click on the Mail Backup folder on your desktop.
Click OK, and then click Next. Click All folders, click Next, and then click Finish.
Import the Address Book File
To import your Outlook Express address book:
On the File menu, click Import, and then click Other Address Book.
Click Text File (Comma Separated Values), and then click Import. Click Browse.
Locate the Mail Backup folder on your desktop, click the address book Backup.csv file, and then click Open. Click Next, and then click Finish. Click OK, and then click Close.
Import the Mail Account File
To import your Outlook Express mail account file:
On the Tools menu, click Accounts. On the Mail tab, click Import.
In the Look In box, locate the Mail Backup folder on your desktop.
Click the mail account that you want to import, and then click Open.
Repeat these steps for each mail account that you want to import.
Click Close.Import the Newsgroup Account File
To import your Outlook Express news account file:
On the Tools menu, click Accounts.
On the News tab, click Import.
In the Look In box, locate the Mail Backup folder on your desktop.
Click the news account that you want to import, and then click Open.
Repeat these steps for each news account that you want to import. Click Close.

[Hpro]

Too much trouble to back up.. there is a much easier way ..

Open My Computer or Explorer select \Windows\Application Data\Outlook Express copy all of it in there to what ever place you like and you have a full backup.. for Address Book select \Windows\Application Data\Address Book and do the same.. when you like to reimport anything from the backup just tell the importer wizard the path to where you stored the data..

[glc]

Before you go to all the trouble of wiping and reinstalling 98, read the post in the Tips and Tricks forum on the ENUM key - this will save you a lot of work.

[tacoeater]

hpro
that is good but sometimes there is not enough space (like if they
need to back up to a diskette and go to another hard drive)
but, alas as glc understood this was not keifer's plan/question
glc
you are right! this guy did say he wanted to go to another motherboard
you read it correct and the enum thing is excellent, used that bunches of
times

[Hpro]

Originally posted by tacoeater hpro that is good but sometimes there is not enough space (like if they need to back up to a diskette and go to another hard drive) but, alas as glc understood this was not keifer's plan/question glc you are right! this guy did say he wanted to go to another motherboard you read it correct and the enum thing is excellent, used that bunches of times

Originally posted by keifir hpro and i really want to keep all my mail so i can use it in the fresh install.

[tacoeater]

Your advice is always great but there are usually several ways to obtain
our desired results. The enum solution is slick and fast.
I don't quite understand your copy'n and paste'n. To do it your way you need
either a backup drive (which not everyone has) or an already existent second partition which will not be wiped out by fdisk or format in order to copy the \Windows\Application Data\Outlook Express and \Windows\Application Data\Address Book folders to. A good percent of users have one partition at the time they want to save their stuff.

[Hpro]

tacoeater,

I agree with you but look at it from this side.
Say someone get's everyday 10 emails in the size of 1Kb which would be in fact very small and this someone receiving the mails for say 6 months this would equal 180days by 10Kb per day = 1.8Mb, I backup my inbox folder every 3 months or so but I receive mails in the range of 10KB up the range of Mb's and I delete any mail I don't know the origin of it unread .. Now my inbox is present at about 26 Mb and also my Sended Mail is in the range of thirty Mb so this would be quite a big work to save them all one by one - it's much easier to save the full folder and or directory - as for the address book this file is small and can be backed up to a floppy and in the same time I also would back up the USERMPS.WA~ which is the recent Backup of outlook express Address Book .. then also to reimport those files it is enough just to place them back into the folder or reimport them all at one time selecting the import wizard..

this all is I think the most easy way - and if someone does work with his computer carefully and use it the right way I'm positively sure that this someone will backup his files or mails to a safe place ..


Anyway it is very good to see someone placing the full Step by Step to back up Outlook Express and I would like to say thanks to you in the name of all which it may comes to be of help..

[tacoeater]

perhaps, then, what we should do is tell the original posting person (granted he may have already forged ahead and past the possibility) how to set up a second partition on his drive if he ain't already got one. then he can copy all this e-mail into the new partition and reformat just the active partition and reinstall.
thank you for your kind response. i do see your point, always have.
alan

p.s.
keifir, why don't you let us know what you have done?
we haven't heard from you since we started throwing this
back and forth among ourselves!
did you have a backup drive to use?
did you have a second partition to copy to?