Vista - windows mail help!

[Wing Commander Fowler]

Hi chaps,

just got a new laptop and looking to transfer all of my old email data and accounts from one to the other. Knew what was happening with ms outlook with the .pst file but have no clue where to look in vista's windows mail.

Would appreciate help cheers!

Fowler.

[ExSp33db1rd]

Not sure if this is what you want, but when I bought my laptop I gave it unpacked to my local I.T. expert along with my desktop and just said do it ! but I found that Vista had 'grabbed' my Windows Address Book and re-sorted all my addresses into it's new Contacts by changing all my Groups and distributing the names therein alphabetically by surname - NOT in the format I had originally inserted them. Total nightmare that took weeks to re-arrange. You don't have to re-type, just open the entry and go to Full Name and there is a drop down menu that has all the options, but you do have to do each one individually ! Also you can't highlight and copy addresses from Contacts to add to a Word document or e-mail - if you are passing an address to someone else for instance - as you could in Windows Address Book, however, if again you open the entry and select 'edit' this automatically copies, and all you have to do is paste into your alternative document.

Best of Luck, why do they have to continually change everything !

[Saab Dastard]

There is a "Wizard" for doing this stuff in XP, and I'm sure there's one in Vista. Search for "User Setting Transfer" or some such on the MS website.

SD

[hellsbrink]

It's called "Windows Easy Transfer" and is in accessories->system tools (I think that is what it is called in English, running on the "Dutch" Vista PC now)

[Wing Commander Fowler]

Hi chaps - no joy here! I tried windows account transfer program and its removed all of the mail folders and marked all mail as unread placing it in the root inbox. All the folders in inbox have been deleted......

I would far rather take the equivalent of the old .pst file and copy/paste it. Does anyone know what the new format is OR where the old local application settings data is stored now an i could copy the whole windows mail folder across maybe???

Thanx.

[Air Mail]

I don't think that Vista Mail recognises .pst from Outlook, unless you have Outlook 2007 on the machine.

I recently had to transfer my old emails from outlook to a vista mail machine and I used the info from the following web site and it worked fine......

http://www.directron.com/movmail.html

However, it will only work for Outlook Express to Windows Mail, so firstly set up Outlook Express 6 and import your messages from your outlook .pst then follow the instructions for OE6 mail folders to copy your messages from their storage folder. They should end .dbx
Use the import messages setting on vista mail. I think its File>Import>Messages, then messages from OE6 and select the folder from above. It will import the messages into Vista mail in a folder called Imported folders. You can then move the messages into whatever folder you want.

As far as entering email accounts I just wrote the settings down and manually entered them.

I believe another way is to download and install the trial version of Office and then import your settings and .pst and then transfer the messages to vista mail and uninstall the trial version!!

Hope this helps, good luck!

Edit. PS When I refer to OE6, I mean on the old computer and then copy the folder/files to a cd/sd card/flash etc

[Wing Commander Fowler]

Air Mail - I'm using windows mail on both machines. I used to copy/paste the .pst folder when i used outlook and want to know where windows mail stores the data in order to achieve a similar result as transferring accounts and settings in vista has screwed it up. Sorry for the misunderstanding.

[hellsbrink]

Wingco, in Windows Mail on Vista there is an option to "import" contacts and messages from assorted Microsoft mail programmes....

Look in "File" then "Import".


(Is what it says on this Vista box, although I don't use Winders Mail so have no idea regarding how well it works)

Also, in Vista, go to C: \program files\windows mail and you will see one prog called "wab.exe" which will take you directly to the folder where the contacts are kept, look on your desktop for an icon with your username on it then look for "contacts" in there (or look for c: \users\<your user profile>\contacts ) and you will find the "<your user name>.contact" file. That is what the windows address book is called in Vista. Also, in the windows mail folder there is a file called wabmig.exe which will import your address book into Vista.


(Ignore the spaces between the : and \ in the paths typed, they shouldn't be there but a wibble smiley there would only add to confusion)

[Air Mail]

Sorry WingCo, must read the question.

Emails are stored:
From Vista Mail ...Tools>Options>Advanced>Maintenance>Store Folder for the user that is logged on the computer
eg. C: \Users\WingCommanderFowler\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows Mail

It also possible to copy this file to a backup folder so you have a backup copy of your messages. But make sure you copy it into say your documents folder and not a system folder.

Hope this helps.

[Wing Commander Fowler]

Thanx for all of your replies chaps.

Air Mail - that was exactly what I was looking for thanx! :ok: All done and dusted now cheers

Fowler.