Backup Outlook Express Email Messages

Instruction how to save and Backup Outlook Express email messages for importing, exporting from one pc to another.

Finding your OE Store Folder.

Click on the TOOLS Menu and select Options.
Click the Maintenance Tab and then click on Store Folder.
You now see the location of your Email Folder.
Highlite the Folder Location and press CTRL+C to copy the location.
Click Cancel and then Cancel again to close all boxes.
Click the Windows Start button and the click Run. In the open box press CTRL+V to paste the mail location, then click OK.
You now have a window containing you e-mail database *.dbx files.
From the top Menu click Edit click Select All.
On the top Menu again click Copy. Now close the window.
Open Windows Explorer, click File / New and then Folder.
Type a name for the folder and hit ENTER.
Double click the Folder you just created to open it. From the Edit Menu select Paste. Close the window.
It is strongly advised that you do not place the copied files into a folder on your Desktop.
You have now completed a backup up of your email messages.

Now is the time to write them to a CD or CDRW for later use.

Manually find Store Folder

You can find the .dbx files by following these steps:-

• Open Windows Explorer.
• Make sure you have set your Folder Options set to view Hidden Files.
• Right click on the 'Start Button' select 'Open all Users', Widows Explorer will open.
• In left hand column double click the folder which has your 'User Name', it will display another list of folders.
• Still in left hand column double click the 'Local Settings' folder.
• In right hand column you will now see a list of Folders, open the 'Application Data' Folder.
• You will now see a folder called 'Identities', Open this folder.
• You will now see a folder name containing numbers and characters, open this folder.
• Open the Microsoft folder that appears, next open the Outlook Express folder that appears.
• You will now see a list of .dbx files.
• You should now have the path similar to:-
• C:\Documents and Settings\Your name\Local Settings\Application Data\Identities\{C81EB24B-8657-4F26-9421-A6215E8E07EE}\Microsoft\Outlook Express

Import or restore Outlook Express messages

The first thing you need to do if you copied the files to a CDR or CDRW is open Windows Explorer and create a new folder on your hard disk, Not on your desktop, and then copy all the files from CD to this folder. Next close Windows Explorer.

Open Outlook Express, File - Import - Messages . Select Microsoft Outlook Express Version 6. Click Next.

Then select "import mail from a OE6 Store Directory". Click OK,

then browse to the folder you created earlier, click next, the rest is up to you which folders you wish to import.

Note selecting a Store Directory will result in an error something like this. "No messages can be found in this folder or another application is running that has the required files open".

There are three main reasons why you can get this message:-
1. You have not turned off 'Read Only' on the .dbx files.
2. Your folder does not contain a file called Folders.dbx or the file is corrupt.
3. You have Windows Explorer running