How do I move email to a new computer?

I have been using Outlook Express for years and have just bought a new computer. How do I access my emails on it? Is there a way to move emails to the new computer because I don’t want to lose them? I would appreciate any help. I have Windows Vista on the new system.
Kim Berthon

If you have been using Outlook Express for years, you’ll have no difficulty using email on the new Windows Vista system. Unfortunately, Outlook Express is missing on the new operating system and has been replaced by Windows Mail. Except for a couple of noticeable additions like the conveniently placed search field and the Junk e-mail folder, the two programs are almost identical, so much so, it wouldn’t be wrong to consider Windows mail as Outlook Express version 7.

Thus, to answer your first query, how do I access my emails on Windows Vista – use Windows Mail email client. However, you first need to move the old emails to the new computer. Let us see how we can do that.

Move email from Windows XP to a new Windows Vista system

Windows Vista users can choose between two free Microsoft email programs – the default Windows Mail client or the new Windows Live Mail. So which program should you use? Windows Live Mail is the program of choice, as per Microsoft’s recommendation because the development and support for both Windows Mail and Outlook Express has been stopped. Even though the functionality is the same, Windows Live Mail is different from the other two in the way it organizes messages and looks (interface). Anyway, to move email to a new computer one ideally needs to do three things – transfer email account settings, backup email from Outlook Express and import them to the new email client you want o use on Vista and move the Outlook Express address book.

Transfer settings and email from Outlook Express to Windows Mail Vista

Please refer the links mentioned above for step by step instructions with screenshots.

• Move email account from Outlook Express to Windows Mail: Export email account settings from Outlook Express to .iaf files and import the same to Windows Mail in Vista: This avoids having to set up the email account manually and is definitely a time saver if you have multiple email accounts or have forgotten the account settings such as password, incoming and outgoing email server etc.
• Backup and move the Outlook Express email to the new computer.
• Transfer the Outlook Express address book and populate Windows Contacts in Vista: FYI, there is no address book application in Windows Vista. It has been replaced by Windows Contacts.

Copy Outlook Express email and move them to Windows Live Mail on Windows 7

• Copy Outlook Express email account settings to Windows 7
• Move the O.E. address book to Windows 7 computer
• Copy all your old email messages from Outlook Express to Windows Live Mail on Windows 7

Anticipated problems when you move email from Outlook Express

Facing problems? Relax! All your Outlook Express emails can be transferred from your old computer (presumably Windows XP) to a new system without problems. I have done this myself and I had thousands of messages. Having said that, some people have reported difficulties. I suppose these are primarily because of faulty Outlook Express folders. I suggest you remove any unwanted messages and then compact the folders before you actually move email to the new computer.

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