Outlook Express has been replaced with Windows Mail on Vista. Though the new email program is almost the same as the old one in functionality, it includes a couple of added features – automated junk e-mail filtering and a super quick search utility. The interface of the two programs is also very much alike, so much so, it wouldn’t be wrong in considering Windows Mail as Outlook Express 7. This article will tell you how to move your old Outlook Express emails to the Windows Mail Vista program.
To set up Windows Mail on Vista so that it works just like Outlook Express on your XP system you need to follow the steps below:
- Set up email accounts on Vista: You can either do this manually (if you remember the username, password and incoming/outgoing server information) or move the email account settings from Outlook Express to Windows Mail using the export and import functions.
- Move the email messages from Outlook Express to Windows Mail: This is the subject of this article and involves taking a backup of Outlook Express and importing the messages to Vista.
- Transfer the address book and populate Windows Contacts on Vista: The Address Book application on Windows XP was used by Outlook Express to ‘auto-fill’ or ‘suggest’ the email address of recipients. It has been replaced by what is called Windows Contacts in Vista. This is an optional step and not required for the proper functioning of Windows Mail program… but if you had been a heavy user of the Address Book, you wouldn’t like to be without this data on the new computer, right?
How to move the Outlook Express email to Windows Mail on Vista
The process is not very complicated but even so, you’ll find detailed instructions with corresponding screenshots in the slideshow below.
- Compact all email folder to save space before you backup Outlook Express. Open Outlook Express on your Windows XP computer and go to “Tools” -> “Options” – [Slide 1]. A pop-up window is displayed. Move to the “Maintenance” tab, click the “Clean Up Now…” button – [Slide 2]. This shows another pop-up – press the “Compact” button and let the program do its thing – [Slide 3]. Close this pop-up when done.
- Now to back up Outlook Express – [Slide 4]. Assuming you are still in the “Maintenance” tab in the “Options” pop-up, click the “Storage Folder” button – [Slide 5]. A small pop-up shows you the location of the folder in which Outlook Express stores the email messages – [Slide 6].
- Using the mouse, click and drag to select the entire storage folder path – [Slide 7]. Now use the Ctrl-C key combination to copy.
- Open Windows Explorer, and paste the Outlook Express folder path in the “Address” field and hit the Enter key – [Slides 8 and 9].
- Windows Explorer will now take you to the folder that has all the Outlook Express email messages – [Slide 10]. We are only interested in the .dbx files. Select all these, right-click, choose “Copy” from the drop down [Slide 11] and paste the folders to a temporary empty folder.
- Now move to the Windows Vista computer and create a temporary folder; for example, “OE Mails” on the desktop. You can delete this folder when its work is done. Transfer the backed up Outlook Express email files to this folder – use a USB flash drive, CD or DVD – whichever is convenient – [Slide 12].
- Start Windows mail program on Vista and click “Tools” -> “Import” -> “Messages” – [Slide 13].
- Choose the “Microsoft Outlook Express 6” option and hit the “Next” button – [Slide 14].
- Select the “Import mail from an OE6 store directory” radio button – [Slide 15].
- Browse to the temporary folder in which you had copied the Outlook Express backup files – [Slides 16, 17 and 18].
- Most of you would like to move all Outlook Express emails, right? Make sure the “All folders” radio button is selected. Click “Next” button – [Slide 19].
- Windows Mail will now import all the Outlook Express emails and you should soon get the confirmation message. Close the pop-up – [Slide 20].
- The emails from Outlook Express will be moved to “Imported Folder“; you can now organize the messages as you want – [Slide 21].
Congratulations!All Outlook Express emails have been moved to Windows Mail on Vista.
