Windows Live Mail on Windows XP

After having Windows Live Mail on an XP computer, does the Outlook Express installation remain in case I want to revert to it? Can I transfer new messages from Live Mail to O.E., cleanly uninstall Windows Live Mail and resume using the old email program?
Violetta Louis

Good questions indeed! And I suppose most people who want to use Windows Live Mail on XP would like to know the answers… so here goes.

What happens after installing Windows Live Mail on Windows XP?

This is directly from the horse’s mouth, as it were. When I installed Windows Live Mail on Windows XP, the email account information as well as the messages were imported into the new email program automatically. There was no need to manually transfer emails from one client to the other. I commend Microsoft for making it easy for new users.

And, except for one change, Outlook Express stays the way it is. This means you can continue to use the old email program without any issues – it will still download email just as it had done earlier. But after installing Windows Live Mail on XP, Outlook Express no longer remains the default email program. This role is now taken up by Windows Live Mail – your Windows XP computer makes this change on its own.

Hence, will the Outlook Express client remain on XP? Yes! But it’s no longer the default mail program.

How to use Windows Live Mail on XP when you are testing the waters and might revert to Outlook Express?

As mentioned above, both Outlook Express and Windows Live Mail will work on XP but only one email program can be made the default. The important thing you should remember is to leave a copy of the messages on the server for all email accounts you’ve configured in Windows Live Mail through the POP3 email protocol. So even when the program downloads new messages, a duplicate it retained on the server. To change these settings, load the Properties window of each POP3 email account, move to the “Advanced” tab and put a check mark for that feature.

Here is what you can do:

• Backup Outlook Express – this is easy and you can refer that article for step by step instructions.
• Install Windows Live Mail on XP.
• Remove the new email program if you don’t like it.
• Change the default email program on your computer – put Outlook Express back.
• Download all the new messages and use the old program as you had always done.