Problems w/Email transfer from 1 computer to another

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------Not sure what all you need to know. OE 6. 1.2 USB.
You all have helped me for over a year. Thanks. I'm NOT a geek!

I am in a critical time constrained mess at the moment! (I know you hear that all the time) Sorry I haven't been back but I'm leaving home in 12 hours and I am trying to move my emails from one computer to another using the USB.

What I have done is: go to Outlook Express, right click on Inbox, properties. Then right click on field w/folder path c:\\docs & Settings. Select All.

Right click & copy. Close w/OK. Open Start & Programs~accessories~notepad. Then edit & paste. Delete file name back to Outlook Express\. Then ContA & ContC. Start, Run, ContV, OK. Then select all U copy to USB.

OK--you are a geek and you know all of this because it came right off of directron.com. Now is the problem~~~~~~~~~

When I actually try to copy to the USB, I am suddenly copying 2, 3 and up to 40 times each file!! When I try to delete these 'copies' I actually just iincrease them and they make more copies.

I can't seem to go in and move 1 file at a time either. When I did actually get about 30 email files copied into the USB and stopped and then went to the other computer. I followed the directions from directron.com and when it got to the copy command, it read it "this folder is empty" Meaning that drive E (the USB) was empty. However, going into "My Computer" and reading the USB, it had the 30 files on it.

I'm trying to be specific as you asked. Please help as I'm desperate. Thanks. Janet

 

Have a look at:

How to back up and recover Outlook Express data
OLEXP: How to Import and Export Address Books in Outlook Express
OLEXP: How to Manually Export and Import Messages in Outlook Express

 

Maybe my first problem is communication!

I've done a lot of what you both are saying--someone else walked me through the Tools/options/store/ COntC/cancel/cancel etc etc.

Either way however, I get to the same point in trying to Export my email files to the USB. And I have 40 copies of each of the OE files and the USB won't hold them all and it shuts down!! How did I get 40 copies? This gives me 1600 files--which isn't true!!

While I'm asking this, I'll go back and try this again and try to do onto an icon on my desktop and then see if that can get exported to the USB.

THEN--I'll see about importing into computer #2. A step at a time. Thanks.

 

I tried both ways that Shadow... showed. When I created a place on the desktop to 'drag' a file to--well, I can't downsize OE to drag anythingl

Then, when I tried the other way, I get into the 'store folder' and when it says "Select location" no matter what I seem to say or do, I just get a 'beep' can't do that noise. I tried to keep it at that location, I tried COnt C before, during & After. Anyway, don't know what to do at that point.

I'm still stuck

 

The easiest way to export and import email from OE to OE is a simple drag-n-drop of the message, from OE to the USB and from the USB to OE.

 

Drag & Drop??? OK, sorry- I'm fried but how do you do t his. I have over 300 messages in the inbox and then a whole bunch of folders. Do you mean to like C&P each one. Probably not.

What I am doing is creating the mobile way to take my files with me when I travel.

 

Resize your OE window by clicking on the button next to the red button, if it has 2 squares, now it should have a square. If the window is still large then move your cursor to the edge of the OE window, it changes from a pointer to a double arrow line, click and hold, resize the OE windw.

 

To select all messages in a folder:
a. Click one message.
b. On the Edit menu, click Select All.

[EDIT] In a manner of speaking, yes you are creating a mobile way to take your messages with you. Just drag-n-drop them to the usb, and then you can drag-n-drop them into OE on the other computer. [/EDIT]

 

Maybe I'm expecting too much out of a computer,but with over 300 messages in the inbox and with probably 1000 in the folders, I don't t hink I can drag each one, recreate a folder, etc.

What you said do--it works great. I moved a lot of those files into the USB. However, now for the importing into the laptop--that's where this one at a time thing happens.

What next? A cure all, I 'm sure

 

In windows explorer do as before in OE:

To select all messages in a folder:
a. Click one message.
b. On the Edit menu, click Select All.

Now drag-n-drop into the OE message window.

 

Sorry on my end. OK, I did exactly that--I moved it from computer A into the USB with the message/select all. It worked. Thanks.

Now, it's all in the USB--trying to get it into computer B.

I put it on a desktop on #B. I click open and I get a huge screen of isolated files--there is no "folder" There is no "edit" button--just 400 or so files! with no order.

I'd even be willing to leave it in the USB at this moment, but since there is no order and no folders, I don't know which file means what--they're just all there in date/alpha order, but with nothing to tie them together.

Sorry I wasn't clear.

 

On your taskbar right-click on the button for the open window and select restore. What does that do for you?

 

It opens the window!! It gives me--on both computers now--500 files that are totally not sorted in any way, not in any folders. Just isolated files

 

There are no toolbars at the top of the window?

Close the window. Open Windows Explorer, navigate to the USB drive, click-on it.
Now click on one of the messages and click-on Edit menu, click Select All. Drag-n-Drop into OE.

 

Once again--so sorry that I'm not communicating. I knew that I could do that--but now I have 523 files in my in box that don't belong there. This means that I will have to now sift through each one and recreate a folder where they should be saved--going back and forth--physically--to match what's there.

I don't think t his is quite what I wanted. Not sure what I do want.

The way that I originally mentioned a couple of hours ago, actually, at one place in time a few months ago, exported the folders as they were and then when I imported to #B, they were still in folders.

This way, what we've just done--has no organization. Thanks for trying, but it's just not working with typed words, is it? Maybe the problem is in the USB--it just keeps recreating itself.

 

Maybe this will work better for you.

Export the Mail Account to a File
To make a backup copy of your Outlook Express mail account:
1. On the Tools menu, click Accounts.
2. On the Mail tab, click the mail account that you want to export, and then click Export.
3. In the Save In box, locate the Mail Backup folder on your desktop, and then click Save.
4. Repeat these steps for each mail account that you want to export.
5. Click Close.

Import the Mail Account File
To import your Outlook Express mail account file:
1. On the Tools menu, click Accounts.
2. On the Mail tab, click Import.
3. In the Look In box, locate the Mail Backup folder on your desktop.
4. Click the mail account that you want to import, and then click Open.
5. Repeat these steps for each mail account that you want to import.
6. Click Close.

[EDIT] I have to go to bed. If anyone else can help out here; please feel free to do so. [/EDIT]

 

Planets are lined up wrong and I'm not catching on.

OK< did exactly this--went into Tools, etc. (There's only 1 mail account--gee I barely get 1 where I live!!) Saved it into the Exported Mail folder on the desktop.

To double check, I clicked Open, everything is just as it was 15 minutes ago except now there's added a 1KB file that says mail.overland.net.iaf. And then Windows can't open it.

Nothing else was saved or moved.

Darn--it can't be this hard. Bizillions of people everyday move emails (Hey, I moved the address book this morning with Nooo problem!) into a USB -- I've done 4 systems now and none of them are working. And, yep, I've tried them all several times just to be sure I did it right.

 

Appreciate the help-gotta go to bed. I'll try to see early in the AM if there's any new thoughts before I have to leave to catch a plane.

 

Complete instructions attached.

 

Sort of worked.

I put what I could into the Mail Backup folder. (There were 65 copies of some of the files, so I cancelled before I copied all of them. These WILL NOT NOT NOT delete. Unless there's a secret. Any time I try to right click and delete, it makes more copies.)

Anyway--got into the desktop. Copied into the USB. Cool--works.

Now, I'm following directions for the Import to #2 computer. Gets about 1/2 way through and says cannot copy file "error." Click OK, it copies a couple more -- then says the same thing. None of the rest will copy.

 

Cannot copy file "error" is caused by a corrupted file. Delete everything from the USB and your desktop. If the files don't want to delete from your desktop, use MoveOnBoot to delete the files at next system boot.

Then start from the beginning, take your time and following the directions carefully.

 

When I started this last process, the USB was empty as was the desktop on Compter 2. I don't really think I want to erase computer 1--those files are my business life!!

I'm stopping now and when I get back in town in a few weeks, I'll load up both computers and go 200 miles to the nearest repair place and we can talk face to face. You have done a jam up job of trying to help--and I have been doing everything really slowly and carefully, BTW!!

Obviously, there is something that's not happening right, but as I have to leave in 2 hours to catch a plane--this isn't when it's gonna get found out. Thanks again so much. Bye