Trying to import messages

Hal Hanig · External Since: Mar 29, 2009 Posts: 2

I've had to completely reformat and reinstall Windows XP due to a browsing
problem and now I'm trying to import some of my old messages from Outlook
Express 6.0 to the newer installation. I recovered the old messages from
Norton's Ghost and an external hard drive, then put the various dbx files
into the directory C:\Temp\OE. The problem is that when I try to import
them into the new installation I'm told there aren't any there. Of course,
Windows Explorer shows they actually do exist there; I just can't import
them.

My other problem is where will I find the old address book? I want to
import that as well.

Hal

Bruce Hagen · External Since: Apr 17, 2004 Posts: 12701

Was the entire message store backed up? That is what you want to put on the
Desktop and then import from an OE store directory. An import will fail if
Folders.dbx was not included in the backup. If it wasn't included, you will
need to import the dbx files manually.

How to restore individual dbx files:
http://www.oehelp.com/backup.aspx#imp1

I never used Ghost so I am not familiar with how it works. If you open the
new Address Book | Help | About.... will show the path to the new AB. The
path to the old install would have been similar.

Can you do a search and include Ghost? Do an advanced search and include
Hidden Files and Folders. Search for:

*.wab

and

~wa
--

Bruce Hagen
MS-MVP Outlook Express
Imperial Beach, CA

"Hal Hanig" wrote in message

> I've had to completely reformat and reinstall Windows XP due to a browsing
> problem and now I'm trying to import some of my old messages from Outlook
> Express 6.0 to the newer installation. I recovered the old messages from
> Norton's Ghost and an external hard drive, then put the various dbx files
> into the directory C:\Temp\OE. The problem is that when I try to import
> them into the new installation I'm told there aren't any there. Of
> course, Windows Explorer shows they actually do exist there; I just can't
> import them.
>
> My other problem is where will I find the old address book? I want to
> import that as well.
>
>
> Hal
>
>

PA Bear [MS MVP] · External Since: Jan 08, 2009 Posts: 255

References:

Importing OE Data (all DBX files, including Folders.dbx)
http://www.insideoe.com/faqs/how.htm#importOE5

Importing a single DBX file
http://www.insideoe.com/faqs/how.htm#importdbx
http://www.oehelp.com/backup.aspx#imp1
--
~Robear Dyer (PA Bear)
MS MVP-IE, Mail, Security, Windows Client - since 2002
AumHa VSOP & Admin http://aumha.net
DTS-L http://dts-l.net/

Hal Hanig wrote:
> I've had to completely reformat and reinstall Windows XP due to a browsing
> problem and now I'm trying to import some of my old messages from Outlook
> Express 6.0 to the newer installation. I recovered the old messages from
> Norton's Ghost and an external hard drive, then put the various dbx files
> into the directory C:\Temp\OE. The problem is that when I try to import
> them into the new installation I'm told there aren't any there. Of
> course,
> Windows Explorer shows they actually do exist there; I just can't import
> them.
>
> My other problem is where will I find the old address book? I want to
> import that as well.
>
>
> Hal

Hal Hanig · External Since: Mar 29, 2009 Posts: 2

I appreciate the rapid replies I always get in Microsoft's excellent
newsgroups. I have now successfully gotten my old messages back where they
belong and successfully imported my address book. I found the address book
on my own after I wrote the original post but I was clueless about how to
recover my folders out of a Ghost archive. You showed me the way.

Thanks very much.

Hal

"PA Bear [MS MVP]" wrote in message

> References:
>
> Importing OE Data (all DBX files, including Folders.dbx)
> http://www.insideoe.com/faqs/how.htm#importOE5
>
> Importing a single DBX file
> http://www.insideoe.com/faqs/how.htm#importdbx
> http://www.oehelp.com/backup.aspx#imp1
> --
> ~Robear Dyer (PA Bear)
> MS MVP-IE, Mail, Security, Windows Client - since 2002
> AumHa VSOP & Admin http://aumha.net
> DTS-L http://dts-l.net/
>
>
> Hal Hanig wrote:
>> I've had to completely reformat and reinstall Windows XP due to a
>> browsing
>> problem and now I'm trying to import some of my old messages from Outlook
>> Express 6.0 to the newer installation. I recovered the old messages from
>> Norton's Ghost and an external hard drive, then put the various dbx files
>> into the directory C:\Temp\OE. The problem is that when I try to import
>> them into the new installation I'm told there aren't any there. Of
>> course,
>> Windows Explorer shows they actually do exist there; I just can't import
>> them.
>>
>> My other problem is where will I find the old address book? I want to
>> import that as well.
>>
>>
>> Hal
>

PA Bear [MS MVP] · External Since: Jan 08, 2009 Posts: 255

YW & thanks for your feedback, Hal.

Hal Hanig wrote:
> I appreciate the rapid replies I always get in Microsoft's excellent
> newsgroups. I have now successfully gotten my old messages back where
> they
> belong and successfully imported my address book. I found the address
> book
> on my own after I wrote the original post but I was clueless about how to
> recover my folders out of a Ghost archive. You showed me the way.
>
> Thanks very much.
>
> Hal
>
> "PA Bear [MS MVP]" wrote in message
>
>> References:
>>
>> Importing OE Data (all DBX files, including Folders.dbx)
>> http://www.insideoe.com/faqs/how.htm#importOE5
>>
>> Importing a single DBX file
>> http://www.insideoe.com/faqs/how.htm#importdbx
>> http://www.oehelp.com/backup.aspx#imp1
>> --
>> ~Robear Dyer (PA Bear)
>> MS MVP-IE, Mail, Security, Windows Client - since 2002
>> AumHa VSOP & Admin http://aumha.net
>> DTS-L http://dts-l.net/
>>
>>
>> Hal Hanig wrote:
>>> I've had to completely reformat and reinstall Windows XP due to a
>>> browsing
>>> problem and now I'm trying to import some of my old messages from
>>> Outlook
>>> Express 6.0 to the newer installation. I recovered the old messages
>>> from
>>> Norton's Ghost and an external hard drive, then put the various dbx
>>> files
>>> into the directory C:\Temp\OE. The problem is that when I try to import
>>> them into the new installation I'm told there aren't any there. Of
>>> course,
>>> Windows Explorer shows they actually do exist there; I just can't import
>>> them.
>>>
>>> My other problem is where will I find the old address book? I want to
>>> import that as well.
>>>
>>>
>>> Hal