Terry's Computer Tips - Newsletter
January 15, 2006

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4.  Backing Up Your Outlook Express EMail Folders

If you don't have a daily backup of your data files, including your email files, to another computer or an external hard drive, you need to be sure to make occasional backups of your email files.

Of course, the most popular email program in the Windows world is Outlook Express. Outlook has some similar issues with complicated backup routine.

The files which contain the email folders and all the messages are not the real problem. The problem is finding the files so that you can back them up.

In this first image, we see the top of the Outlook Express Window, where we will select Tools

In the second image, we pick Options.

In the third image, we click on the Maintenance tab,

so we can click on the Store Folder button on the Maintenance tab.

The Store Location dialog box, unfortunately, is not resizeable, so we can not see the full path to the Outlook Express files. In order to see the full path, we have to click on the Change button (we'll click a Cancel button later).

Now, we have a Browse for Folder dialog box, with Outlook Express highlighted.

Slide the horizontal scroll bar to the right, so you can see the full path to Outllok Express. In this particular case, the path is: C:\Documents and Settings\tas\Local Settings\Application Data\Identities\{2C7A8CD0-78FA-427F-BF86-ae333A20DC52}\Microsoft\Outlook Express.

There will not be many "Identities" there, so you can probably just make a note of the first few characters to help you find it.

Now, open Windows Explorer (right-click on Start, then select Explore). If you do not have the two pane view similar to that below, you will have "Common Tasks" on the left side. Just click on the Folders button to show Folders in the left panel (if you click it again, it will go back to Common Tasks).

Then, left-click on the "+" just to the left of the Documents and Settings folder to expand it.

Now, you can scroll down and select the Outlook Express folder on the left side. The right side, then, will show your Outlook Express email folders.

Copy them to a floppy diskette or CDROM so that you have a backup of them.

One of the easiest ways to do this is select all the folders on the right-hand side (left-click on the first one, scroll to the bottom of the list. Now, hold down the shift key while you left-click on the last folder. This will select them all. From the top menu, select Edit and then Copy.

Scroll to your floppy (if you have one), your CDROM drive, or wherever you want to put the copy -- select that destination and then Edit, Paste. Windows XP will write to the floppy or burn the CD. Earlier of versions will write to the floppy, but you will have to use special CD-burning software to burn to a CD. You can also copy them to a USB flash drive, if you like.

So, now you have a backup. You can use this as a backup, or you can use it to "import" those files onto a new computer.

Watch next week for "Restoring Your Outlook Express Mail Folders." This function will be the same, whether you are restoring your Inbox, Outbox and other folders after losing them from a hard disk crash (or accidental deletion of them), or whether you are importing them into your brand new computer.

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5.  Backing Up Your Outlook Express Address Book

Backing up your Outlook Express address book is a lot easier.

First, start Outlook Express. Then, open the Address Book by clicking on the Addresses icon.

Select "Main Identity" (or which ever identity's addresses you want to back up.

Then, still on the Address Book window, click on File, Export and Address Book (WAB)...

You'll get a standard Windows dialog box for file saving. The top line is misleading "Select Address Book file to Export to." It really memans, pick where you want to save it and give it a file name — say, "20060115-oe-address-book" and press enter.Windows will save the exported address book.

Notice, in particular, that I selected the Export Address Book function from within the Address Book itself. If you do this from Outlook Express' main window, you will export a Microsoft Exchange file or individual .vcf "business cards." Importing the individual .vcf files would be a slow and tedious process.

Watch next week for "Restoring Your Outlook Express Address Book." This function will be the same, whether you are restoring your Address Book after losing it from a hard disk crash (or accidental deletion or damage to it), or whether you are importing your old Address Book into your brand new computer.

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Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

Volume 1, Number 31 — Sunday, January 15, 2006
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

Copyright © 2006 Terry A. Stockdale.  All rights reserved.