Outlook Express Emails

[john bull]

I have an old XP machine on which I used OE as my email. I now have a new PC with Win 10 and current Thunderbird.
Both PC's are independently active.

I used to import all my OE mail into the old Thunderbird with no problems on my XP machine.
But on my new Thunderbird there is no means of doing this.

Is there a way of importing these old OE mails into the new Thunderbird using a Flash Drive and a desktop HTML file
so they are listed in the L/H column like in the old Thunderbird used to do ?
If so how ?
Any suggestions please ?

PS - It would be ideal if I could import my old Thunderbird emails (they included OE imports), but I could not find a way of
syncing, so again I only have a Flash Drive transfer to resort to.
Export did not display.

[LIMPET235]

Moving this to Thunderbird Support...

[tanstaafl]

Why not copy the Thunderbird profile on the XP PC to the Windows 10 PC instead?

See http://kb.mozillazine.org/Move_to_a_new_PC or http://kb.mozillazine.org/Moving_your_p ... hunderbird

[john bull]

Why not copy the Thunderbird profile on the XP PC to the Windows 10 PC instead?

See http://kb.mozillazine.org/Move_to_a_new_PC or http://kb.mozillazine.org/Moving_your_p ... hunderbird

I like that proposal, but do not know how to do it.

[tanstaafl]

You don't understand the instructions in the first KB article? If that's the problem please try to tell me what part is confusing you so that I can try to improve it. You could move the *.pcv file created by Mozbackup between the two PCs using a flash drive.

[john bull]

Why not copy the Thunderbird profile on the XP PC to the Windows 10 PC instead?

See http://kb.mozillazine.org/Move_to_a_new_PC or http://kb.mozillazine.org/Moving_your_p ... hunderbird

I like that proposal, but do not know how to do it.

Thanks, I will study the instructions and come back on it.

One thing I do not wish to do is wreck my existing TB mails etc.

Just a small question - in the profiles there is a folder named Mail, this is the only folder I want, not all the other profile data. Can I simply
transfer that old data to a Flash Drive and paste it in the same folder on my new TB ? I do not want it to over-write the new TB mail, but to add to it
like the XP version did for imports and the old mail appear in the L/H column as a separate folder.

[tanstaafl]

You could copy the contents of ..\Mail over the same directory on the new PC if you only have POP accounts, and don't care about anything but your downloaded mail. That should work as long as there were copies of all of your recent mail on the XP PC as you'll lose any existing mail on the Windows 10 PC when you do that.

[john bull]

You could copy the contents of ..\Mail over the same directory on the new PC if you only have POP accounts, and don't care about anything but your downloaded mail. That should work as long as there were copies of all of your recent mail on the XP PC as you'll lose any existing mail on the Windows 10 PC when you do that.

Only my old XP mail is on my XP TB. I do not want any over-writing of my new mails on the Win 10 TB, but to add to it
like the XP version did for imports and the old XP transferred mail appear in the L/H column as a separate folder. Leaving my new Win 10 mail untouched.

I cannot risk losing my new mails. TB on Win 10 is now my main email system.

[tanstaafl]

Then use copy the ..\Mail directory to a flash drive, connect it to the Windows 10 PC and use the ImportExportTools add-on to import the mail folders into the "Local Folders" special account per http://kb.mozillazine.org/Importing_folders . Once its imported you can use Thunderbird commands to move the folders/merge the messages as desired.

If you have problems with that KB article let me know. Its written for new users who don't know how to get and install an add-on so its wordier than normal.

Alternatively you could copy the ..\Mail directory into "Local Folders" and then move the folders as needed.

[john bull]

Then use copy the ..\Mail directory to a flash drive, connect it to the Windows 10 PC and use the ImportExportTools add-on to import the mail folders into the "Local Folders" special account per http://kb.mozillazine.org/Importing_folders . Once its imported you can use Thunderbird commands to move the folders/merge the messages as desired.

If you have problems with that KB article let me know. Its written for new users who don't know how to get and install an add-on so its wordier than normal.

Alternatively you could copy the ..\Mail directory into "Local Folders" and then move the folders as needed.

Thank you. I only want to transfer the XP OE and TB Mail folders and not affect my existing TB mails on Win 10 e.g to supplement them as per the XP TB did. There are two transfers - the OE mails and my XP TB mails. I have no wish to deal with profiles as such, only to use them to locate the mail folders.

Would these transfers appear as separate folders in the TB L/H column of my Win 10 TB ?

[tanstaafl]

"Would these transfers appear as separate folders in the TB L/H column of my Win 10 TB ?"

Yes. You just need to make certain that if the same folder already exists in "Local Folders" that you copy it into a subdirectory so that you don't overwrite an existing mail folder. Copying ..\Mail avoids that problem. You didn't mention where the XP OE mail folders are stored but if they're in something like a OutlookExpress folder that won't be a problem.

This is why I had recommended using the ImportEXportTools add-on. It takes a couple more minutes to install it but avoids any of these potential problems.

[john bull]

I have created two sub folders under Local Folders, now listed in the L/H column of my Win 10 TB with yellow icons. One is for XP - OE mails and the other for XP - TB mails.

If I now drag the XP - TB and XP - OE data into each of them from my Flash Drive, am I being over optimistic in hoping that all my old XP mails will then be shown at the click of a mouse on my Win 10 TB ?
Looking at them using Notepad just displays a load of gobble-de-gook. I hope the system deciphers them.

[tanstaafl]

Should work.

[john bull]

It is challenging fate to do this before Christmas.

[tanstaafl]

Then use the ImportExportTools add-on based method per http://kb.mozillazine.org/Importing_folders . Unlike copying the files yourself, the worst that can happen with it is that you don't manage to import the mail folders. You can even install it on your XP PC too and use it to export the folders you want to migrate if you have problems figuring out where they are stored.