Vista - Does Windows Easy Transfer work with Windows Live Mail desktop cli

I am wondering if anyone has successfully used Windows Easy Transfer to move
Windows Live Mail desktop client files to another computer. You would assume
it does, but I found that Windows Live OneCare did not properly back up
Windows Live Mail desktop client files. It put all the different storage
folders into a single huge folder, requiring me to put in hours of manual
work to separate it all out again. I think one part of Windows Live doesn't
coordinate with another. So, before I use Easy Transfer, I am hoping someone
can reassure me that it actually works on Windows Live Mail local storage
files, inbox, etc. I am talking about the desktop client, not windows Live
Mail on the web.

Thanks for any war stories.

I've not seen any significant discussion on that capability and may very well be due to Windows Easy Transfer predates Windows Live
Mail.

The recommended way to transfer WLM files(there is no 'desktop' in the name of the current or beta product)is via WLM's included
option
- WLM Menu/File/Export/Messages/....

Save to a blank folder(required) on a portable, external, or network drive(cd/dvd are not recommend since doing so changes the file
attribute to read only).

Here's one method.
How to Backup Windows Live Mail Accounts, Contacts and Messages
http://liveunplugged.spaces.live.com...90CA!174.entry

To setup on a new machine.
Install WLM, do not create any accounts on first use.
Import the Mail accounts using the iaf files.
Import the messages.
Move any messages placed in the Storage Folders/Imported folder to the desired email account folder/subfolder.

If all accounts are Live ID based(hotmail, msn, live.com) the Contacts should be present as will any messages still present on the
web server.

If not using a Live ID to sign on, then open WLM's Contacts and import your own non-Live ID contacts.

There are also 3rd party software apps that can provide the same(ymmv)
http://www.google.com/search?q=backu...x=&startPage=1

--
...winston
ms-mvp mail


"JimO" <JimO@xxxxxx> wrote in message news:4474F16E-454B-4093-A560-AC9A013338F0@xxxxxx

Thanks Winston. Reading your pointers, I would like to raise a related
question.. I also use Windows Live OneCare, and I back up WLM with it. I had
the experience about 6 months ago of having to restore my WLM from backup.
The restored messages from Storage Folders all ended up in a single folder,
Imported Messages, I think it was. That is Windows Live OneCare had lost all
the subfolders within Storage Folders and just stuck all the messages
together. This was a huge mess to sort out manually. In addition, it did not
restore Contacts for WLM at all. I reported this to the Windows OneCare
group. But I have heard nothing if this has been fixed or not. It seems to me
that on principle, a Windows Live backup/restore product should be able to
backup/restore a Windows Live Mail product without trashing the data. Do you
know if this has been addressed yet?

I guess my related response, about Windows Easy Transfer, is that WET is the
way Microsoft recommends migrating user settings from one computer to
another. If it does not work properly on some of Microsoft's own products it
would be nice to warn your users. I would also comment that Windows Live Mail
has been around awhile now, so I would think WET has had enough time to
support it. So I am hoping for a straight answer if possible whether WET
supports it or not. If it doesn't, I guess I can go through all the steps
outlined for transferring my WLM messages.. But if WET will do it, it's
obvously easier to just let it. Can't you ask someone at Microsoft?

Thanks for your help so far, and any further insight you may provide to my
several questions above.


"...winston" wrote:

Don't forget that WET dates back to the date Vista was released, which
means its development was frozen around October of 2006, well before
WLMail existed. So, it doesn't 'know' about WLMail.

--
Gary VanderMolen, MS-MVP (Mail)


"JimO" <JimO@xxxxxx> wrote in message news:C2759329-CAD0-43C7-938E-615692B9471D@xxxxxx

Winston, I haven't tried this, but if I were in the situation of
wanting to transfer files from, say, a desktop to a newly-acquired
laptop to have an identical setup on the new machine, I would try
simply copying the Store folder from one machine to the other, and
then pointing the new install to that folder. (I would even - having
taken appropriate precautions - export the registry key from one to
the other, as well.) As far as I can see, this would reproduce
everything - folder structure, database, accounts, contacts, rules,
settings - intact on the new machine. Assuming, of course, that both
the OS and the program versions are identical. Is there any
inherent disadvantage with this approach? For example, are there any
machine-specific things hidden in either the Store folder or the
registry key?
--
Noel

"...winston" <winstonmvp@xxxxxx> wrote in message
news:u#O6PLCJJHA.4240@xxxxxx

I think one could probably achieve success with that route, but I don't know all the registry hooks for WLM nor do I know how much
machine specific issues come into play or if o/s makes a difference(XP to Vista vice versa ie. pathnames).

--
...winston
ms-mvp mail


"Ildhund" <jnllb@xxxxxx> wrote in message news:ubZNIEGJJHA.3680@xxxxxx