Vista - Importing -Outlook Express old emails (DBX) to windows Mail

This was someone elses message but it applies-why is this so hard?


Hi,

I've read all of the posts here and not one of them help at all.

I'm looking on how to import outlook express email accounts into
windows mail. I can import the email messages just fine, but not
my 15 email accounts.

I have created a folder and stored this onto the windows vista
machine, named: Outlook Express Email Accounts.

When I go to: Tools => Accounts => Import. A box appears
that says "Import Internet Account".

I select one of the Outlook Express 6's *.iaf files and I constantly
get this error: "The import did not complete because an error occurred."

What's causing this and how do I fix this frustrating problem.

Thanks kindly for any imformative solutions you can provide.

"Martin" wrote:
I am dealing with the exact same issue. If Microsoft screwed something up
with Vista, then the migration of Outlook Express accounts it is.

First, I thought that it would be cool to just export the Outlook Express
(OE) Account registry from Windows XP Professional. Well, that wasn't. You
had to know you needed to do an export for every single account in Outlook
Express and create an .IAF file.

Second, during import of all OE mail messages in Windows Mail the wizard
asked me to open the folder with all .DBX files. So I did. It said it could
not find any message folders to import. So I tried several times, until I
figured that you had to actually open the parent folder that kept the folder
with all the .DBX files. Once that parent folder was opened, I then had to
just select the folder that kept all .DBX files (not open it) and run the
import. That finally worked. None of the MS documentation would tell you that
trick!

Now, when I want to import Account settings (I have 94 of them) and when I
want to use the "File" - "Import" - "Mail Account Settings...", Windows Mail
immediately comes back with the message "No other e-mail accounts could be
found."
Since the submenu contains three (3) dots in the menu ["Mail Account
Settings..."], I know there should be another dialog opening up requesting
additional information for the import. But there isn't. Instead I immediately
get the "No other e-mail accounts could be found." error message. What's up
with that? - Again, all that the MS help will tell you is that you need to
export account settings in OE 6 into .IAF files, but when it comes to import,
where in the world can you tell Windows Mail where to look for these .IAF
files???????

Some of you have tried to go through the "Tools" - "Accounts" menu in
Windows Mail to use the "Import..." function right there. Well, as far as I
can tell, the Windows Mail .IAF account export files have a different format
than the OE 6 .IAF account export files. When I create a temp account in
Windows Mail, do the export, then delete the account, and do an import, that
works. But I could not import an OE 6 email account. Also, I used a HEX
editor to look at both files (OE 6 account export file and Windows Mail
account export file) and they are clearly different.
That tells me that using the "Tools" - "Accounts" menu in Windows Mail to
import OE 6 accounts would simply never work.

So where in the world is Windows Mail looking when trying to import OE 6
..IAF account files when using the "File" - "Import" - "Mail Account
Settings..." menu?
Why does the error message pop up so quickly without even asking for further
informaiton???

Hi Martin,

I may have a hint for you that may get you a step further:
Before doing the export witin Outlook Express 6, go into the Properties of
each and every single account, and uncheck the "Remember password" on the
"Servers" tab of your mail account properties. Hit Apply, close the
properties, and perform a new export. A new import within Windows Mail may
then work. I have a very few accounts where it still does not work (out of my
94 accounts), so there may be another issue.

Bottom line, you are doing everything right, even though Windows Mail may
require special procedures (such as unchecking the "Remember passowrd" option
inside Outlook Express 6) before exporting accounts to .IAF files so that
they can be read within Windows Mail.

One thing is for sure: Microsoft did not perform its due diligence when
testing the migration capabilities of Outlook Express 6 mails & accounts to
Windows Vista Mail.

Let me kwno if that helps you any further!

Good luck!
Wolfgang


"Martin" wrote:

It always baffles me why people who upgrade from XP to Vista do not
use the migration utility built into Vista.
The first few times you start Vista, you get a Welcome Center screen,
which (among other things) has a Transfer Files and Settings wizard.
When clicked, it invokes the Windows Easy Transfer utility.
I have used it several times already to transfer all my OE emails, settings,
folders, accounts, rules, etc., to Windows Mail.

--
Gary VanderMolen, MS-MVP (WLMail)


"Wolfgang Kaml" <WolfgangKaml@xxxxxx> wrote in message
news:E3EACF89-7835-4FF1-9F0B-42928AC0E283@xxxxxx

See this archived conversation:
http://groups.google.com/group/micro...6e9bdcdd19ab0a
--
~Robear Dyer (PA Bear)
MS MVP-IE, Mail, Security, Windows Desktop Experience - since 2002
AumHa VSOP & Admin http://aumha.net
DTS-L http://dts-l.net/

Martin wrote:

"Martin" wrote:

"Martin" wrote: