.eml files

[Emrys Davies]

I am about to buy a new computer with Win7 installed and my intentions
are to install Windows Live Mail. I know that if I import my .dbx file
to WLM they will be stored as .eml files. Now my question: Will the
imported and stored .eml files open in a readable state, unlike stored
..dbx files which will not open properly in their stored location?
Google did not help.

 

[Bruce Hagen]

I am about to buy a new computer with Win7 installed and my intentions
are to install Windows Live Mail. I know that if I import my .dbx file
to WLM they will be stored as .eml files. Now my question: Will the
imported and stored .eml files open in a readable state, unlike stored
.dbx files which will not open properly in their stored location?
Google did not help.

WLMail and WinMail in Vista stored messages as eml files to prevent the
problems that the fragile dbx file system had. Backup as follows and all
will be well.

For messages:

Copy the *ENTIRE* OE message store folder to a flash drive. (Folders.dbx
must be included). Place this on the Desktop or other location on the
machine using WLMail. Open WLMail and: File | Import | Messages |
Microsoft Outlook Express 6 and point to where you saved it.

For Addresses:

Open the Address Book in OE and File | Export | Address Book (wab) and
save it to the Desktop. Copy to a flash drive. Place this on the Desktop
or other location on the machine using WLMail.

Open the Contacts list in WLMail, (Go | Contacts on the Menu Bar), and
File | Import | Windows Address Book (wab) and point to where you saved
it.

Note: If you use a CD or DVD instead of a flash drive, after placing on
the new machine you must remove the Read Only attribute in Properties
before you import.
--------------------------------------------------------------

You may want to check out the "Troll Free" Microsoft Answers forums,
especially for Win7 issues.

Microsoft Answers Windows 7 Forums:
http://social.answers.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/category/windows7

 

[R. C. White]

Hi, Emrys.

Yes. Each message will be in a separate .eml file, which is a plain text
file with some metadata - and a long cryptic name created by WLM. If you
want to see them, first find the path to your Message Store by clicking
Tools | Options | Advanced | Message | Store Folder. Then use Windows
Explorer to browse to that folder. Find the subfolder that corresponds to
one of your Mail Accounts and look into that folder's Inbox folder. As you
will see, the actual filenames are inscrutable, but if you click on one, you
can easily read it. In fact, if you click Explorer's Organize | Layout menu
and turn on the Details Pane, you can read each message without even opening
it.

Those strange filenames are indexed, of course, so that WLM can show them to
you. But that index is kept in the Mail.MSMessageStore file which is not
ordinarily readable, at least not by me.

We'll need on of the WLM gurus to guide us from here. As Paul Harvey used
to say, "Don't ask me for details. I've already told you more than I know."
:^}

RC
--
R. C. White, CPA
San Marcos, TX
(e-mail address removed)
Microsoft Windows MVP
Windows Live Mail 2009 (14.0.8089.0726) in Win7 Ultimate x64

 

[Emrys Davies]

Hi, Emrys.

Yes. Each message will be in a separate .eml file, which is a plain text
file with some metadata - and a long cryptic name created by WLM. If you
want to see them, first find the path to your Message Store by clicking
Tools | Options | Advanced | Message | Store Folder. Then use Windows
Explorer to browse to that folder. Find the subfolder that corresponds to
one of your Mail Accounts and look into that folder's Inbox folder. As you
will see, the actual filenames are inscrutable, but if you click on one, you
can easily read it. In fact, if you click Explorer's Organize | Layout menu
and turn on the Details Pane, you can read each message without even opening
it.

Those strange filenames are indexed, of course, so that WLM can show them to
you. But that index is kept in the Mail.MSMessageStore file which is not
ordinarily readable, at least not by me.

We'll need on of the WLM gurus to guide us from here. As Paul Harvey used
to say, "Don't ask me for details. I've already told you more than I know."
:^}

RC

Thanks a lot gentlement. That is very explicit and most helpful and I
very much appreciate it.