Where are Outlook Express data files?

Phil St. Romain · 10-03-2002, 10:04 AM

My daughter just got a new eMac (very nice, btw) and we're trying to import her Outlook Express mailboxes and addresses to Mail.app I moved her old OE folder to the Classic partition and Microsoft User Data to the a /Documents/ folder on Classic, but OE doesn't show her old mailboxes and addresses. I thought everything was in that User Data folder, but it's been awhile since I've dealt with this. Am I missing something else?

Craig R. Arko · 10-03-2002, 10:26 AM

I think what I've had to do is bring the old folder out of Documents, re-create the account with the same name in OE, and then replace the newly created user folder with the older one, and then it will read in correctly.

But it's been a while here, too. Be sure to keep a backup around while trying this.

Phil St. Romain · 10-03-2002, 03:38 PM

OK, for posterity, here's what you need to do. In a 10.2 and later version, you need to move the Microsoft User Data folder from your OS 9.x Documents folder to /Users/Home/Documents/ No help file mentions this--not even the new Mail.app I found out about it through a Sherlock search in the Apple Care archives.

Also, OE address book export isn't picked up by Address Book.app import. But, if you go to /Library/Scripts/Mail Scripts/ you'll find one for Import Addresses, which did the job nicely.

Now, next person won't have to spend over an hour doing this stuff. Better Help files for Mail.app are needed.

Craig R. Arko · 10-03-2002, 03:44 PM

You might even want to submit that as a hint to the main site. A person would be unlikely to guess that procedure.

cande · 10-19-2002, 10:15 AM

Hmmm... Outlook Express (version 5.0.5 at least) pops up an alert message explaining that you have to copy "Microsoft User Data" folder from Classic's Documents to OS X 10.2.x's /User/username/Documents folder in order to be able to use your old settings, mailboxes and addresses, the first time you open OE in Classic mode.

Cheers!
Cande

Phil St. Romain · 10-19-2002, 11:10 AM

Yes, that's true with OS 10.2, but that wasn't the case in 10.1.5. For some reason, when importing OE settings in Mail/10.2, I never got that dialogue box. OE opened, I selected the old MS User Data in my Classic Documents folder, and waited. Only it imported a default set-up it had created in X's ~/Documents/ If I had ever gotten that dialogue box, I would have understood what was happening. But I didn't.

10-03-2002, 10:04 AM	#1
Phil St. Romain Site Admin Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Wichita, KS Posts: 2,350	Where are Outlook Express data files? My daughter just got a new eMac (very nice, btw) and we're trying to import her Outlook Express mailboxes and addresses to Mail.app I moved her old OE folder to the Classic partition and Microsoft User Data to the a /Documents/ folder on Classic, but OE doesn't show her old mailboxes and addresses. I thought everything was in that User Data folder, but it's been awhile since I've dealt with this. Am I missing something else?

10-03-2002, 10:26 AM	#2
Craig R. Arko Site Admin Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Minneapolis, MN Posts: 3,988	I think what I've had to do is bring the old folder out of Documents, re-create the account with the same name in OE, and then replace the newly created user folder with the older one, and then it will read in correctly. But it's been a while here, too. Be sure to keep a backup around while trying this.

10-03-2002, 03:38 PM	#3
Phil St. Romain Site Admin Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Wichita, KS Posts: 2,350	OK, for posterity, here's what you need to do. In a 10.2 and later version, you need to move the Microsoft User Data folder from your OS 9.x Documents folder to /Users/Home/Documents/ No help file mentions this--not even the new Mail.app I found out about it through a Sherlock search in the Apple Care archives. Also, OE address book export isn't picked up by Address Book.app import. But, if you go to /Library/Scripts/Mail Scripts/ you'll find one for Import Addresses, which did the job nicely. Now, next person won't have to spend over an hour doing this stuff. Better Help files for Mail.app are needed.

10-03-2002, 03:44 PM	#4
Craig R. Arko Site Admin Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Minneapolis, MN Posts: 3,988	You might even want to submit that as a hint to the main site. A person would be unlikely to guess that procedure.

10-19-2002, 10:15 AM	#5
cande Prospect Join Date: Oct 2002 Posts: 2	Hmmm... Outlook Express (version 5.0.5 at least) pops up an alert message explaining that you have to copy "Microsoft User Data" folder from Classic's Documents to OS X 10.2.x's /User/username/Documents folder in order to be able to use your old settings, mailboxes and addresses, the first time you open OE in Classic mode. Cheers! Cande

10-19-2002, 11:10 AM	#6
Phil St. Romain Site Admin Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Wichita, KS Posts: 2,350	Yes, that's true with OS 10.2, but that wasn't the case in 10.1.5. For some reason, when importing OE settings in Mail/10.2, I never got that dialogue box. OE opened, I selected the old MS User Data in my Classic Documents folder, and waited. Only it imported a default set-up it had created in X's ~/Documents/ If I had ever gotten that dialogue box, I would have understood what was happening. But I didn't.