need copies of old email off non-boot hdd, how?

[HotJuly]

My main comp stopped working so I took the HDD out to put in my back-up
comp. Wouldnt boot up (guessing MS stops that) so I put it in as slave and
made another hdd the master with the XP on it. I can access this hdd from
the bad computer with no problem and it still has all my files and folders
on it.

Is there anyway I can get my email and address book back from the Outlook
Express I was using on that hdd from the bad computer? I know they're stored
there somewhere on that hdd.

Thank you for any help.

 

[Pegasus \(MVP\)]

My main comp stopped working so I took the HDD out to put in my back-up
comp. Wouldnt boot up (guessing MS stops that) so I put it in as slave and
made another hdd the master with the XP on it. I can access this hdd from
the bad computer with no problem and it still has all my files and folders
on it.

Is there anyway I can get my email and address book back from the Outlook
Express I was using on that hdd from the bad computer? I know they're stored
there somewhere on that hdd.

Thank you for any help.

You should post your question in an Outlook Express newsgroup.

There is a general dimension to your question. Your post implies
that you do not believe in regular backups to an independent
medium. Several times each week we get to read some sob-story
in this newsgroup about someone whose disk failed and who had
absolutely irreplaceable files on the failed disk. Your question implies
that your Outlook Express files are important. Did you back them
up or are you preparing material for the next sob-story?

A 2.5" disk in an external USB case is a very effective low-cost
backup medium.

 

[Rock]

My main comp stopped working so I took the HDD out to put in my back-up
comp. Wouldnt boot up (guessing MS stops that)

What do you mean that you guess MS stops that? You can't just move one
drive to another system and expect to to boot up. The installation is
tailored to the hardware on the system. In some cases it might boot, but
usually it requires at least a repair install.

http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/XPrepairinstall.htm

In some cases, if the hardware is sufficiently different, even a repair
install won't work, so it needs a clean install.

http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/cleanxpinstall.html

 

[HotJuly]

If you cant be constructive, remove the mvp from your title...and look at
the newsgroups I posted too...You will see Outlook Express group was one of
them...and who back ups email every day? ....geez dude...stop wasting
people's time with your piss poor responses that neither help nor promote
MS, ok?

 

[HotJuly]

Did it on windows 98 serveral times and I did it once with XP before MS
started that validation thing.....dudes.... people dont come here to debate
some other issue the mvp's get a fancy for creating..... Answer their
questions or just ignore them, ok? Stay on topic and quit wasting people's
time with other issues.....geezzzz

What do you mean that you guess MS stops that? You can't just move one

drive to another system and expect to to boot up.> Rock [MVP - User/Shell]

 

[PA Bear]

Pointless crossposting deleted.

References:

Backup & Restore OE Data
http://www.insideoe.com/backup/index.htm
http://www.oehelp.com/backup.aspx

Importing OE Data (all DBX files, including Folders.dbx)
http://www.insideoe.com/faqs/how.htm#importOE5

Importing a single DBX file
http://www.insideoe.com/faqs/how.htm#importdbx
http://www.oehelp.com/backup.aspx (last paragraph)

About OE Files & Settings
http://www.insideoe.com/files/index.htm

About OE Registry Keys
http://www.insideoe.com/files/regkeys.htm

 

[Pegasus \(MVP\)]

If you cant be constructive, remove the mvp from your title...and look at
the newsgroups I posted too...You will see Outlook Express group was one of
them...and who back ups email every day? ....geez dude...stop wasting
people's time with your piss poor responses that neither help nor promote
MS, ok?

Yes, OE was on your cross-post list and I overlooked it.
On the other hand, being abusive about such things won't
get you much help in these newsgroups. What's your problem?

 

[Michael W. Ryder]

My main comp stopped working so I took the HDD out to put in my back-up
comp. Wouldnt boot up (guessing MS stops that) so I put it in as slave and
made another hdd the master with the XP on it. I can access this hdd from
the bad computer with no problem and it still has all my files and folders
on it.

Is there anyway I can get my email and address book back from the Outlook
Express I was using on that hdd from the bad computer? I know they're stored
there somewhere on that hdd.

Thank you for any help.

Have you looked in the Documents and Settings folders on the old drive
for the e-mail folder? The folder should be in 'Documents and
Settings\user name\Local Settings\Application Data\Identities\random
string\Microsoft\Outlook Express. The user name field will be whatever
name you used on the old computer and the random string will be exactly
that. Some of these folders are normally hidden so you will have to
tell Explorer to show hidden files.
Once you find them you should be able to import them into Outlook
Express on the new computer. If XP will not allow you to access the
Documents and Settings folders you may have to take ownership of the
folders.

 

[HotJuly]

I'm glad you tried to help me PA Bear and I'm very glad I didnt have to add
another mvp to my kill filter list, but none of the links you sent me told
me where the old email are stored on my old hdd. They all assume I am on the
current hdd...the one that boots up.....or they assume I already backed up
the email. So me of them even say "Then Browse to the folder that contains
the OE5 *.dbx files" but dont even bother to tell me where they are usually
located!

If you deleted my cross posts, you just making me avoid the polite
crossposting that I did originally and are gonna make me resort to
multiposting Maybe someone else could have stumbled across my post who
had been in the same predictament and could have helped me.

But thanks for at least trying PA Bear.

 

[HotJuly]

Michael, thanks. That sounds hopeful. I will get on it tomorrow when I get
back home. And if it that is where there are actually stored then those
links PA Bear sent me will turn out useful after all

 

[Dave Porter]

Hi HotJuly,

I was just about the answer your call when I saw Michael Ryder's message...

He is spot on the money - so look their ( replacing the login name where he said ) and you should
see your files.

Another way would be to do a search using windows explorer for inbox.dbx & that should find the
location for you.

HTH - Dave Porter
p.s. I thought the other reply was a bit harsh on you - we all have to learn these things and if it
happens to be the hard way so be it.

 

[HotJuly]

Yea I had already did a search for dbx, but I didnt think to set it for
"hidden files" so I got to go back and do that. Thanks for trying to help
though.

I said in my original post I had a backup comp, so I didnt need lecturing
about doing backups anway, but its not files I want....its email and I dont
know anyone who backs up email every day.

I dont know what other reply you are talking about, but it sounds like I
dont want to know either

I'll follow back up tomorrow after I give all this a try.

 

[Dave Porter]

No worries...

Just for clarification - your email is stored as files !
e.g. Inbox.dbx stores you inbox message, "Sent items.dbx" stores your sent items etc.....
( and if you had a folder called 'Fred' that you had created there will be a file called fred.dbx
etc... )

Also another thing, your address's are stored in a wab file that ( guess what )) ) is not stored
in the same location as your e-mails. ( btw: wab is Windows Address Book )

Do a search for any *.wab files on your computer and if there are more than one, look for the one
with a current date on it and that will be the one. Then you may need to rename it to the name of
the one on your new computer & move it to the location of the one on the new computer.

I just had a client with exactly the same problems as you just in the last couple of days, which is
why it is fresh in my mind. I Googled for help and found this site very useful.

http://www.insideoutlookexpress.com/faqs/how.htm#movewab

I wish you good luck.

Dave

 

[PA Bear]

In WinXP, Win2K and Win2K03, the OE user files (DBX and WAB) are by default
marked as hidden. To view these files in Explorer, you must enable Show
Hidden Files and Folders under Start > Control Panel > Folder Options >
View.

Now search the old HDD for .DBX files. Make certain Folders.dbx is included
in the set of DBX files or you won't be able to import the DBX files into OE
on the new HDD.

How OE stores files on your hard disk
http://www.insideoe.com/files/store.htm#storemain

 

[HotJuly]

Ok, I was able to locate all my dbx folders on the old hdd and then I just
copied them to my desktop, including the folders.dbx and main wab file. I
then simply used OE's import messages and address book to get everything
back.

Thanks for all the help guys. CYA!

 

[Rock]

Did it on windows 98 serveral times and I did it once with XP before MS
started that validation thing.....dudes.... people dont come here to
debate some other issue the mvp's get a fancy for creating..... Answer
their questions or just ignore them, ok? Stay on topic and quit wasting
people's time with other issues.....geezzzz

What do you mean that you guess MS stops that? You can't just move one

drive to another system and expect to to boot up.> Rock [MVP - User/Shell]

Win98 is not XP, activation has always been present with XP. If it was
successful once then that's good, it might also be successful in other
situations, but in general when moving to different hardware, a minimum of a
repair install is needed. It depends on how different the new hardware is.

Changing a Motherboard or Moving a Hard Drive with XP Installed
http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/moving_xp.html

What is your problem? I gave you the reason why and a solution to your
issue about it not booting up. I also corrected your misunderstanding about
why it wouldn't work. It is not something that MS stops.

If you want a particular response then call MS tech support. This is a peer
to peer newsgroup on Usenet. People post what they want.