Windows XP

[Ken Sympson]

I have a desktop computer with Vista Home Premium and I'm using Windows Mail
on that machine. I also have a laptop with Windows XP. I'll be going away
for two months and I would like to move a copy of my Windows Mail files to
my laptop for access while I'm away. Upon return, I would like to move my
mail files from my laptop to my desktop computer and resume using Windows
Mail. Questions:

1. Can Outlook Express read Windows Mail files directly or can you import
these into OE? If import is possible, can the OE mail files be imported back
into Windows Mail?

2. Can you download and use Windows Mail on a Windows XP computer?

Thanks

 

[Mike Hall - MVP]

You don't really need to move anything. Just create the same account in OE..

 

[Ken Sympson]

I want to be able to access my current e-mail records (now on my desktop
computer) while I'm away and using my laptop. When I return, I want to
replace the e-mail records on my desktop computer with those from my laptop.
I assume that at least some file copying will be required to move these
files back and forth. I either have to use Outlook Express as the client on
my laptop, figure out if it is possible to use Windows Mail on a Windows XP
computer, or use Windows Live Mail on both computers. Since Windows Live
Mail is not ready for primetime, I think I'm left with the first two
options.

Ken

 

[Dave]

You can't just copy the email files back and forth.
You can't install OE on Vista, You can't install Windows Mail on XP
You can use WLM on both.

What most people do is...
Configure your laptop to leave the email on the server after downloading it.
Tools - Accounts - youraccount - Advanced - [x] Leave a copy of messages on
server

Configure your desktop the same way. But you should configure the email to
be removed after a few days, so your server inbox won't fill up.
This will allow both computers to retrieve the same email.

 

[TerryMiles]

Well, that's the major disadvantage to using Microsoft mail software. They
each store mail entirely differently and it is nearly impossible to convert
from one to the other (even with utilities or procedures to do so, there are
usually problems).

If you're going to use two machines, you only have three good choices:

1. Do as the other person said, when using your laptop, leave a copy of the
messages on your server, but not when you use your desktop. This still will
not allow you to have the exact messages on both machines, though.

2. Use webmail. I had always hated webmail, but got used to it because I
now use three different machines daily (my personal desktop, my personal
laptop, my Work desktop). I also have a work laptop but don't use it to
check e-mail, because co-workers sometimes use it.

3. Use Mozilla's THUNDERBIRD. You can just copy the entire profiles back
and forth if you need to. No hassles at all.