Cleaning up address book in Windows Live Mail

[Jim Beaver]

After going through hell for a few days with Windows Mail, I switched to
Windows Live Mail, which is clearly a better set-up for me. But there are
still a few problems.

My Contacts list now has duplicates for each contact. I went to Help for
clean-up advice and got the following instructions:

To clean up duplicate contacts:

1. Sign in to the Windows Live Hotmail website with the Windows Live ID
(The user name and password that you use to sign in to any Windows Live,
MSN, or Office Live sites and services. If you have a Passport Network,
Hotmail, or Messenger account, you can use it as your Windows Live ID.) that
you use to sign in to Windows Live Mail.
2. Follow the instructions in Clean up duplicate contacts.

The problem is, the Windows Live Hotmail website prompts me to switch from
my current email set-up to Hotmail. I don't want to change my email
accounts to Hotmail. Am I understanding this correctly? Am I being
prompted to change email providers (email addresses, etc.), or to change
from Windows Live Mail to Windows Live Hotmail? And what's the benefit/need
for that? Anyway, what am I missing here about simply trying to clean up my
Contact List?

Second problem: when I switched from OE on my old computer to Windows Mail
on my new one, I was able (with a lot of figuring out) to move my Groups
intact from OE and install them as Groups within WM. But when I switched to
WLM, it transferred the Group names, but none of the contacts. They're
still there in the main Contact list, but all my Groups now show as empty.

A. Is there a means I've missed for recapturing the Groups?
B. Is it possible to export/import Groups from OE, if I need to start over,
i.e., import JUST the group and not the entire contact list?

So far the only problem I've noticed with WLM (other than the difficulty of
cleaning up the Contact list) is that the Contact list part is EXTREMELY
slow. It takes nearly 20 seconds merely to drag a contact from the main
list to a Group. If it weren't for that, I think I could just drag-and-drop
to recreate my Groups.

Jim Beaver

 

[Gary VanderMolen]

Don't worry about the prompt you are getting from the Windows Live
Hotmail site. I believe this refers to converting a standard Hotmail
account to a Live Hotmail account. Live Hotmail will not interfere with
your current email providers or your current default email client.

 

[Jim Beaver]

Is there a specific path to get to the Contact List cleanup? Step-by-step,
I mean. The instructions given in Windows Live Mail Help don't seem to get
me to the Cleanup, even though the instructions only have two steps (To
clean up duplicate contacts:
1. Sign in to the Windows Live Hotmail website with the Windows Live ID
(The user name and password that you use to sign in to any Windows Live,
MSN, or Office Live sites and services. If you have a Passport Network,
Hotmail, or Messenger account, you can use it as your Windows Live ID.)
that
you use to sign in to Windows Live Mail.
2. Follow the instructions in Clean up duplicate contacts.)

These instructions just send me off into a world of Hotmail, with no visible
instructions for step 2. Searching Help within Hotmail turns up nothing
under Cleanup.

Jim Beaver

Don't worry about the prompt you are getting from the Windows Live
Hotmail site. I believe this refers to converting a standard Hotmail
account to a Live Hotmail account. Live Hotmail will not interfere with
your current email providers or your current default email client.

--
Gary VanderMolen [MS-MVP WLM]

After going through hell for a few days with Windows Mail, I switched to
Windows Live Mail, which is clearly a better set-up for me. But there
are still a few problems.

My Contacts list now has duplicates for each contact. I went to Help for
clean-up advice and got the following instructions:

To clean up duplicate contacts:

1. Sign in to the Windows Live Hotmail website with the Windows Live ID
(The user name and password that you use to sign in to any Windows Live,
MSN, or Office Live sites and services. If you have a Passport Network,
Hotmail, or Messenger account, you can use it as your Windows Live ID.)
that you use to sign in to Windows Live Mail.
2. Follow the instructions in Clean up duplicate contacts.

The problem is, the Windows Live Hotmail website prompts me to switch
from my current email set-up to Hotmail. I don't want to change my email
accounts to Hotmail. Am I understanding this correctly? Am I being
prompted to change email providers (email addresses, etc.), or to change
from Windows Live Mail to Windows Live Hotmail? And what's the
benefit/need for that? Anyway, what am I missing here about simply
trying to clean up my Contact List?

Second problem: when I switched from OE on my old computer to Windows
Mail on my new one, I was able (with a lot of figuring out) to move my
Groups intact from OE and install them as Groups within WM. But when I
switched to WLM, it transferred the Group names, but none of the
contacts. They're still there in the main Contact list, but all my
Groups now show as empty.

A. Is there a means I've missed for recapturing the Groups?
B. Is it possible to export/import Groups from OE, if I need to start
over, i.e., import JUST the group and not the entire contact list?

So far the only problem I've noticed with WLM (other than the difficulty
of cleaning up the Contact list) is that the Contact list part is
EXTREMELY slow. It takes nearly 20 seconds merely to drag a contact from
the main list to a Group. If it weren't for that, I think I could just
drag-and-drop to recreate my Groups.

Jim Beaver

 

[Gary VanderMolen]

The steps to clean up Contacts are easily figured out once you are in Hotmail.
In Windows Live Hotmail, click on Contacts. After Contacts opens, click on
Options (near the upper right corner), then "Clean up duplicate contacts."

--
Gary VanderMolen [MS-MVP WLM]

Is there a specific path to get to the Contact List cleanup? Step-by-step,
I mean. The instructions given in Windows Live Mail Help don't seem to get
me to the Cleanup, even though the instructions only have two steps (To
clean up duplicate contacts:
1. Sign in to the Windows Live Hotmail website with the Windows Live ID
(The user name and password that you use to sign in to any Windows Live,
MSN, or Office Live sites and services. If you have a Passport Network,
Hotmail, or Messenger account, you can use it as your Windows Live ID.)
that
you use to sign in to Windows Live Mail.
2. Follow the instructions in Clean up duplicate contacts.)

These instructions just send me off into a world of Hotmail, with no visible
instructions for step 2. Searching Help within Hotmail turns up nothing
under Cleanup.

Jim Beaver

Don't worry about the prompt you are getting from the Windows Live
Hotmail site. I believe this refers to converting a standard Hotmail
account to a Live Hotmail account. Live Hotmail will not interfere with
your current email providers or your current default email client.

--
Gary VanderMolen [MS-MVP WLM]

After going through hell for a few days with Windows Mail, I switched to
Windows Live Mail, which is clearly a better set-up for me. But there
are still a few problems.

My Contacts list now has duplicates for each contact. I went to Help for
clean-up advice and got the following instructions:

To clean up duplicate contacts:

1. Sign in to the Windows Live Hotmail website with the Windows Live ID
(The user name and password that you use to sign in to any Windows Live,
MSN, or Office Live sites and services. If you have a Passport Network,
Hotmail, or Messenger account, you can use it as your Windows Live ID.)
that you use to sign in to Windows Live Mail.
2. Follow the instructions in Clean up duplicate contacts.

The problem is, the Windows Live Hotmail website prompts me to switch
from my current email set-up to Hotmail. I don't want to change my email
accounts to Hotmail. Am I understanding this correctly? Am I being
prompted to change email providers (email addresses, etc.), or to change
from Windows Live Mail to Windows Live Hotmail? And what's the
benefit/need for that? Anyway, what am I missing here about simply
trying to clean up my Contact List?

Second problem: when I switched from OE on my old computer to Windows
Mail on my new one, I was able (with a lot of figuring out) to move my
Groups intact from OE and install them as Groups within WM. But when I
switched to WLM, it transferred the Group names, but none of the
contacts. They're still there in the main Contact list, but all my
Groups now show as empty.

A. Is there a means I've missed for recapturing the Groups?
B. Is it possible to export/import Groups from OE, if I need to start
over, i.e., import JUST the group and not the entire contact list?

So far the only problem I've noticed with WLM (other than the difficulty
of cleaning up the Contact list) is that the Contact list part is
EXTREMELY slow. It takes nearly 20 seconds merely to drag a contact from
the main list to a Group. If it weren't for that, I think I could just
drag-and-drop to recreate my Groups.

Jim Beaver

 

[Jim Beaver]

Unfortunately (unless I made an error along the way), this only cleans up
duplicate contacts in my new Hotmail account, which apparently I had to open
in order to get past the Windows Live Hotmail screen. And I don't HAVE any
contacts in the new Hotmail account.

Sorry to drag this out, but getting from the Windows Live Hotmail
welcome/sign in page to MY OWN Contacts list is the problem. Thanks.

The steps to clean up Contacts are easily figured out once you are in
Hotmail.
In Windows Live Hotmail, click on Contacts. After Contacts opens, click
on Options (near the upper right corner), then "Clean up duplicate
contacts."

--
Gary VanderMolen [MS-MVP WLM]

Is there a specific path to get to the Contact List cleanup?
Step-by-step, I mean. The instructions given in Windows Live Mail Help
don't seem to get me to the Cleanup, even though the instructions only
have two steps (To clean up duplicate contacts:
1. Sign in to the Windows Live Hotmail website with the Windows Live ID
(The user name and password that you use to sign in to any Windows Live,
MSN, or Office Live sites and services. If you have a Passport Network,
Hotmail, or Messenger account, you can use it as your Windows Live ID.)
that
you use to sign in to Windows Live Mail.
2. Follow the instructions in Clean up duplicate contacts.)

These instructions just send me off into a world of Hotmail, with no
visible instructions for step 2. Searching Help within Hotmail turns up
nothing under Cleanup.

Jim Beaver

Don't worry about the prompt you are getting from the Windows Live
Hotmail site. I believe this refers to converting a standard Hotmail
account to a Live Hotmail account. Live Hotmail will not interfere with
your current email providers or your current default email client.

--
Gary VanderMolen [MS-MVP WLM]


After going through hell for a few days with Windows Mail, I switched
to Windows Live Mail, which is clearly a better set-up for me. But
there are still a few problems.

My Contacts list now has duplicates for each contact. I went to Help
for clean-up advice and got the following instructions:

To clean up duplicate contacts:

1. Sign in to the Windows Live Hotmail website with the Windows Live
ID (The user name and password that you use to sign in to any Windows
Live, MSN, or Office Live sites and services. If you have a Passport
Network, Hotmail, or Messenger account, you can use it as your Windows
Live ID.) that you use to sign in to Windows Live Mail.
2. Follow the instructions in Clean up duplicate contacts.

The problem is, the Windows Live Hotmail website prompts me to switch
from my current email set-up to Hotmail. I don't want to change my
email accounts to Hotmail. Am I understanding this correctly? Am I
being prompted to change email providers (email addresses, etc.), or to
change from Windows Live Mail to Windows Live Hotmail? And what's the
benefit/need for that? Anyway, what am I missing here about simply
trying to clean up my Contact List?

Second problem: when I switched from OE on my old computer to Windows
Mail on my new one, I was able (with a lot of figuring out) to move my
Groups intact from OE and install them as Groups within WM. But when I
switched to WLM, it transferred the Group names, but none of the
contacts. They're still there in the main Contact list, but all my
Groups now show as empty.

A. Is there a means I've missed for recapturing the Groups?
B. Is it possible to export/import Groups from OE, if I need to start
over, i.e., import JUST the group and not the entire contact list?

So far the only problem I've noticed with WLM (other than the
difficulty of cleaning up the Contact list) is that the Contact list
part is EXTREMELY slow. It takes nearly 20 seconds merely to drag a
contact from the main list to a Group. If it weren't for that, I think
I could just drag-and-drop to recreate my Groups.

Jim Beaver

 

[Gary VanderMolen]

It doesn't just clean up Hotmail contacts. When you log in to Windows
Live Mail (WLM) with a Live ID, WLM Contacts synchronize with Hotmail
Contacts (and vice versa). If you have made many changes in one session,
it may take a couple of syncs before everything is equalized.

--
Gary VanderMolen [MS-MVP WLM]

Unfortunately (unless I made an error along the way), this only cleans up
duplicate contacts in my new Hotmail account, which apparently I had to open
in order to get past the Windows Live Hotmail screen. And I don't HAVE any
contacts in the new Hotmail account.

Sorry to drag this out, but getting from the Windows Live Hotmail
welcome/sign in page to MY OWN Contacts list is the problem. Thanks.

The steps to clean up Contacts are easily figured out once you are in
Hotmail.
In Windows Live Hotmail, click on Contacts. After Contacts opens, click
on Options (near the upper right corner), then "Clean up duplicate
contacts."

--
Gary VanderMolen [MS-MVP WLM]

Is there a specific path to get to the Contact List cleanup?
Step-by-step, I mean. The instructions given in Windows Live Mail Help
don't seem to get me to the Cleanup, even though the instructions only
have two steps (To clean up duplicate contacts:
1. Sign in to the Windows Live Hotmail website with the Windows Live ID
(The user name and password that you use to sign in to any Windows Live,
MSN, or Office Live sites and services. If you have a Passport Network,
Hotmail, or Messenger account, you can use it as your Windows Live ID.)
that
you use to sign in to Windows Live Mail.
2. Follow the instructions in Clean up duplicate contacts.)

These instructions just send me off into a world of Hotmail, with no
visible instructions for step 2. Searching Help within Hotmail turns up
nothing under Cleanup.

Jim Beaver


Don't worry about the prompt you are getting from the Windows Live
Hotmail site. I believe this refers to converting a standard Hotmail
account to a Live Hotmail account. Live Hotmail will not interfere with
your current email providers or your current default email client.

--
Gary VanderMolen [MS-MVP WLM]


After going through hell for a few days with Windows Mail, I switched
to Windows Live Mail, which is clearly a better set-up for me. But
there are still a few problems.

My Contacts list now has duplicates for each contact. I went to Help
for clean-up advice and got the following instructions:

To clean up duplicate contacts:

1. Sign in to the Windows Live Hotmail website with the Windows Live
ID (The user name and password that you use to sign in to any Windows
Live, MSN, or Office Live sites and services. If you have a Passport
Network, Hotmail, or Messenger account, you can use it as your Windows
Live ID.) that you use to sign in to Windows Live Mail.
2. Follow the instructions in Clean up duplicate contacts.

The problem is, the Windows Live Hotmail website prompts me to switch
from my current email set-up to Hotmail. I don't want to change my
email accounts to Hotmail. Am I understanding this correctly? Am I
being prompted to change email providers (email addresses, etc.), or to
change from Windows Live Mail to Windows Live Hotmail? And what's the
benefit/need for that? Anyway, what am I missing here about simply
trying to clean up my Contact List?

Second problem: when I switched from OE on my old computer to Windows
Mail on my new one, I was able (with a lot of figuring out) to move my
Groups intact from OE and install them as Groups within WM. But when I
switched to WLM, it transferred the Group names, but none of the
contacts. They're still there in the main Contact list, but all my
Groups now show as empty.

A. Is there a means I've missed for recapturing the Groups?
B. Is it possible to export/import Groups from OE, if I need to start
over, i.e., import JUST the group and not the entire contact list?

So far the only problem I've noticed with WLM (other than the
difficulty of cleaning up the Contact list) is that the Contact list
part is EXTREMELY slow. It takes nearly 20 seconds merely to drag a
contact from the main list to a Group. If it weren't for that, I think
I could just drag-and-drop to recreate my Groups.

Jim Beaver