Combine/Sync Window Mail files?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Ken
  • Start date Start date
K

Ken

I have several computers around the house in a network. One computer is the
primary machine and is used for most of the email activity. It would be
nice if I could point all the systems to one Windows Mail Folder but I don't
think that is recommended? So, if that is not possible is there any way
using Vista Sync or a program like Good Sync to periodically combine Windows
Mail information on the "Primary Machine". Same situation is true for the
Contacts File. Although, it appears Vista will let me copy the Contacts
File from the "Primary Machine" and put it on the other computers without a
problem. Seems to be a common problem floating around the internet. A
little help/suggestions/links will be appreciated.
 
Not so fast. I have been struggling with this same issue. Export/Import is
a solution, but not the best one.

I have been using SyncToy (Microsoft freeware) to sync shared folders across
several private network machines using Vista. This allows all folder
add/delete/updates that occur on one PC to be seen on the others. SyncToy
uses designated folder pairs when it is run for syncing. If only I knew the
file extension used by Mail for messages, I would use this on my messages
also. However, I suspect the mail file is more than than just any file.
Anyone know where the message file is?

I share all my user folders (includes Contacts) across the network by right
click/Share on c:\users\user ID - don't use the shortcuts under Desktop.
Then click Advanced Sharing/Share this Folder. Then click Permissions/Add to
get the cryptic "Share Users and Groups". I entered my user ID (the same
across all PC's) in the Enter Object box and Checked Names. This gives
permissions to a illogical user name based on the current PC, not the user
name in the other PC(s). Why Locations doesn't show all Network devices is
beyond me. Also, directly sharing a folder like Contacts brings up a
different sharing path involving only users on the current PC - no other
network PC's are listed. I have tested this and other users cannot get to my
files.

Of course the elegant way would be to share designated common files with a
list of permitted users/network PC locations. Syncing would occur
automatically whenever a PC entered the network with the pending changes.
For a few users and a few PCs on a private network, why doesn't Vista support
syncing of PCs using Sync Center like it does for hand held devices?
 
Look's like the good old days of a simple file structure used by Outlook
Express are gone with VistaMail. I keep all my VistaMail in a separate
"DATA" partition. That keeps my stuff from getting lost in the Operating
System partition. Anyway as far as I can tell, Vista Mail keeps the emails
in a "database?" called "WindowsMail.MSMessageStore". That makes it
impossible for a generic Sync program to get at the individual messages.
So... given few alternatives I can live with the above solution. Maybe
somebody out there will develop a MessageStore Sync-er to address the issue!
 
Ken said:
Look's like the good old days of a simple file structure used by Outlook
Express are gone with VistaMail. I keep all my VistaMail in a separate
"DATA" partition. That keeps my stuff from getting lost in the Operating
System partition. Anyway as far as I can tell, Vista Mail keeps the
emails in a "database?" called "WindowsMail.MSMessageStore". That makes
it impossible for a generic Sync program to get at the individual
messages. So... given few alternatives I can live with the above solution.
Maybe somebody out there will develop a MessageStore Sync-er to address
the issue!
Click to expand...


In many ways WinMail is easier. The email is stored as separate EML files,
one per message.
WindowsMail.MSMessageStore does not contain any messages, but it contains
information about them to speed up WinMail so that it doesn't have to
actually look at each message for most operations.
 
I confess I like Windows Mail better than Outlook Express. That said....I
have to ask the same question too - if the .eml files are not in the
WindowsMail.MSMessageStore then where the heck are they? I store my Windows
Mail stuff in D:\WindowsMail\Ken\Local Folders\Inbox\*. (Windows Mail sets
up everthing after D:\WindowsMail) The "*" means I have created sub folders
(while in Windows Mail) within the Inbox folder to store my various emails.
I have 15+ sub folders with hundreds of emails stored in them. The only
*.eml files I can find in the Inbox are the ones I have not yet moved to an
Inbox sub folder. Once I move them within Windows Mail they disappear.
The sub folders where I put the emails are also invisible. There are a
whole bunch of .eml files in the "Sent" folder. What am I missing?!!

Also, I made a mistake and set up a sub folder to hold emails outside the
Inbox folder and it shows up under Local Folders with the .eml file visible
even though I moved the folder back into the Inbox. I cannot make it go
away! If I manually delete the .eml in this folder Windows Mail says it
cannot find the email that is supposed to be in the folder. If I manually
delete the folder it comes back the next time I start Windows Mail. If I
delete the sub folder in Windows Mail it finally goes away.

So it looks like one should set up sub folders outside the Inbox and then
Windows Mail will show the .eml files. Have I stumbled into a Windows Mail
quirk by setting up sub folders under the Inbox?
 
Ken said:
I confess I like Windows Mail better than Outlook Express. That said....I
have to ask the same question too - if the .eml files are not in the
WindowsMail.MSMessageStore then where the heck are they? I store my
Windows Mail stuff in D:\WindowsMail\Ken\Local Folders\Inbox\*. (Windows
Mail sets up everthing after D:\WindowsMail) The "*" means I have created
sub folders (while in Windows Mail) within the Inbox folder to store my
various emails. I have 15+ sub folders with hundreds of emails stored in
them. The only *.eml files I can find in the Inbox are the ones I have not
yet moved to an Inbox sub folder. Once I move them within Windows Mail
they disappear. The sub folders where I put the emails are also invisible.
There are a whole bunch of .eml files in the "Sent" folder. What am I
missing?!!

Also, I made a mistake and set up a sub folder to hold emails outside the
Inbox folder and it shows up under Local Folders with the .eml file
visible even though I moved the folder back into the Inbox. I cannot make
it go away! If I manually delete the .eml in this folder Windows Mail
says it cannot find the email that is supposed to be in the folder. If I
manually delete the folder it comes back the next time I start Windows
Mail. If I delete the sub folder in Windows Mail it finally goes away.

So it looks like one should set up sub folders outside the Inbox and then
Windows Mail will show the .eml files. Have I stumbled into a Windows
Mail quirk by setting up sub folders under the Inbox?

Frank Saunders MS-MVP IE said:
In many ways WinMail is easier. The email is stored as separate EML
files, one per message.
WindowsMail.MSMessageStore does not contain any messages, but it contains
information about them to speed up WinMail so that it doesn't have to
actually look at each message for most operations.
Click to expand...

My storage file in Windows Mail is:
C:\Users\Frank\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows Mail
Which means that the EML files are in subfolders of
C:\Users\Frank\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows Mail\Local Folders
Now, in WinMail I have a subfolder under Sent Items named Sent Items Old.
So what if the title is not what I should have made it.) It's messages are
in
C:\Users\Frank\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows Mail\Local Folder\Imported
Folders\Sent Items
I also have a folder under Local Folders in WinMail named fjsmjs whose EML
files are in
C:\Users\Frank\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows Mail\Local Folder\Imported
Folders\fjsmjs
Click to expand...
 
I'm not sure if we are communicating!? I agree, if you set up folders under
.....\Local Folders\"Your Folders" Windows Mail acts like you think it should
(folder names and *.eml files are visible). However, the point I am trying
to make is if you set up your folders under .....\Local Folders\Inbox\"Your
Folders" Windows Mail puts everything including the folder name in the
WindowsMailMSMessageStore (or some other mysterious place). Try it some
time. It does some unusual things with the folders and *.eml files that
start out as a Inbox sub folder.

 
Ken said:
I'm not sure if we are communicating!? I agree, if you set up folders
under ....\Local Folders\"Your Folders" Windows Mail acts like you think
it should (folder names and *.eml files are visible). However, the point
I am trying to make is if you set up your folders under .....\Local
Folders\Inbox\"Your Folders" Windows Mail puts everything including the
folder name in the WindowsMailMSMessageStore (or some other mysterious
place). Try it some time. It does some unusual things with the folders
and *.eml files that start out as a Inbox sub folder.

Frank Saunders MS-MVP IE said:
My storage file in Windows Mail is:
C:\Users\Frank\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows Mail
Which means that the EML files are in subfolders of
C:\Users\Frank\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows Mail\Local Folders
Now, in WinMail I have a subfolder under Sent Items named Sent Items Old.
So what if the title is not what I should have made it.) It's messages
are in
C:\Users\Frank\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows Mail\Local Folder\Imported
Folders\Sent Items
I also have a folder under Local Folders in WinMail named fjsmjs whose
EML files are in
C:\Users\Frank\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows Mail\Local Folder\Imported
Folders\fjsmjs
Click to expand...

I made a new folder. It appeared under
C:\Users\Frank\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows Mail\Local Folder\Imported
Folders\Inbox
I put some messages in it. They appeared in
C:\Users\Frank\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows Mail\Local Folder\Imported
Folders\Inbox\Test
WindowsMail.MSMessageStore has information about the messages but the EML
files are where I just said. I have no idea why WinMail put the folder in
the Inbox under Imported Folders\Inbox instead of the Inbox directly under
Local Folders.
Click to expand...
 
Back
Top