Newsgroup not starting at top, and how to import old emails from OE

[Paul E. Schoen]

I have noticed that one newsgroup consistently shows the list of headers
starting several rows down from the top, while all others work correctly.
This is just a minor annoyance, but any ideas why this is happening and how
to correct it?

I was using Outlook Express on my XP machine until it died, so I switched
everything to my Vista laptop which has Microsoft Mail. It seems just about
the same, but all the emails and contacts are now separate files rather than
the old MDX format. I found some software that can be purchased that will
extract the emails into the new EML format, but I would think Microsoft
would have a built-in or freely available utility to do this, since both are
their products and included in the OS. Can I also install OE on my Vista
computer and then save emails as EML?

Thanks!

Paul

 

[Gary VanderMolen [MVP]]

You seem to be laboring under some misconceptions.
The mail program that comes with Vista is called Windows Mail,
not Microsoft Mail.
OE groups mail into DBX (not MDX) folders.
OE saves contacts in a WAB file.
Windows Mail can import from OE's DBX and WAB files.
OE can't be installed on a Vista computer.

Which newsgroup has a problem with headers starting several rows
down from the top? I've never seen this.

 

[...winston]

OE's stores contacts in the Address book. The address book has a file extension of *.wab. Normally with a filename the same as your
Windows logon\user profile name. (e.g. if your profile name is Paul, then Paul.wab)

Vista stores contacts as individual files in the C:\Users\<windows profile name>\Contacts folder.
The Contacts folder in Vista has an Import option on the Toolbar(when viewing in Windows Explorer). The Import option provides the
ability to import the Windows Address File(Outlook Express).
- Note: If you do not have the Toolbar options when viewing in Windows Explorer, right click the folder/Properties/Customize and
change the folder template to 'Contacts'

To import the contacts from an XP/OE machine to the Vista machine..the wab file needs to be present or accessible(e.g. copied to
machine, spare drive, usb drive etc).

 

[Peter Foldes]

Gary

MDX files belonged to OE in versions 4 and 5. DBX with OE6

--
Peter

Please Reply to Newsgroup for the benefit of others
Requests for assistance by email can not and will not be acknowledged.
http://www.microsoft.com/protect

You seem to be laboring under some misconceptions.
The mail program that comes with Vista is called Windows Mail,
not Microsoft Mail.
OE groups mail into DBX (not MDX) folders.
OE saves contacts in a WAB file.
Windows Mail can import from OE's DBX and WAB files.
OE can't be installed on a Vista computer.

Which newsgroup has a problem with headers starting several rows
down from the top? I've never seen this.

 

[Peter Foldes]

Paul

Can you tell us the OE version number that is shown on OE\Help\About MS
OutlookExpress

--
Peter

Please Reply to Newsgroup for the benefit of others
Requests for assistance by email can not and will not be acknowledged.
http://www.microsoft.com/protect

 

[Paul E. Schoen]

You seem to be laboring under some misconceptions.
The mail program that comes with Vista is called Windows Mail,
not Microsoft Mail.

OE groups mail into DBX (not MDX) folders.

MDX I realize now is a multiple index file used in dBase IV and the Borland
database engine (which I use).

OE saves contacts in a WAB file.
Windows Mail can import from OE's DBX and WAB files.
OE can't be installed on a Vista computer.

I was able to import the WAB file with no problem.

I tried to import my DBX files which I have stored in
C:Users\Paul\Documents\Email. I choose Outlook Express 6 and navigate to the
folder but it says no files found, so it must be looking for a different
extension, or maybe it does not allow this folder as a valid location. This
is what I found in http://www.fileinfo.com/extension/dbx:

"DBX mail folders can be imported into Windows Mail (included with Windows
Vista) by selecting File → Import → Messages, then choosing Import mail from
an OE6 store directory and selecting the DBX folder you would like to
import."

I tried to open the file in explorer but there were no applicable programs
and the web search only indicated that the extension is used by Outlook
Express and Visual FoxPro as a database table.

I have another laptop computer with XP and OE. I can probably connect it to
my network, copy the email files over into the proper identity folder, and
then extract the emails I need. But I have a huge number of emails going
back to about 2003, and even though they are organized in folders such as
Inbox2006Q2, some of the DBX files (such as Inbox2009) are as large as 250
MB. But once I have OE running I can organize them by date and/or sender and
extract only the ones that are important.

Which newsgroup has a problem with headers starting several rows
down from the top? I've never seen this.

It is rec.pets.dogs.behavior. It seems to select the same header each time,
and since it is far down in the list, it misses several at the top. If I
expand the window vertically far enough, the first header appears, but the
selection is still the same, at the bottom of the visible list. I think I
may have seen this occasionally on other newsgroups, but not now.

Thanks for your quick response!

Paul

 

[Bruce Hagen]

Did you include Folders.dbx in this backup? An import will fail without
it.
--
Bruce Hagen
MS-MVP [Mail]
Imperial Beach, CA

 

[Paul E. Schoen]

Actually, I did not. I found the following in the website I referenced
below:

DBX files have names corresponding to their email mailbox; for example,
common names are Inbox.dbx, Sent Items.dbx, Drafts.dbx, and Deleted
Items.dbx; Folders.dbx stores the master index for all the mailboxes; if it
is missing, Outlook Express will re-index the mailboxes and recreate it

But I see that it says OE will recreate the index, and not Windows Mail.
I'll see if I can get that file and maybe then it will work. Thanks!

Paul

Did you include Folders.dbx in this backup? An import will fail without
it.
--
Bruce Hagen
MS-MVP [Mail]
Imperial Beach, CA

MDX I realize now is a multiple index file used in dBase IV and the
Borland database engine (which I use).


I was able to import the WAB file with no problem.

I tried to import my DBX files which I have stored in
C:Users\Paul\Documents\Email. I choose Outlook Express 6 and navigate to
the folder but it says no files found, so it must be looking for a
different extension, or maybe it does not allow this folder as a valid
location. This is what I found in http://www.fileinfo.com/extension/dbx:

"DBX mail folders can be imported into Windows Mail (included with
Windows Vista) by selecting File → Import → Messages, then choosing
Import mail from an OE6 store directory and selecting the DBX folder you
would like to import."

I tried to open the file in explorer but there were no applicable
programs and the web search only indicated that the extension is used by
Outlook Express and Visual FoxPro as a database table.

I have another laptop computer with XP and OE. I can probably connect it
to my network, copy the email files over into the proper identity folder,
and then extract the emails I need. But I have a huge number of emails
going back to about 2003, and even though they are organized in folders
such as Inbox2006Q2, some of the DBX files (such as Inbox2009) are as
large as 250 MB. But once I have OE running I can organize them by date
and/or sender and extract only the ones that are important.


It is rec.pets.dogs.behavior. It seems to select the same header each
time, and since it is far down in the list, it misses several at the top.
If I expand the window vertically far enough, the first header appears,
but the selection is still the same, at the bottom of the visible list. I
think I may have seen this occasionally on other newsgroups, but not now.

Thanks for your quick response!

Paul

 

[Paul E. Schoen]

I don't have OE running, as the PC Mobo died. I do have the hard drive in a
USB powered auxiliary disk drive adapter, and I might be able to determine
the version there. But the PC was kept up with latest updated of IE and
probably OE as well, so I'm sure it was a recent version. Thanks.

BTW, I notice that top-posting seems to be the norm here, so I'll continue
with that if it is preferred by most in this community.

Paul

 

[Bruce Hagen]

You know now, but:

Import messages into Windows Mail from Outlook Express
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/...ssages-into-Windows-Mail-from-Outlook-Express
--
Bruce Hagen
MS-MVP [Mail]
Imperial Beach, CA

Actually, I did not. I found the following in the website I referenced
below:

DBX files have names corresponding to their email mailbox; for example,
common names are Inbox.dbx, Sent Items.dbx, Drafts.dbx, and Deleted
Items.dbx; Folders.dbx stores the master index for all the mailboxes; if
it is missing, Outlook Express will re-index the mailboxes and recreate
it

But I see that it says OE will recreate the index, and not Windows Mail.
I'll see if I can get that file and maybe then it will work. Thanks!

Paul

Did you include Folders.dbx in this backup? An import will fail without
it.
--
Bruce Hagen
MS-MVP [Mail]
Imperial Beach, CA

You seem to be laboring under some misconceptions.
The mail program that comes with Vista is called Windows Mail,
not Microsoft Mail.

Yes, I realize that now. Microsoft <> Windows

OE groups mail into DBX (not MDX) folders.

MDX I realize now is a multiple index file used in dBase IV and the
Borland database engine (which I use).

OE saves contacts in a WAB file.
Windows Mail can import from OE's DBX and WAB files.
OE can't be installed on a Vista computer.

I was able to import the WAB file with no problem.

I tried to import my DBX files which I have stored in
C:Users\Paul\Documents\Email. I choose Outlook Express 6 and navigate
to the folder but it says no files found, so it must be looking for a
different extension, or maybe it does not allow this folder as a valid
location. This is what I found in
http://www.fileinfo.com/extension/dbx:

"DBX mail folders can be imported into Windows Mail (included with
Windows Vista) by selecting File → Import → Messages, then choosing
Import mail from an OE6 store directory and selecting the DBX folder
you would like to import."

I tried to open the file in explorer but there were no applicable
programs and the web search only indicated that the extension is used
by Outlook Express and Visual FoxPro as a database table.

I have another laptop computer with XP and OE. I can probably connect
it to my network, copy the email files over into the proper identity
folder, and then extract the emails I need. But I have a huge number
of emails going back to about 2003, and even though they are organized
in folders such as Inbox2006Q2, some of the DBX files (such as
Inbox2009) are as large as 250 MB. But once I have OE running I can
organize them by date and/or sender and extract only the ones that are
important.

Which newsgroup has a problem with headers starting several rows
down from the top? I've never seen this.

It is rec.pets.dogs.behavior. It seems to select the same header each
time, and since it is far down in the list, it misses several at the
top. If I expand the window vertically far enough, the first header
appears, but the selection is still the same, at the bottom of the
visible list. I think I may have seen this occasionally on other
newsgroups, but not now.

Thanks for your quick response!

Paul

--
Gary VanderMolen, Microsoft MVP (Mail)
Microsoft MVP program: http://mvp.support.microsoft.com


I have noticed that one newsgroup consistently shows the list of
headers
starting several rows down from the top, while all others work
correctly.
This is just a minor annoyance, but any ideas why this is happening
and how
to correct it?

I was using Outlook Express on my XP machine until it died, so I
switched
everything to my Vista laptop which has Microsoft Mail. It seems just
about
the same, but all the emails and contacts are now separate files
rather than
the old MDX format. I found some software that can be purchased that
will
extract the emails into the new EML format, but I would think
Microsoft
would have a built-in or freely available utility to do this, since
both are
their products and included in the OS. Can I also install OE on my
Vista
computer and then save emails as EML?

Thanks!

Paul

 

[Paul E. Schoen]

I thought that was the case but I couldn't find anything on-line to confirm
it. I've been on-line since 1996 and I probably have some old MDX files from
that era.

Paul

 

[Gary VanderMolen [MVP]]

Thanks. People actually still use OE4 and 5?
It boggles the mind...

 

[Gary VanderMolen [MVP]]

I'm not sure if Windows Mail can import from .dbx files without the
presence of folders.dbx, but it is worth a try. One tricky part is that
Windows Mail tends to suggest the wrong OE folder to import from:
Go to http://www.oehelp.com/backup.aspx , scroll down to the section
called "Importing from Outlook Express" and note especially the
sentence in red.

--
Gary VanderMolen, Microsoft MVP (Mail)
Microsoft MVP program: http://mvp.support.microsoft.com

Actually, I did not. I found the following in the website I referenced
below:

DBX files have names corresponding to their email mailbox; for example,
common names are Inbox.dbx, Sent Items.dbx, Drafts.dbx, and Deleted
Items.dbx; Folders.dbx stores the master index for all the mailboxes; if it
is missing, Outlook Express will re-index the mailboxes and recreate it

But I see that it says OE will recreate the index, and not Windows Mail.
I'll see if I can get that file and maybe then it will work. Thanks!

Paul

Did you include Folders.dbx in this backup? An import will fail without
it.
--
Bruce Hagen
MS-MVP [Mail]
Imperial Beach, CA

You seem to be laboring under some misconceptions.
The mail program that comes with Vista is called Windows Mail,
not Microsoft Mail.

Yes, I realize that now. Microsoft <> Windows

OE groups mail into DBX (not MDX) folders.

MDX I realize now is a multiple index file used in dBase IV and the
Borland database engine (which I use).

OE saves contacts in a WAB file.
Windows Mail can import from OE's DBX and WAB files.
OE can't be installed on a Vista computer.

I was able to import the WAB file with no problem.

I tried to import my DBX files which I have stored in
C:Users\Paul\Documents\Email. I choose Outlook Express 6 and navigate to
the folder but it says no files found, so it must be looking for a
different extension, or maybe it does not allow this folder as a valid
location. This is what I found in http://www.fileinfo.com/extension/dbx:

"DBX mail folders can be imported into Windows Mail (included with
Windows Vista) by selecting File → Import → Messages, then choosing
Import mail from an OE6 store directory and selecting the DBX folder you
would like to import."

I tried to open the file in explorer but there were no applicable
programs and the web search only indicated that the extension is used by
Outlook Express and Visual FoxPro as a database table.

I have another laptop computer with XP and OE. I can probably connect it
to my network, copy the email files over into the proper identity folder,
and then extract the emails I need. But I have a huge number of emails
going back to about 2003, and even though they are organized in folders
such as Inbox2006Q2, some of the DBX files (such as Inbox2009) are as
large as 250 MB. But once I have OE running I can organize them by date
and/or sender and extract only the ones that are important.

Which newsgroup has a problem with headers starting several rows
down from the top? I've never seen this.

It is rec.pets.dogs.behavior. It seems to select the same header each
time, and since it is far down in the list, it misses several at the top.
If I expand the window vertically far enough, the first header appears,
but the selection is still the same, at the bottom of the visible list. I
think I may have seen this occasionally on other newsgroups, but not now.

Thanks for your quick response!

Paul

--
Gary VanderMolen, Microsoft MVP (Mail)
Microsoft MVP program: http://mvp.support.microsoft.com


I have noticed that one newsgroup consistently shows the list of headers
starting several rows down from the top, while all others work
correctly.
This is just a minor annoyance, but any ideas why this is happening and
how
to correct it?

I was using Outlook Express on my XP machine until it died, so I
switched
everything to my Vista laptop which has Microsoft Mail. It seems just
about
the same, but all the emails and contacts are now separate files rather
than
the old MDX format. I found some software that can be purchased that
will
extract the emails into the new EML format, but I would think Microsoft
would have a built-in or freely available utility to do this, since both
are
their products and included in the OS. Can I also install OE on my Vista
computer and then save emails as EML?

Thanks!

Paul

 

[Paul E. Schoen]

I found that it was selecting the first unread post, and in the
rec.pets.dogs.behavior newsgroup I had been reading almost everything, so
there were a lot of read posts at the top. As long as I know that there are
only read posts at the top, I suppose it is just as well to have it select
the first unread post. Other newsgroups did not display this behavior
because I only read a small percentage of posts.

"So it's a feature, not a bug!"

Paul

 

[Paul E. Schoen]

Oops! Today I checked the same newsgroup, and the top was still not in the
list of headers. Yet when I looked, my post had about a dozen replies. It is
bug, although more of a gnat than a scorpion. Where's the DDT!

Paul

 

[Gary VanderMolen [MVP]]

Thanks for reporting back.

 

[Gary VanderMolen [MVP]]

My Windows Mail behaves similarly. When I return to a newsgroup, it
displays the first unread message at the top. I presume you are able to
scroll up such that you *can* see the 'higher up' posts that you read previously.

 

[Paul E. Schoen]

Well, that's what I thought in my previous post, but then when I returned
there was a thread with unread posts that were not visible until I scrolled
up. Another oddity for this newsgroup is that the text in the list of
newsgroups in the left pane remains black, while others turn red when there
are unread posts in watched threads.

Paul

My Windows Mail behaves similarly. When I return to a newsgroup, it
displays the first unread message at the top. I presume you are able to
scroll up such that you *can* see the 'higher up' posts that you read
previously.

 

[Gary VanderMolen [MVP]]

I think Windows Mail gets a little confused when new messages are posted
to that newsgroup during the same timeframe as your reading session.
It may ignore the newest posts when deciding which post should be on the
top line.

I can't comment on watched threads since I don't use that feature.

 

[Steve Cochran]

Actually OE4 use mbx and idx files and OE5 and 6 uses dbx files.

steve