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Outlook Express backup and IMAP issue

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by stergios_nik

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Hello.

I have an Exchange 5.5 server and my clients are using Outlook Express 6.0 to connect.

I configured an outlook express client to use IMAP. I tried to export messages from the Outlook Express client (File->Export->Messages) and I got themessage "This will export messages from Outlook Express to Microsoft Outlook or Microsoft Exchange". I clicked on OK and I got the error message "The Export could not be performed. An error occured while initializing MAPI".

After that I tried to search for the IMAP data in the local drive C:\. As usual I went to the "C:\windows\application data\identities" and I copied/pasted the Outlook Express identity folder to c:\temp.

I just wanted to test that the backup worked thus I deleted the Outlook Express IMAP profile and all the files in the "C:\windows\application data\identities".

Now. I recreated the Outlook Express profile and configured using IMAP.

I copied the files from c:\temp to "C:\windows\application data\identities" and I was expecting to see the IMAP data but I saw nothing. No mail data!

I think of installing Outlook 2000 and export messages to .PST but why Outlook Express backup procedure failed?

Thank you in advance.

5 replies

by [_rick_>

Each OE profile is associated with an unique identification a 32 Alpha-Numberic number, When you deleted the OE profile, it also removed this ID from the registry. When you recreated the profile a new number was generated. Just replacing the Identities directory will do no good, the registry does not know where to find the data since it expects a directory with a specific Alhpa-Numeric number.

What you need to do is copy only the Outlook Express Folder (not the whole Identities structure), or you can copy just the DBX files found in the OE directory.

This way if you create a new profile number all you have to do is replace the OE files (the DBXs). The registry will know where the OE profile is and you will be able to open the files.

BTW: doing an export requires Outlook (97 to 2003) or Exchange clients (4.x/5.x) to be installed, since neither apparently are you received the MAPI error.

Good luck.

by m.j.

The easyest way to put the emails back in the correct place after copying them, is to use the import option in the file menu. Then select either OE5 or OE6 as the programme - both work, then select inport from a OEx store directory, browse to your directory and click on import all.

Job done.

With regard to exporting from OE to another programme, what the other person said is good. The way around it is to go to the programme where you want the messages/setting and select import and so on.

Hope this solves everything for you.

Oh, actually one last thing: If you do install Outlook, you can go to the microsoft download site and obtain a small backup patch - works great, even reminds you to back up!

Good Luck

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