What?

There comes a time when most any user of Outlook Express may have to decide? 

Delete lots of saved messages, or migrate to a new more capable E-mail tool. 

To see if this issue applies to you, check the size of your Outlook Express folders using the 'Main Identity' which is typically located at: c:\Documents and Settings\(Your User Name)\Local Settings\Application Data\Identities\  where there is likely to be one or more identities.  If there are several continue to drill down in each until you see one with folder names you're familiar with. 

Then, back up at the 'Identities' level right click and choose properties to see the actual size of each identify.  

We have an identity file we've used for years with Internet newsgroups that's now about 1.62 GB, and recently we had a client's file in heavy use for over seven (7) years, that grew to over 4.5 GB.

Why?

Why move from Outlook Express To Outlook?  The immediate answer might be avoiding mass deletions.  But, other good reasons include tools to ease day-to-day management of message and contact data, gaining new tools for managing schedules and tasks, as well as added features that can cope better with larger message files and folders including a procedure to archive messages, and maybe the MOST important a tool to identify and repair corrupt message data.

Our client with the 4.5 GB file also had a recent corruption that was not be resolved even after two attempts to import messages into new identities.  We finally got close to fixing it by first importing messages into an Outlook '.Pst' file and then running the 'Inbox Repair Tool' (available on most PCs as ScanPST.Exe located at: C:\Program Files\Common Files\System\MAPI\1033 or C:\Program Files\Common Files\System\MSMAPI\1033) to identify and repair the corruptions.

When considering a switch from Outlook Express to Outlook 2000 or Outlook 2002, be aware that these versions use older format '.Pst' files that can only hold up to 2 GB of messages.  It's possible to get around that limitation by using Archive files to store older messages (We prefer to remove messages and rename our archive files, year-by-year, e.g. 'z_Archive thru 2003.Pst', 'z_Archive thru 2004.Pst', 'z_Archive thru 2005.Pst', etc.., NOTE:  The 'z_' places the folder at the bottom of the list where we prefer to see it.)

In the case of our client's 4.5 GB Outlook Express identity, we tried converting into an already available installation of Outlook 2000, but there was no way to limit the import process.  It ran successfully to conclusion and then could not be opened, presumably due to the 2GB limit.

Upgrading our client to Outlook 2003 solved the problem.  The import worked as expected creating a 3.5 GB Outlook '.Pst' file (4.5 was compressed to 3.5) that functioned normally.  However don't expect to archive any of the just imported messages.  We learned the hard way that Outlook's Archive procedure uses the 'Last Date Modified' field to identify each message's age, and during the import process EVERY message gets its 'Last Date Modified' field re-set to today!  The original message create dates are still visible, but the Archive tool doesn't use them!

How?

Just to be safe we borrowed a plainly configured computer (Win XP and Office 2000) that was not in use, to perform the transfers.  We finally upgraded to Outlook 2003 on that PC in order to arrive at a workable solution.  In changing from Outlook Express to Outlook we suggest just buying the upgrade to Outlook 2003 in order to avoid the obstacles we ran into. 

The extras that come with Outlook 2003 are probably worth the expense including:

• Junk mail handling (not great but something  better than nothing)
• An archiving tool that can build archive files which separate out old E-mail messages while still keeping them available to search in an attached but separate 'Archive.Pst' set of folders. (We have Archive folders named z_Archive thru 2003, z_Archive thru 2004, z_Archive thru 2005, etc. as noted above, NOTE:  The 'z_' places the folder at the bottom of the list where we prefer to see it.)
• Search folders that identify larger messages as well as messages marked for follow-up.
• A [Test Account Settings] button in the E-mail set-up that (more easily than before) helps to insure E-mail login and server settings are correct.
• Many other features and benefits (old [e.g. introduced in Outlook 2000] and new [included in Outlook 2003])

To begin the upgrade process start Outlook and choose:
[File] --> [Import and Export] --> [Import Mail and Addresses] --> [Outlook Express 4.x, 5.x, 6.x] --> check off 'Mail', 'Addresses' and/or 'Rules' and continue to follow the prompts.  Once initiated the process may run for some time as addresses are imported with any distribution lists and messages are imported with any folders. Our best wish is that learning from our experience, you might get it all converted and working on the first try which itself may be well worth the cost of upgrading.

Outlook users may also be interested in our other 'Outlook-oriented' guides titled:

• OE to Outlook-The What, Why & How? ( Oversized files)
• Outlook Archive Files-The What, Why & How
• Outlook (E-Mail) Small Network BackUp

.          .          .          .         .          .         .         .         .          .          .         .          .          .          .         .

If you found this guide interesting or useful would you vote [YES] below.  We're trying
 to build a reputation on eBay one-person-at-a-time, and we'd like your help to do it!  THANK YOU!