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violet0019 · Oct 19, 2005, 09:16 PM

HELP PLEASE URGENT! Tomorrow I am purchasing my first Apple Mac Mini.
I would appreciate very easy instructions, if possible, on what I need to do, how can I transfer all of my emails that I have in my Outlook Express, which has emails via my provider, to the new Mac Mini I am getting?? Is it very complicated? Opinions, advice, EASY INSTRUCTIONS, appreciated immensely, as usual. THANKS everyone!

RickJ · Oct 20, 2005, 02:45 AM

What program will you be using for email on the Mac?

Saving your OE stuff is easy; just navigate here:

C:\Documents and Settings\Rick\Local Settings\Application Data\Identities\
(The bold part will be your name or your computer name)

Copy these folders to a cd or flash drive.

Do not get rid of or format your old computer until the whole thing is done.

The next step will be dependent on what email app you use on the Mac.

fredg · Oct 20, 2005, 05:21 AM

Hi,
The method given by the other expert is the method I use to save backups of all my emails (have 5 different identities in Outlook Express) to a CD-R; burning all the .dbx files.
If your new computer uses Outlook Express, then when you copy all these files back onto it, you will have to do the following:
Open the pathway given, then highlight ALL the .dbx files.
Right click anywhere on the highlighted area, then Left click on Properties.
Then, Left click on "Read Only", to remove the checkmark. Then click on Apply and OK.
If you don't do the above step, unchecking the Read Only attribute, your emails will not open in Outlook Express.

ScottGem · Oct 20, 2005, 06:20 AM

Originally Posted by violet0019

HELP PLEASE URGENT!! Tomorrow I am purchasing my first Apple Mac Mini.
I would appreciate very easy instructions, if possible, on what I need to do, how can I transfer all of my emails that I have in my Outlook Express, which has emails via my provider, to the new Mac Mini I am getting???? Is it very complicated? Opinions, advice, EASY INSTRUCTIONS, appreciated immensely, as usual. THANKS everyone!!

Hi Again Violet,
Before you buy anything. Please read my post to you in the Apple forum. I really don't understand why you are even looking at a MAC.

As to transferring your E-mails. This may be a problem. I sincerely doubt whether the MAC supports the DBX file format which the instructions that Rick and Fred gave will result in. Also you have previously said you don't have a CD burner on the PC and the MAC will not have a floppy drive.

You need to find out what e-mail client the MAC has and what formats it can import. Hopefully the MAC software can accept a format that OE can export to. If there is a common format ou will then have to export the OE mail to that format and e-mail the exported file to yourself for download on the MAC. The MAC software should have some sort of Import routine.

If you do decide to go ahead with buying the MAC, I would suggest you get it from Best Buy. The Geek Squad can help you in transferring your favorites, e-mail etc.

RickJ · Oct 20, 2005, 08:36 AM

Mac definitely does not support .dbx files, but I asked what app you'd be using so that I might be able to help you find a converter - which I will guess might be available.

violet0019 · Oct 20, 2005, 09:27 AM

Rickj... Mac definitely does not support .dbx files, but I asked what app you'd be using so that I might be able to help you find a converter - which I will guess might be available. YIKKKKKKKKKKEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSS.
RICKJ I AM A NOVICE ON COMPUTERS, SELF TAUGHT, AND HAVE NO CLUE WHAT .DBX FILES ARE, NOR WHAT APP I WILL BE USING!! MY 15 yr.old son insists that he will know what to do when we get the new mac mini, re installing and setting up..!

ScottGem · Oct 20, 2005, 09:47 AM

Violet,

DBX files are the file format that Outlook Express uses to store e-mails. Unless the e-mail program on the MAC can import those files there is no point in making copies of them. You might ber better off using File>Export and exporting to a format that the MAC e-mail client can read. Problem is I don't know enough about MACs to know what you can use.

I would not take your son's word on this. Unless he's had experience on a MAC (maybe a friend's?) and knows he can do it, I would check with someone else.

But then, as I said in the Apple forum, I don't think your reasons for getting a MAC are very good. I offered another suggestion I think is better.

RickJ · Oct 20, 2005, 09:48 AM

The first key - to at least be able to learn if the email will be transferrable at all - is to confirm what email program will be used on the Mac.

PS/Edit: I see I and Scott were typing at the same time. I did not see his post before hitting Save... fyi.

ScottGem · Oct 20, 2005, 09:49 AM

Originally Posted by rickj

Mac definately does not support .dbx files, but I asked what app you'd be using so that I might be able to help you find a converter - which I will guess might be available.

Rick,
I know you did ask that question (Fred didn't even bother). My point is that there is no reason to save the DBXs unless one is sure that they can somehow be converted or imported. OE does offer an Export facility, that may be a better option.

RickJ · Oct 20, 2005, 10:07 AM

Unfortunately OE Export will not work for exporting to a Mac system.

One option is to convert the emails to text files. I do this myself frequently with a separate software program.

violet0019, let's start by confirming what email program you'll be using, then we'll help to confirm if it is possible to convert the Outlook Express email files to a format that the Mac Email Program will recognize.

Curlyben · Oct 20, 2005, 10:14 AM

Don't muck about with exporting mails or even converting them to text, why not just forward them all to a web mail account like Gmail, then you'll be able to access them on what ever system you finally buy.

If you need a gmail invite just PM me here.

Hope this helps a bit

RickJ · Oct 20, 2005, 10:26 AM

:p :p

At this point I will call Curlyben's advice the best yet.

If you'll PM me your email address I'll send you an invitation to a gmail account.

violet0019 · Oct 20, 2005, 01:05 PM

Thanks again curlyben: but i am so uneducated in computers, that when you say

Originally Posted by Curlyben

Don't muck about with exporting mails or even converting them to text, why not just forward them all to a web mail account like Gmail, then you'll be able to access them on what ever system you finally buy..........I DO NOT KNOW HOW TO JUST FORWARD THEM ALL!!! :confused:

IF POSSIBLE, CAN YOU SEND ME ONLY VERY EASY,I MEAN EASY - LIKE ABC, 123, EASY!!) - TYPE OF INSTRUCTIONS ON : "HOW TO FORWARD THEM ALL TO A WEB MAIL ACCOUNT LIKE G MAIL"...........

If you need a gmail invite just PM me here.

Hope this helps a bit

RickJ · Oct 21, 2005, 03:29 AM

I'm sorry, Curlyben... I was too busy kicking myself in the rump for not thinking of the simple gmail option, I missed your last line...

violet0019, I - maybe in addition to Curlyben - sent you the invitation. Follow the instructions in the email to get set up.

You'll basically be going into your computer and forwarding the emails you want to keep to [email protected].

The quick way would be to go into your individual folders and select multiple emails (to select multiple emails, hold down on your Control key, then start left clicking on emails. You'll see that they each get selected (turn blue). Once you have a bunch of them selected, click Forward - and forward them to your gmail address.

Try a few and let us know how it goes.

ScottGem · Oct 21, 2005, 06:02 AM

Violet,
Ben is making a good suggestion. But, depending on the amount of e-mails youi want to save it could be time consuming.

GMail is an online e-mail service from Google. Because its online you can access it from ANY computer. Since it provides 1GB of storage you can hold a LOT of mail there.

Since I don't use Outlook Express, I'm not sure if it has a bulk forwarding feature. This means you might have to forward each individual e-mail you want to keep. If you decide to go with this option you can try selecting several e-mails (Hold down the Ctrl key as you click to select multiple e-mails). Then try using the Forward option.

You can set up GMail to retrieve mails from your regular address in the future.

Does this make it any clearer?

Curlyben · Oct 21, 2005, 07:53 AM

Hey Scott, you really should get yourself a Gmail account as they currently give 2.6 Gb of storage not 1 Gb ;)
PM me for an invite

I have experimented with Outlook and the bulk forward feature does work, but it's a little messy as all the selected mails get combined into one.
So the best way to use this would be to, say bulk forward all the mails from 1 person or subject, hence keeping things neat.

ScottGem · Oct 21, 2005, 10:29 AM

Originally Posted by Curlyben

Hey Scott, you really should get your self a Gmail account as they currently give 2.6 Gb of storage not 1 Gb ;)
PM me for an invite

I have experimented with Outlook and the bulk forward feature does work, but its a little messy as all the selected mails get combined into one.
So the best way to use this would be to, say bulk forward all the mails from 1 person or subject, hence keeping things neat.

I've had a gmail account for a while now. I only use for certain purposes. Didn't notice the bump up.

Did you use Outlook or OE? Now that you mention it I do recall that the bulk forwarding did combine the e-mails into one. So your suggestion of organizing the mail by sender, or subject before forwarding is a good idea.