OLEXP: How to Back Up and Recover Outlook Express 4.x for Macintosh Data (299067)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Outlook Express 4.0c for Macintosh
  • Microsoft Outlook Express 4.5 for Macintosh
  • Microsoft Outlook Express 4.02 for Macintosh
  • Microsoft Outlook Express 4.01 for Macintosh
  • Microsoft Outlook Express 4.0 for Macintosh
This article was previously published under Q299067
For information about the differences between Microsoft Outlook and Microsoft Outlook Express e-mail clients, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

257824 OL2000: Differences Between Outlook and Outlook Express

SUMMARY

This article describes how to back up, recover, and restore the following information from Outlook Express 4.x:
  • Mail files (messages in all default and custom folders)
  • Address Book (Contacts)
  • Mail and Newsgroup Accounts Configuration Settings
  • Preferences
  • Rules (mail and news)
  • Signatures
  • Schedules
The procedure in the "More Information" section can be helpful if you are upgrading to a new operating system after a clean installation or transferring Outlook Express data to a new computer from an old one. This procedure also applies to those who upgrade to a newer version of Outlook Express for Macintosh, and find that their previous data is not appearing in the new version.

NOTE: If multiple users are using Outlook Express, repeat the procedure for each identity.

MORE INFORMATION

There are two available scenarios for creating the backup. The first is with Outlook Express working; this is considered a standard backup. The second is if Outlook Express is not responding; this is considered more of a recovery. To back up the information in the second scenario, skip to "Part 2: Locating the Identity on the Hard Drive."

Part 1: Locating the User in Outlook Express

The first action is to locate the name of the identity or identities that are to be backed up. By default, Outlook Express 4.x names the primary user "Main User," and stores the Main User in the OE User(s) folder, which is located in the Outlook Express 4.5 folder. However, if you are not sure what the user name is, use the following steps to find the names of the users configured in Outlook Express 4.x:
  1. From the File menu, click Change Current User.
  2. The following warning message appears:

    Are you sure you want to close all connections and windows for the current user?

    Click the Yes button in this message.
  3. In the Outlook Express dialog box that appears, you will see a list of the Users that are currently configured in Outlook Express. Note the name of the highlighted one, as it is the one currently in use.

    NOTE: Also note the names of any of the users that you want to back up, if you want to back up more than just the user that is currently active.

Part 2: Locating the User on the Hard Drive

After you have located the names of the user, you need to find the location of the user files on the hard drive. If Outlook Express is not functioning, you need to search the hard drive for the user files.

NOTE: The user files are usually installed in the following location:

HD:Internet:Outlook Express 4.5:Outlook Express 4.5 Folder:OE User(s)

Here are the steps to locate the user, if it is not in the default location:
  1. From the File menu, click Find.

    NOTE: If Sherlock starts, verify that the hard disk is to be searched for files.
  2. In the dialog box that appears, type the name of the user or the word "OE User(s)" (without the quotes) that you want to back up, and then press the RETURN key to start the search.
  3. In the lower portion of the Find dialog box, double-click the folder with the user name to bring up a window with some or all of the following items:
    • Internet Mail (folder)
    • Internet News (folder)
    • Cache (folder)
    • Contacts
    • LDAP Cache
    • OE Rules
    • OE Signatures
    • Outlook Express Prefs
    • SMTP Server LogNOTE: These are the files that contain the data of the user.

Part 3: Backing Up the User Data

To back up the user data, copy the user files into a folder with a different name and location. To do so:
  1. Create a new folder:
    1. First go to the location where you want to create the backup folder, and make it the active folder.
    2. From the File menu, click New Folder.

      NOTE: It is suggested that you name the folder "Mail Backup" (without the quotes), but it is not required. If you are backing up multiple users, you may want to create a new folder in the Mail Backup folder for each user.
  2. Click the user folder.
  3. Option+Copy the folder into the Mail Backup folder:
    1. With the user folder selected, press the OPTION key, and then drag the user folder on to the Mail Backup folder that you created earlier.
    2. After you drop the folder into the Mail Backup folder, verify that the files from the original user folder were copied.
  4. Repeat steps 1 through 3 for all users that you want to back up.

Part 4: Restoring Outlook Express for Macintosh Data:

If you can no longer access your data in Outlook Express, you need to restore the data from the backup that you created in the preceding steps. To do so:
  1. In Outlook Express 4.x, click Change Current User on the File menu.
  2. The following warning message appears:

    Are you sure you want to close all connections and windows for the current identity?

    Click the Yes button in this message.
  3. In the Outlook Express dialog box, click the New User button to create a new user.
  4. In the New User dialog box, type a new user name, set the Base initial settings to the Outlook Express defaults, and then click Save.
  5. You receive the following message:

    As a new user, would you like to import messages and contacts from other applications now?

    Click No.
  6. You receive the following Welcome message:

    Welcome to Outlook Express!
    As a new user you should now enter your mail and news settings.

    Click OK. If you are only going to restore the address book and mail messages, configure the New Account and Preference dialog box information, and then quit Outlook Express.

    If you are going to restore all data from the backup, close the New Account and Preference dialog boxes, and then quit Outlook Express.
  7. On the Desktop, click Find on the File menu.
  8. In the dialog box that appears, type the name of the user that you created in step 4, and then press the RETURN key to start the search.
  9. When the search results are returned, double-click on the folder that shows the name of the user that you created in step 4.
  10. Open the folder that contains the files that were backed up, and then place it next to the newly created user folder.
  11. Copy the files from the Mail Backup folder to the new user folder. To copy all of the files, press the SHIFT key and click each file once to select the user folder. To copy just messages and address book, select the following folders

    1. Cache (folder)
    2. Internet Mail (folder)
    3. Contacts
    press the OPTION key, and then drag the files to the new user folder.
  12. After dropping the files into the new folder, you receive the following alert message:

    Some items in this location have the same names as items you're moving. Do you want to replace them with the ones you're moving?

    Click OK to continue.
  13. After the files are in the new user folder, start Outlook Express, and then verify that the data is available.

REFERENCES

304059 OLEXP: How to Back Up and Recover Outlook Express 5.x for Macintosh Data

Modification Type:MajorLast Reviewed:11/25/2003
Keywords:kbhowto KB299067
©2003 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.