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How can I save my e-mails in my MS-outlook express while formatting my hard driver?
Self | Today | Self

Posted on 06/12/2004 12:15:11 AM PDT by F14 Pilot

Hi every one...

I got a problem here. Want to format my HDD (Hard drive) but at the same time, I have many many e-mails saved on my MS-Outlook. I dont wanna lose these mails but I have to format/erase my Drive C to install a new windows on this crap PC. LoL...

I would appreciate any ones help/ideas.


TOPICS: Chit/Chat; Computers/Internet; Education
KEYWORDS: drive; format; help; outlook; pc

1 posted on 06/12/2004 12:15:13 AM PDT by F14 Pilot
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To: F14 Pilot

buy a new hard drive, install it as a primary drive, make your old drive the slave drive, and after installing the new drive, transfer your files to your new drive.

Hard drives are cheap, particularly for an F14 pilot.


2 posted on 06/12/2004 12:24:27 AM PDT by XBob (Boycott all free-traitors.)
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To: XBob

The problem is that if I could copy the whole outlook things, I would copy it on other drives.

Thanks, I am not rich!


3 posted on 06/12/2004 12:27:17 AM PDT by F14 Pilot (John ''Fedayeen" sKerry - the Mullahs' regime candidate)
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To: F14 Pilot

would "burn them onto a CD" be missing the point?


4 posted on 06/12/2004 12:48:36 AM PDT by smonk
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To: F14 Pilot
I couldn't quite parse this ... I suspect you left out a detail or a "but I can't ..." or something. It's hard for me to see your body language in text based forums.
5 posted on 06/12/2004 12:51:18 AM PDT by ThePythonicCow (I was humble, before I was born. -- J Frondeur Kerry)
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To: F14 Pilot

Outlook Express stores email in Windows\Application Data\Identities\{2655....)\Microsoft\Outlook Express\*.dbx

They'll probably all fit on one floppy. Also, make hard copies of your most treasured emails.

PS. There will be an identity folder for each mailbox you have in Outlook Express. Remember the Outlook program is in Program Files and shouldn't be confused with the email files.


6 posted on 06/12/2004 12:54:31 AM PDT by Havisham
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To: F14 Pilot

buy a usb storage device. You can buy a 256 MB at costco for about 50 bucks. Copy the *.dbx files (you can do a seach for these on your start menu.

good luck.


7 posted on 06/12/2004 1:31:26 AM PDT by AUH2OY2K
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To: ThePythonicCow

Lets simplify that:

1- I want to format my hard drive to install a new Windows.
2- I also wanna keep my Outlook based e-mails
3- After formatting and installing the Windows, I'd like to restore/retrieve my e-mails into the new C drive or on new windows.

What should I do?


8 posted on 06/12/2004 1:32:45 AM PDT by F14 Pilot (John ''Fedayeen" sKerry - the Mullahs' regime candidate)
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To: AUH2OY2K

I've that USB cable.


9 posted on 06/12/2004 1:41:00 AM PDT by F14 Pilot (John ''Fedayeen" sKerry - the Mullahs' regime candidate)
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To: F14 Pilot
Ok - that makes sense.

It seems pretty clear to me that you need to put your e-mail someplace else, while reformatting. Where depends on what alternative media you have available. It might be floppies, writable CD's, diskspace on some web service, another hard drive, a tape drive, another computer over a local network, ...

A few others above have already suggested a couple of these other places.

Next you have to tell us which ones of these other places you have available, or probably could make available.

Myself, when I have to do something like this, buy a new disk drive, take out the old one, put it aside for a moment, format and install on the new one, then reinsert the old drive as a second drive, and copy over data. At other times, I have used floppy backup, tape backup, backup over the web, backup to CD's, and probably something else I'm forgetting. The per-byte price of hard drives keeps coming down, driving these other solutions out of contention. But if you already have one of these alternative at hand, then by all means use it.

The lowest cost IDE 3.5" drive (the most common kind, so I am guessing that's what your PC uses) that I see offhand at my favorite online retailer newegg.com right now is just $52 plus $5 shipping domestic U.S.: Maxtor 40GB 7200RPM IDE Hard Drive

10 posted on 06/12/2004 2:05:26 AM PDT by ThePythonicCow (I was humble, before I was born. -- J Frondeur Kerry)
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To: F14 Pilot

The USB cable won't matter much. It's the USB connector on the
PC, the USB software in the PC (Windows 98SE and up should
have it) and the USB storage device that you'd be needing, if you
go this route.


11 posted on 06/12/2004 2:08:03 AM PDT by ThePythonicCow (I was humble, before I was born. -- J Frondeur Kerry)
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To: AUH2OY2K
newegg.com has a USB storage device for $30: Lexar JumpDrive Portable USB Storage Device 128MB.
12 posted on 06/12/2004 2:12:08 AM PDT by ThePythonicCow (I was humble, before I was born. -- J Frondeur Kerry)
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To: All

Thank you all!


13 posted on 06/12/2004 2:30:34 AM PDT by F14 Pilot (John ''Fedayeen" sKerry - the Mullahs' regime candidate)
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To: F14 Pilot
Check out this freeware: Outlook Express Freebie Backup - once you decide on what type of medium you're going to use to backup your OE files.

Also, don't forget to export your Favorites (bookmarks) before reformatting.

14 posted on 06/12/2004 10:00:00 AM PDT by willieroe
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