7 replies to this topic

[quixos]

(1) On your Windows machine import your email to Outlook Express.

(2) Find the Outlook Express folder containing your mail folders, which are contained in *.dbx files. By default that folder is located in the following general location.

"C:\Documents and Settings\*USERNAME*\Local Settings\Application Data\Identities\{9ECC51D4-YOUR-OWN-IDENT-BLAH-BEDED493AB3F}\Microsoft  \Outlook Express"

(3) Put dbxConv into the same folder as your .dbx files

   you must run DbxConv from the commandline. to get to the commandline you

(4) Go to your "Start Menu" then "Run", type in "cmd" (no quotes), navigate to your Outlook Express folder containing the *.dbx files.

(5) type "DbxConv.exe *.dbx"

  then, it very quickly converts the *.dbx files to *.mbx files.

(6) After conversion is complete, type "rename *.mbx *.mbox" (no quotes)

(7) Boot into OS X, open Mail.app, go to "File" then "Import Mailboxes", Import Mailboxes from "Other", "Continue", and navigate to the Outlook Express folder containing the *.mbox files.

   Mail.app will ignore the *.dbx files, and import the *.mbox files with no trouble.

  (to those that will read the documentation of DbConv.exe... "-mbxextmbox" failed to convert *.dbx files directly to *.mbox.)

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  i found this information at http://jthurber.com/...index.php?p=119 and adapted the directions for the typical OS X / Windows dual boot scenario.

  DbxConv.exe is found at http://people.freene...bs/dbxconv.html

[suleiman]

This is excellent. I can now ditch and sell my other laptop which I was keeping around solely for the thousands of ancient e-mails I had stored. Thanks alot Quixos!

[dfunked]

Can you do the same with Outlook 2003?

[quixos]

dfunked, on Jan 4 2006, 09:17 AM, said:

Can you do the same with Outlook 2003?

"(1) On your Windows machine import your email to Outlook Express."
          Outlook Express can import email from your Outlook 2003 or any other Outlook version and a few other email clients as well.

    From Microsofts Site, below

1.  On the File menu, point to Import, and then click Messages.

2.  Select the e-mail program you want to import messages from, and then click Next.

3.Verify the location of your messages, and then click Next.

4.Choose All folders to import all the messages, and then click Next.
   You can also choose Selected Folders to import messages from one or more folders.

5.Click Finish.

Edited by quixos, 04 January 2006 - 09:35 AM.

[dfunked]

Yeah I was thinking of the same thing, I remember seeing the options a while ago. I'll try it out later. Thanks

[quixos]

suleiman, you'll be very pleased with the results, if you've tried to convert through the well popularized Thunderbird to mbox, or Eudora method or The Bat crap methods.

this method is the first one where my email ended up looking like the email i received (only better!) rather than shredded text and html code. big sigh of relief.

Edited by quixos, 04 January 2006 - 09:02 PM.

[omni]

The only problem with using Mail.app is that it stores every single email as an individual file, and for those who have 10s of thousands of emails this system is really inefficient and slow.
I would suggest using Thunderbird instead, and have cross-platform compatibility in the future (PC<->Mac)

[quixos]

this thread is simply a HOWTO, not a debate. i swear, a thread on pudding would end up including opinions on dead popes.

i've a mortal dread of thread spread

i bet however, that a lot of people would be interested in the advantages of one email client over another on osX, i know i would be. you should start a thread on it.

Edited by quixos, 07 January 2006 - 04:05 AM.