Microsoft KB Archive/934563

= E-mail messages are missing, or e-mail contacts are not automatically imported from Outlook Express 6 into Windows Mail after you upgrade to Windows Vista =

Article ID: 934563

Article Last Modified on 4/12/2007

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APPLIES TO


 * Windows Mail

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SYMPTOMS
Consider the following scenario:
 * You create multiple e-mail identities in Microsoft Outlook Express 6 on a Microsoft Windows XP-based computer.
 * You upgrade the computer to Windows Vista.

In this scenario, you experience one or both of the following problems:
 * E-mail messages are missing in one or more of the e-mail identities.
 * E-mail contacts are not automatically imported.



CAUSE
This problem occurs for one of the following reasons:
 * Cause 1: You cannot create multiple e-mail identities in Microsoft Windows Mail.
 * Cause 2: Windows Vista does not import e-mail contacts from the .wab~ file.



Resolution for cause 1: You cannot create multiple e-mail identities in Microsoft Windows Mail
Upgrade Outlook Express 6 to Windows Mail, and then follow this step:
 * Click Startvistastartbutton.jpg], type mail in the Start Search box, and then click Windows Mail in the Programs list.

Windows Mail automatically starts a wizard that guides you through importing earlier e-mail identities to your current user account. This wizard will start every time that Windows Mail is started until all e-mail identities have been imported or deleted.

Resolution for cause 2: Windows Vista does not import e-mail contacts from the .wab~ file
 Click Start, type explorer in the Start Search box, and then click Windows Explorer in the Programs list. In Windows Explorer, locate and then double-click the following folder:

%systemdrive%\$WINDOWS.~Q\Data\Documents and Settings\ \Application Data\Microsoft\Address Book

Note The %systemdrive% environmental variable specifies the drive letter of the drive that contains Windows. By default, this is drive C. The  placeholder specifies the user name that you use to log on to the computer. Right-click the .wab~ file, and then click Rename. Type .wab, and then press ENTER.



MORE INFORMATION
You cannot create separate e-mail identities in Windows Mail. Instead, Windows Mail lets you create separate Windows user accounts for each user who wants to access e-mail messages on a single computer.

Before you upgrade the Windows XP-based computer to Windows Vista, e-mail messages are stored in the following folder:

%systemdrive%\Documents and Settings / /Local Settings/Application Data/Identities

Multiple e-mail identities in Outlook Express 6 are stored in different folders together with long name combinations of all characters. All e-mail messages and folders that are created in Outlook Express 6 are present in the following folder:

%systemdrive%\Program Files\Outlook

Before you upgrade the Windows XP-based computer to Windows Vista, the address book is stored in the following file, regardless of e-mail identities:

%systemdrive%\Program Files\Outlook\addressbook.wab

After you upgrade to Windows Vista, the Identities folder is deleted. E-mail identities are no longer available in the $WINDOWS.~Q folder. However, when you start Windows Mail for the first time, you are prompted to import or to delete earlier e-mail identities. Additionally, Windows Mail will copy all e-mail messages and all folders to the current user’s mail box.

Keywords: kbexpertisebeginner kbtshoot KB934563

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