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General discussion

Backing up old email messages to CD

Aug 5, 2005 12:23PM PDT

I want to know how to back up emails to a CD and then make the records on the CD available to others so that they can read and use them.I have tried to do this before but ran into trouble when I tried to convert the .pst files to something like .doc for example. Can you help?
I am using an Acer PF1- Intel Pentium 4 CPU desktop computer with Windows XP Pro operating system.

Discussion is locked

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Backing up email to CDs
Aug 11, 2005 9:23PM PDT

If you are using Outlook express here is the procedure I have used to store emails to CDs. First to make it easier make a folder in 'My Documents' called My Email and in the options section of OE change the store folder to the new folder. After shutting down OE and restarting the emails will be stored in the new folder. Now you can backup the 'My Email' folder to a CD. If your friend wants to read the email, he can import your email into his OE and read the data. If your friend has the same named folders on his system (inbox, outbox etc.) then your backed up emails will be added to his folders. This is handy to clean up emails as you can backup a years emails to CD then erase and start a new year fresh. I have CDs labeled 2002,2003,2004 which I can access as required.

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Backing up selected folders from OE Local Folders
Aug 11, 2005 9:46PM PDT

Is it possible to backup only selected folders from OE's Local Folders/Inbox to CD using the mehtod suggested (by renaming the store folder and transferring)?

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Elemental
Aug 12, 2005 2:55AM PDT

Ya'll probably will laught at me, but i just resize by half the outlook window, have by half too the open destination folder on windows explorer, and select-drag-copy the e-mails as i may want.

I manage up to 4000 e-mails monthly, and this way has worked fine to back-up 'em and free disk space.

Just treat e-mails as other kind of document files, and organize in any way suitable for your purpose.

Searching is no longer a problem using windows or google search indexers.

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What about being able to search by date?
Aug 12, 2005 2:19PM PDT

I use Outlook '03 and I?ve tried the drag and drop (D&D) style of storing e-mails onto an ext. HD. Nevertheless, I still have trouble finding e-mails even with Google desktop.
Usually I need the ability to sort by sender or by date or subject to find what I?m looking for. In addition, the D&D method doesn't work for me, especially when I?m looking through thousands of e-mails.
Am I not using the Google search right?
I would love to use the D&D method to store the e-mails, cause it's easy, but it doesn't seem to be working for me right now.
My last gripe is that if you'd going to share your backed up e-mails, using this system you have to be using the same version client or up, it's not backward compatible I?ve tried. (Outlook '03 mails won't open on '02, '00 when transferred by USB disk)

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You are posting a Reply to Backing up email to CDs
Aug 21, 2005 8:44PM PDT

I did this and now have DBX. files on my CD.I want to put some of the files back.How ? How do I make dbx. files readable?

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I have windows 98 SE and windows 98....2 hard drives in....
Aug 12, 2005 3:34PM PDT

Windows 98 SE.I use Outlook Express in both of these.
I wish to get all my emails off the 98 from Outlook Express there,copy to CD Rom and read/save any of them to my 2nd hard drive (D) in Windows 98 SE.
Windows 98 has a CDRom drive D and I have a CD Burner drive E in Windows 98SE.I have not used my 2nd hard Drive D in Windows 98SE yet.
I hope I make sense here...
I don't understand fully the drag and drop method described in this thread.
I also realise this may not be possible (although I hope it is)as for now I am no longer connected to the internet on my Windows 98 (although I am working on that-needing to install modem and connect phone line)...I hope I am not wasting anyone's time and do apologise now if I am!
Mandy

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Backing up old email messages to CD
Aug 15, 2005 7:34AM PDT

The Way I backing up old Email Message is
I go to my email message and hit forward then Highlight the whole email message than hit edit than copy or cut. than open up MS word program and paste it
on the screen and I put many on the same screen and save it to what every zip or cd drives.
Any question email susanc@wcnet.org

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(NT) (NT) Thanks Susan...simple enough!
Aug 16, 2005 3:49PM PDT
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Backing up old email messages
Aug 19, 2005 12:34AM PDT

I would like to thank all those who sent in suggestions how to back up old email messages.
I tried a number of the suggestions and quite a few worked. I did find though that messages saved in Outlook 2003 are not backward compatable and they have to be for some of recipients of these records do not have Outlook. Also none of the suggestions gave me an automatic way of recording them on a CD already translated into a readable text.
In the end I opened the emails, saved them in Plain Text and sent them to a folder I had alrerady opened under My Documents. It was then a simple matter of writing them to a CD. Not a perfect solution because it took a lot of time but it worked. I can now produce as many copies of the CD as I need for fellow committee members.

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Backing up old email messages to CD
Aug 19, 2005 2:01AM PDT

Will the individuals you plan to disribute these to have the same type computer? If not it would be very safe and compatible to convert the mnessages to a .pdf format then anyone, Mac or PC, could read the messages. Otherwise they are going to have to have some type of translator program to read them. Many printers today can automatically convert messages to a ,pdf format. Check and see if yours does.

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Backing up email messages to CD
Aug 22, 2005 11:03AM PDT

Bob,

Your points are valid and I shall certainly back up using .pdf. All of my colleagues already receive material in this format from me so they are familiar with it.