Importing Thunderbird data to Outlook 2003 SP2

Greetings, first post/question which I hope you good folks can assist me with. I wasn't too sure if this post should go here (in the 'Netscape and Mozilla' area) or into the Outlook area... I'll try here first.

I recently decided to begin using Outlook 2003 (SP2) (part of the Microsoft Office Small Business Management Edition 2006) ... for various reasons ... after having used Mozilla Thunderbird as my main email client for the last couple of years.

I'm having some trouble importing addresses from T-bird. I can export T-bird's addresses to .csv (or tab delimited .txt file), but Outlook refuses to import those items.

I'm using the following sequence to import a .csv file in Outlook :

• File -> Import and Export... -> Import from another program or file -> Comma separated values (Windows)
  
• Browse to and select .csv file created through T-bird's export function
  
• Select "Replace duplicates with items imported" (just in case earlier attempts actually left something behind)
  
• Select "Contacts" folder as import destination

... what I wind up with is this window (.jpg screen-shot of window), with nothing being done and the "Next" and "Map Custom Fields..." buttons greyed out.

Any suggestions?

As for the second part of the equation, importing messages, I haven't even started with that yet. I'm waiting to see what might be needed to simply get my collected addresses imported first, but if you have suggestions on how to accomplish that feat they would be warmly and respectfully received.

/edit/ OS is Win XP Pro (SP2) fully updated.

 

I don't have Outlook, and, I am positive that it is going to be very difficult to do anything of the sort.
The address book format in Outlook is .wab. It may be necessary to import, first into Outlook Express, but even that is a problem.
It may work to get your mail and address book into Netscape Communicator, i.e. 4.x, and from NS4.x into OE, and then finally into Outlook.
It seems that Microsoft decided that Netscape6/7, Mozilla, and then Thunderbird did not exist. So, it may have created a business for programs which can do these maneuvers.
I would not have the patience. But, you can do searches, and see that what I am saying is not so crazy.

 

Are you saying, Westside, that there may be a third party app that could do the trick?

 

I have seen third party apps to manage OE. I am saying to look for it. I have no idea if there is one, but it may be there. And, considering the small following in this country, I would look at something in Europe, or elsewhere.

 

I appreciate the feedback.

One 'solution' (of sorts) I found is to import the .csv into Excel and then format header columns (and arrange all the data in the various columns to suit, but paying attention to how certain columns are named so that Outlook recognizes them); then import into Outlook.

Sounds like a lot of trouble, but I *really* want my contact list imported.

I have yet to look at importing T-bird's message store, but considering the amount of ... umm ... 'imaginative engineering' required to get a simple contact list imported, I'm not overly optimistic about importing messages.

 

There is no way to "import" your mail. It is quite a job, but possible from TB>NS4.x>OE>Outlook. The format of the Inbox file (not the header file) is the same in TB as NS4.x, and, to the best of my knowledge OE can import mail from NS4.x.

 

Wow! What a job! I have a small interest since I also have Outlook (2000) and occasionally use it. In my own case, the 48 contacts were not enough to warrant such work so I simply opened my T-bird address book and copied them one at a time into my Outlook address book. I can see, however, that someone with an extensive address book would want to look for a more efficient system. And I had hoped that someone had developed a program for doing this. But to have to go the route of transferring them over to Netscape 4 (which has long, long been off my own system) then onto OE and then over to Outlook, seems way too much trouble; at least from my perspective.

 

Thanks for the information, Westside. At this point I'm ready to run screaming from the room...

Like James mentioned, it "seems way too much trouble" to go through all those hoops to import messages. You'd think MS would recognize the fact there are other competing options out there, and offer a simple method to jump from those back to MS's own software. Instead... well, you see.

If not for the (truly useful) calendar and notes sections I wouldn't even bother with Outlook, especially since I've gone without using either Outlook or Outlook Express for so long. <resisting the urge to go on a long rant about how O-2K3 lacks much of OE's flexablity, and appears as a bloated whale next to T-bird fully 'optioned' with a variety of extensions>

If nothing else, this whole dilemma has pushed me further into the 'Zilla camp. I bet I can find useful extensions for T-bird that do what I require.

 

I found this interesting bit that may assist in importing a T-bird's .csv into Outlook.

As I mentioned above, it involves using Excel to manage the list.

http://kb.iu.edu/data/aemb.html