Importing address book from Outlook Express 5.0

I have a real mess - used relocator software to transfer apps, files, etc. to new PC with Win XP. The relocation corrupted my Outlook Express. I had to uninstall Outlook Express and reinstall Internet Explorer - with files supplied by relocator tech support. I decided to forget trying to get my e-mail folders moved, but I HAVE to have my address book from Outlook Express 5.0.

I don't even know which file I'm suppose to be importing. I copied wab.exe from my old computer to a floppy. I thought the wab.exe was my address book, but when I try file, import, the file doesn't show because the only choice is a file ending with .wab - wab. exe doesn't show.

I did a search for files ending with .wab on my old computer. The only file ending with .wab that I can find is hidden away in one of the identitiess and the name is sent it. wab. I tried importing that file. XP says it was successful, but no addresses in address book - just folders for shared contacts and a folder for each of my two identities.

I have hundreds of addresses because I do genealogy research. I will be lost without my address book.

Thank you.

 

This'll help.

 

And may I strongly suggest you begin making regular back-ups of the address book to CD or other non-volitile media.

 

Brett,

Thank you for the article about backing up Outlook Express. I learned from that article that I didn't have any wab files because MS Office was sharing the address book. I couldn't relocate MS Office because MS Works Suite now includes Word - that's another problem. Anyway, the article pointed me in the right direction. I read up on Outlook and learned how to convert the address book to a text file and then I was able to import that file into the new Outlook Express. Everything went over except a group contact.

Newt,

When I learn to use the CD burner I will definitely back up. But backing up Outlook Express sounds complicated. I had a tape drive with my old computer. I learned that it would not operate with any OS except Win 95. That was why I tried the PC Relocator program. It didn't work for Outlook Express. I'm sure it was because I didn't have the wab files.

Thanks to both.

 

zanetti - have you tried putting a writable CD in the drive and then just copying a file from your hard drive to the CD?

If you want to get fancy you will need software and some learning but if all things are working as they should, from what I understand XP should have recognized the writable CD drive and set it up accordingly.

I have to admit I can't speak from first-hand knowledge on this since I don't have a cd writer here at work and have never tried on the one I do have at home.

 

Newt,

I think I used the software that came on the computer for my first try. I learned that in Win XP you can drag and drop from hard drive to CD, but I think the CD R has to be formatted first. I've got a lot to learn. I am still working on getting my data and programs from my old computer to the new - a week now. Almost there, but then have to clean up the old one before passing it on.

Backing up on CD R should be a breeze once I know what I'm doing. A friend told me he had a lot of nice coasters now.

 

I need some help on this if you don't mind. I'm having the same problem with WAB. But when I tried to follow the link in ths topic, "thisll help" I get a message to download and install Java. When I click "download" I get a message that says something like this: "sorry, Microsoft no longer supports automatic installation of Java." This has happened on a couple of other web sites too. I don't have a clue.

 

http://www.3danywhere.com/vm/

 

zanetti,
Can you still open OE on your old pc and see all your address's?
If so, Search C drive for "*.wab" you should then be able to copy it to a floppy disk, I think it will fit OK, although I've never had that many address's.

If not, you must have lost them when you un-installed OE.


"in Win XP you can drag and drop from hard drive to CD, but I think the CD R has to be formatted first. "
Nope, it's as simple as that, ...drag and drop.

HooT

 

Hoot,

I didn't have .wab files. That was the problem. Relocator tech support kept telling me to find my .wab files. I didn't have .wab files because I had Office 2000 on my old machine and I had it set (or it was preset) to share the address book. That's a whole different ball game. I searched the Internet and learned how to export the old address book by converting it to a .crs (?) file. I put that file on a floppy. Then all I had to do was import the address book in Win XP. Of course the import put all the address under my identity (that's where I was when I did the import) , but I just copied them from my folder and pasted them into the Shared Contacts folder so my husband could use it, too.

I also learned how to get all my mail folders moved. The relocator moved my folders, but they were in the wrong location. I used a backup and restore method I learned about from the file that is posted in this thread.

 

Ok, I missed that part. I'm glad you were able to get them all.
HooT