How can I copy Outlook Express data to Outlook over a network?

My old computer has Windows/ME and Outlook Express. My new computer has Windows/XP Professional and MS Outlook. I networked the two computers together and the network works fine. I want to import the address book, address lists, messages, and folders from Outlook Express on the old computer to MS Outlook on the new computer over the network. But when I go to MS Outlook on the new computer; then to the Import and Export Wizard, then select Import Internet Mail and Addresses; then select Outlook Express 4.x, 5.x, 6.x; then I select Allow duplicates; then Finish. then I Select the mail folder (although I’m not quite sure which folder that is), then I get the error message "The mail folder could not be opened. If another application is using this file, please close it and try again." This same message occurs no matter what folder I select through the network on the old PC. Of course there is nothing else happening on either system, so it couldn’t be busy. So how can I import data from Outlook Express to Outlook across a network? Thanks for any response.

 

You could try exporting the information in Outlook Express to a file and then importing into Outlook from that file.

 

Roger at CCCC--Maybe try it the other way around (OE to Outlook).
If the OE data were on the same PC as Outlook, you would click OE File|Export|Messages (and separately Address Book) and export to MSOutlook. I would assume the same procedure would work for networked PC's but never did it.

 

Thanks for your responses. So far, nothing that I have tried works, for apparently various reasons. Here’s what doesn’t work:

1. In Outlook Express, when I select File-Export-Address Book-Microsoft Exchange Personal Address Book-Export, then a message returns that says "Address book export process has completed." But there is no file created that I can find. There are no .PAB file on the local disk if that’s what it is supposed to be. And I don’t know that Microsoft Exchange is, so I assume that I don’t have it.

2. If, in Outlook Express, I enter File-Export-Address Book-Text File (Comma Separated Values), then I DO get a .csv file, but it only has one name (mine) in it. Even if I select other names, OE only puts this one name in the file. I must not be selecting the names correctly, but I’ve tried a number of different ways to do it, and it always comes back with just one name.

3. If, in Outlook Express, I choose File-Export-Messages, then I get the message "This will export messages from Outlook Express to Microsoft Outlook or Microsoft Exchange." Then I select OK and I get the message "The export could not be performed. An error occurred while initializing MAPI." I don’t know what MAPI is or why it needs to be initialized.

So these appear to be the only options for exporting data from Outlook Express and none of them work.

I’m not sure what WelshJim meant by "If the OE data were on the same PC as Outlook...“ Are you suggesting that I should somehow move the Outlook data files to the old computer? If so, is that done with an option in Outlook?

I can’t believe that this procedure is that difficult because I would expect that lots of people would want to do this. But I haven’t figured it out so far, so any other thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks again.

 

I think you've run headlong into a know bug with some OE versions. But there is a work-around.

OLEXP: Cannot Export Address Book Subfolders in Outlook Express

 

Thanks to all for your comments. Apparently what I was trying to do was impossible. However, what IS possible is to transfer OE data from my old computer to the Outlook Express on the new computer, and THEN MS Outlook will import it from Outlook Express on the new computer.

Very helpful instructions for how to copy the address book, messages, etc. from the old OE program to the new OE program can be found at:

http://www.novatone.net/mag/index.htm

Thanks again - this problem is solved for me - now it’s on to other problems !!!