importing email to OL2003 from a store directory

I'm converting a user's email client from OutlookExpress (OLEx) to Outlook 2003 (OL). The user has 3 identities in OLEx that are used on her computer, and she switches back and forth between her personal account and two common accounts by clicking File>switch identity in Outlook Express.

I have set up three identical profiles in OL, and set a prompt to have the user choose which account she wants to get onto each time she opens OL. Each of these accounts is working fine, and downloading its respective messages from the server just fine. However, I want to import the existing messages from OLEx into the respective accounts so that she has the complete history of each account in OL.

I've had some serious problems here with importing the messages.

OL is not giving me an option to import OLEx messages from a "store" directory. When I go to file>import>import from another file or program>outlook express 4.x, 5.x, 6.x>, it immediately goes into the internet connection wizard and tells me that it has detected that OLEx is already installed on the computer and it can import the settings as well as the messages. My only two options are "next" or "cancel." I don't have a choice of specifying which identity I want to import from, or pathing to a store directory.

This worked fine when I was importing from the main identity in OLEx into OL. However, each of the two other profiles have tried to import from the same OLEx main identity; I can't figure out how to import the OLEx mail from the other two accounts into the two additional OL accounts. I just want to specify a store directory in another path. Why isn't OL giving me that option? OLEx ALWAYS GIVES YOU THAT OPTION during an import -- I can't believe OLEx is more sophisticated than OL.

What am I missing here, please?

- maureen

 

Called Microsoft -- I'm entitled to a couple of free support incidents with a retail purchase, so I decided to exercise it.

IMPORT FIX FOR INDIVIDUAL PROFILES = EXPORT FROM OUTLOOK EXPRESS. The trick for importing the OLEx emails into individual profiles for OL, is to reverse the process: go into the OLEx identity, and click File>export>messages. Choose to export to Outlook, and then it will list the profiles that you have created in Outlook. Select which profile this group of messages should go into, click ok, and you're done. Worked great.

DUPLICATE EMAILS: Also had a problem with duplicate emails arriving in the Outlook main identity. The problem is a known issue when you leave mail on the server for X days. I have no choice, I have to leave it on the server for 5 days. I had already installed SP2 for Office which was supposed to fix that, but it still was creating duplicates of every email.

The first fix was to delete the oldest email on the server - typically, the cause for duplicates is that the oldest one is corrupted and causes all the subsequent emails to try to download again when the first one chokes and fails. That didn't fix the problem. The next fix did finally work. I was told that this profile had a corrupt "leave on the server" function, and I needed to create a new profile. Created the new profile, enabled "leave on the server for 5 days" again, and imported the pst from the original profile. Deleted all existing duplicates, and then tested sends and receives. That took care of the problem. Went into Control panel to mail, found the identities and deleted the original profile.

We're good.

Just a little plug: I have ALWAYS found Microsoft support to be the best support anywhere. $35 per incident is cheaper than any other software vendor I have come across, they have a much broader range of experience with various software programs and how they interfere with the function of OS and other programs (beginning with AVs and Firewalls), and they hang with you for days if necessary until the problem is resolved. I know, I've been there with them for days on wierd OS installs. Also, if you purchase retail, even upgrade, they will give you install support for free. And, in the case of Office, I was happy to discover that i was entitled to two incidents of free support. I am one of those few people who has good things to say about Bill Gates.

-maureen