This week’s tip also applies to Windows Vista users who use Windows Mail…which is basically Outlook Express with a new name.
I still recommend that emailers save their important pictures and documents sent to them via email to a folder on their computer for easier backup (see my video tip on how to do this by clicking here), but many people also save a great deal of email and don’t want to lose it. Outlook Express (Windows Mail in Vista) saves all email in files with a .dbx extension. The files are named for the folders you have created in your email, so you will see files like inbox.dbx, saved.dbx, family.dbx, etc. Whatever email folders you have created will have a corresponding .dbx file.
These files, unfortunately, are buried in the Windows files system. This week’s video tip demonstrates how to locate these files on your computer so you can then copy them to flash drive (best idea) or CD/DVD.
Related articles:
- Backup Outlook Express Email
- Email Filters – Outlook Express
- Unblocking Attachments in Outlook Express
- Print Address Book – Outlook Express Revisited
- Finding Files You Thought Were Lost
Tags: backup, copy, email, folders, Outlook Express, pictures, Windows
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I would like to purchase a video from you that would show how to use a usb flash drive to learn about computers. I am a 78 year old who has been helping Seniors learn computers at the SeniorNet Learning Center as a free volunteer.(Past 10 Years) Our biggest problem is CRS (Can’t remember stuff)
Many of them do not even have computers, so they could put a flash drive in the pewter and take it to a library to practice the lesson.If you would like more info please contact me.
Ernie Falvo ( e.falvo@concast.net)
P.S. I tried to download Yahoo e-mail tutorials on the jump drive and could just get text?
Please use the “Email us” option at the top of the page to send us email. Thanks.
hi rick
i am trying to copy my ms outlook email folder to a flash drive. i was watching your video and tried to follow your instructions, but under my option tab, i can not find the maintanence button.
am i doing something wrong?
t/y in advance.
-d
The above video is for Outlook Express. If you are trying to back up Outlook, close Outlook, use your search function to find the outlook.pst file. That is your Outlook data. Once you find it, you can back it up to your flash drive.
Ernie, I believe you have a typo: concast.net, should probably be comcast.net.
Anne
Thank you thank you, you’ve no idea how long I’ve been trying to locate the email file! I love you!
Hey Rick it seems when i went into the files to back them up to a flash I tried to open them using Adobe. Then they all changed to tiles with the adobe symbol on it. I think I messed with the settings to what to open them with. I just want to know if outlook express will continue to save them normally. I need to save them onto a flash drive and take them to the UPS store to print about 187 emails. Thanks in advance for the help and I think what you are doing in fantastic for idiots like myself.
Monty
The video is for backup only (you can’t double-click and open them, only re-import them back into Outlook Express)…if you want to print your emails off site, you need to use the File –> Save As function and save them as text files.
Hey Rick is there a way to click and drag them all to a flash drive? Seems the only way I have been able to do this was one at a time.
typed outlook.pst but it comes up as mobile outlook.pst.
and i tried watching the video again but …I am computer illiterate. sorry, but could you go step by step.
i have ms outlook and am desperately trying to copy my email folder.
t/y in advance
hi
tried to copy to flash but not working. (???!!!) i just want to copy to flash and then print them out when i need them in the future.
t/y in advance