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How do you switch Outlook Express and desktop folders to another iMac? I expect to get a new one and hate to lose everything on my 9.2OS.:lol:

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Short, practical plan for moving Outlook Express mail and your desktop to a new iMac — expanding on ’s suggestion and tailored for ’s OS 9 setup.

Fastest method (recommended when both Macs have FireWire)

  • Make a full backup first.
  • Connect the two Macs with a FireWire cable and start the old Mac in Target Disk Mode (hold down T at startup) so it appears as an external drive on the new iMac.
  • On the new machine run Migration Assistant (Applications -> Utilities) and choose the mounted disk as the source. Select the user account, Mail/Address Book and Desktop items to transfer.
  • If the assistant copies files but the Mail/Entourage apps don’t show messages right away, use each app’s Import tool afterward to pick up migrated mailbox files.

Manual method (when FireWire isn’t available or you want control)

  • Back up everything to an external drive. Copy the entire desktop contents and the Outlook Express mailbox/address-book files (make a complete copy of the user/identity folder rather than individual files where possible).
  • In OE, compact or clean up mailbox folders first to reduce corruption risk.
  • On the new Mac import those files with Entourage’s Import Wizard or Mail’s Import Mailboxes. If OE’s format isn’t recognized, convert mailboxes to a standard mbox format with a specialist converter before importing.

Checks and cautions

  • Keep the original Mac and its backup untouched until the import is verified.
  • Spot-check folders, attachments and contacts; rules and message flags sometimes don’t survive conversion.
  • Do a small trial import first, then migrate everything once the results look correct.

This approach minimizes data loss and gives clear fallback options if Migration Assistant doesn’t handle a particular OE artifact.

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Member Avatar for John A

How do you switch Outlook Express and desktop folders to another iMac? I expect to get a new one and hate to lose everything on my 9.2OS.:lol:

Sorry, Outlook Express is only for OS 8.2-9... and the new iMacs can't even run Classic to emulate OS 9, so you can either switch to Apple's , or if you prefer Microsoft, Entourage.

As for transferring your stuff, the easiest way to do it would be Firewire or Ethernet. OS X even has a transfer utility which is supposed to transfer all your data and settings for you from another Mac (assuming you have a Firewire cable), although I'm not entirely sure if it will work from OS X to OS 9.

Member Avatar for tennisplayerbb

Sorry, Outlook Express is only for OS 8.2-9... and the new iMacs can't even run Classic to emulate OS 9, so you can either switch to Apple's , or if you prefer Microsoft, Entourage.

As for transferring your stuff, the easiest way to do it would be Firewire or Ethernet. OS X even has a transfer utility which is supposed to transfer all your data and settings for you from another Mac (assuming you have a Firewire cable), although I'm not entirely sure if it will work from OS X to OS 9.

Well, boo!!! Oh, well, thanks. When I finally get the iMax 10.3 and install Entourage, I'll transfer my stuff.:lol: :lol:

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