Member Avatar for rnalh5gh

When one upgrades windows vista to windows 7 does it allow you to keep Windows Mail?
Windows Mail is the email program that comes with Windows Vista. It was the replacement to Outlook Express. I want to know if it is possible to keep windows mail if you are a Vista user , and
all of its emails, mail rules and settings if one upgrades Vista to 7.

  • 4 Contributors
  • 3 Replies
  • 428 Views
  • 4 Days Discussion Span
  • Latest Post Latest Post by flagstar

Dani AI

Generated

Short checklist and exact steps to preserve everything before you upgrade (builds on question and the backup suggestions from , and ).

Start by backing up three things (don’t skip any): the message store, your Contacts folder, and the Windows Mail settings/rules. The default message store is in your user profile; check WinMail’s Tools → Options → Advanced → Maintenance → Store Folder and copy that full folder to external media. Contacts live in your user Contacts folder. Exporting the registry keys for Windows Mail preserves rules and many settings (see the Windows Mail key and the Rules subkey). Make sure you copy stationery/signatures if you used them. (superuser.com)

Example commands and paths you can use (run from an elevated prompt or copy files with Explorer):

%USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows Mail   ← copy this entire folder
%USERPROFILE%\Contacts                              ← copy this entire folder

reg export "HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows Mail\Rules" "%USERPROFILE%\Desktop\wm_rules.reg"
reg export "HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows Mail" "%USERPROFILE%\Desktop\wm_settings.reg"

If you end up moving to Windows Live Mail on Windows 7, import mail with WLM’s Import wizard (Application menu → Import messages, pick the Windows Mail/Outlook Express format and point it at your backed-up store or exported folder). Contacts can be imported via CSV/VCF or by copying the Windows Contacts folder into the new profile and using WLM’s contact import. If you exported registry keys, note the new program’s key name may differ (Windows Live Mail vs Windows Mail) — open the .reg file and update the key path before importing, or merge into the corresponding WLM key. (vip.chowo.co.uk)

Troubleshooting notes: passwords are not exported — expect to re-enter account passwords. If the import wizard reports “no messages found” check folder permissions and that hidden files are visible, and let WLM re-index after importing (it can take time). If you prefer avoiding migration hassle, exporting to standard .eml and .csv/.vcf gives the most portable backup you can import into Thunderbird, Outlook, or the newer Outlook app later. (support.microsoft.com)

Recommended Answers

All 3 Replies

Member Avatar for jingda

Not sure about that. I have never tried that before. See this link. I think Microsoft have offered some help to backup your email contact. You can take a look at the link and see whether it works.

Member Avatar for Danarchy

When you upgrade to Windows 7 your Windows Mail will no longer work.
You can, from what I understand, upgrade to Windows Live Mail now and it will import your Windows Mail data.
You will have to copy and restore
the folder C:\Users\username\Contacts after your upgrade to Windows 7.

commented: Welcome back +9
Member Avatar for flagstar

The best option is to backup your email list, inbox and whatever you had in Windows Mail... Once you do, upgrade your vista to seven and check whether it still there and run normally. If it doesn't, just restore all the things you just backed up...

Consider this a self test method. Try first and learn. It won't hurt if you have backed up all necessary files.

commented: I agree with you. See my post above +9
Be a part of the DaniWeb community

We're a friendly, industry-focused community of developers, IT pros, digital marketers, and technology enthusiasts meeting, networking, learning, and sharing knowledge.