Emails... from OE 5 (Mac OS 9) to Mail (Mac Os X)

Question

Emails... from OE 5 (Mac OS 9) to Mail (Mac Os X)

Hi,

I would like to export a whole email inbox from Outlook Express 5 (Mac OS 9) to Mail (Mac OS X). I found a previous thread in which this topic was covered at length but after trying the different options none of them actually worked.

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/1719630?threadID=1719630&tstart=0

I know that Mail v.2. (OS 10.3) had a feature which allowed to import messages directly from Outlook Express (it was later removed in Mail v.3, OS 10.4 and onwards). After making a copy of OE emails in OS 9 ("Identities" folder) I tried importing that folder through Mail on the new mac (OS 10.3). Mail then said "select where OE 5 is located - if necessary Classic will boot". Problem is that even if I browse and select the identities folder it won't recognise it.

Part of the issue might have to do that I don't have Classic installed on that computer. I have also tried to import the emails through Entourage (Office 2004, OS X) with the same negative result.

Note: OE inbox icon "messages", when opened in OS X launches the terminal, as it was a Unix executable.

Inbox contains several hundreds probably more emails, so forwarding each email is not an option.

Any suggestions?

P.

Posted on Apr 24, 2011 10:05 AM

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Answer 1

Apr 26, 2011 8:36 AM in response to Pabloandhismac

Most users who wanted to migrate have been forced to convert their Outlook emails and contacts to some sort of interchange format. Only then can "regular" email programs read them and carry them forward. Thank you, microsoft, for making this far more difficult than necessary.

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Answer 2

Apr 28, 2011 1:35 PM in response to Pabloandhismac

Perhaps Thunderbird, from Mozilla - who also make Firefox, can help as an intermediate format.

You could help all of us here without Mail 3.0 to help you by listing the mailbox formats that Mail 3.0 can import from. I still use Office 2004 (worth every penny) and by using intermediate applications I still have all my mail since 1994, The only real problem has been mail from Lotus Notes.

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Answer 3

Apr 28, 2011 4:14 PM in response to Simon Teale

My mail 3.0 under 10.5 is showing these:

Microsoft Entourage

Netscape/Mozilla

Thunderbird

Eudora

Mail for Mac OS X

mbox files

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Answer 4

Apr 28, 2011 8:07 PM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder

Thanks Grant.

Entourage, from Office v.X definitely, and maybe throiugh Office 2004 would have been the preferred option, but I remember Office v.X requires to be able to run Outlook Express, ie. it requires Classic, which isn't going to happen on Intel, or OSX 10.5.

Thunderbird seems to be the primary hope, and it's a good one, it is extremely good at importing mail. A google search may turn up a step-by-step guide (of course it does, I checked before writing that).

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Answer 5

Apr 30, 2011 4:59 AM in response to Pabloandhismac

Just installed Thunderbird - it only allows to import email messages from Eudora, Communicator or Apple Mail, no OE or even Entourage. Im talking about Thunderbird for Mac OS X - is there a version for Mac OS 9? Haven't been able to to find one.

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Answer 6

Apr 30, 2011 4:20 PM in response to Pabloandhismac

That was the best tool I could recall that would do this for you. So I'm at a loss of how to achieve this now.

Again, just from memory, Microsoft Entourage (Office), even the 30 day Trial version, CAN import a Microsoft Outlook Express mail account, BUT from memory it needed Classic to run OE. I can only suggest that you try it. You're not going to be able to use Classic at all because of Intel and OSX 10.5. But the latest versions of Office (2008 and 2011( may do away with the requirement for Classic and running OE. I have no idea if they do or not.

Otherwise you have one more no-cost possibility, you may look at emulating a Mac OS 8.6 or OS 9.0.4 in SheepShaver on your intel and importing into Entourage in Office 2001 in the emulator. You may have to use Google to locate a trial version of Office 2001, or Office 2008, from experience the Microsoft site does little more than try to sell you Office 2011. Big tip for Google, Microsoft's "demo" versions are always called "Test Drive". I also think that your Mac may have come with a Trial version of Office (one version or another).

Low-cost solutions might involve buying a 2nd hand Mac (perhaps $40) to allow you to get the OE mail into Entourage or another mail client in OS9. From there you could move it to the modern Mac and import it into Mail. Then sell the 2nd hand Mac (perhaps $40).

Or have someone at the local Mac User Group do it for you. They may do it for free, or for a small donation.

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