switching to a new desktop mail program
Note: This page may be somewhat out of date, but the concepts should still be helpful.
If you are getting a new or repaired computer, or want to change e-mail programs, the suggestions below will be helpful in making a transition that preserves your important information, even across different formats and mail programs. This documentation is written for Windows users but should also be helpful with desktop mail programs on the Mac.
Suggestions:
Use Built-In/Automatic Importing Features
Export and Import Addresses
Manually
Export and Import Saved Messages
Manually
Use a Conversion Utility
Save Folders Stored on ACS
Get AOL mail via a desktop mail program
Use Automatic Imports Whenever Possible:
If you are going to be using the same computer and are just switching e-mail programs, with any luck you will find that your new mail program will automatically detect and import information from other mail programs that are configured on your computer. This option will occur at the time of an installation. However, you can also trigger it at any time using your mail program's "import" menu command. For example, you can import from other mail formats into Outlook Express/Windows Mail using File-Import, into Netscape 7/Mozilla/Thunderbird using Tools-Import, into Outlook using File-Import and Export and into Eudora with File-Import.
If you are switching to a new computer and then *also* plan to switch to a new mail program once you get there, you will find that it's helpful to actually switch to that new mail program first on your current computer. For example, let's say you've been using Eudora but you want to use Outlook on your new computer. You may find it helpful to launch Outlook (or Netscape, Thunderbird, Outlook Express or whatever) on your current computer and auto-import the existing information from your current mail program. Once you've done that, you're no longer dealing with apples and oranges and should be able to export any local mail and/or address lists for use on the new computer.
If you've completed your conversion and are all set, you don't need to read on. If you still need to switch to a new computer, or if an automatic conversion didn't seem to work, read on...
Move Addresses from Current Mail Program -> New Mail Program, Manually:
Okay, so let's assume that, for whatever reason, an automated detection/import did not finish the conversion process for you. At this point you can still manually export the information that's important to you, which could include your addressbook, any locally stored mail, and, for some people, Bookmarks.
First,
export the address information you want from your current mail
program...
Detailed below is information on how each of the popular
mail programs will allow you to export address information into
a format that you can use in a different application. These methods
should be straightforward enough, but if you find that you are
doing a difficult translation using an old or obscure mail program,
you may need to use a conversion utility
instead.
Outlook Express 6: With OE open, choose File->Export->Address Book. In the window that appears, you will be able to export your address information into two different formats. If you are switching into Outlook on a different computer, choose to use the Microsoft Exchange Personal Address Book. If you are switching to any other program, use the text file option. Don't forget to give the file a name and save it to the Desktop, so you will know where to find it later.
Outlook: With Outlook open, choose File->Import and Export->Export to a file->Next. You will have a long list of formats to choose from, which include Tab Separated (Windows) or Comma Separated (Windows) formats. If you want to do a few different formats, call them something like "addressesCSV" and "addressesTAB", making sure to save each of these as the appropriate (corresponding) "file type". It's perhaps a good idea to save them to the Desktop so you will know where they are. (Note that you might be prompted for your MS Office CD in order to complete the export.)
Web-based Mail: For help importing to or exporting from Horde, see www.bu.edu/pcsc/email/manage/webmail/horde/.
Eudora: Unfortunately the process for converting Eudora Nicknames into another format isn't as neat and tidy as it is with other programs. However, there is hope. With any luck an automated conversion into another mail program will have worked for you and you won't be reading this! Failing that, you should try some of the converters or conversion methods that you can find on-line. Do a search on something like "convert Eudora nicknames" and you'll come up with many options.
OS X Mail: Since you can only export from "Mail" using vCard, the best way to get your addresses into a more flexible format for, say, import into Thunderbird, is to use the Address Book Exporter as described at www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/14667 and elsewhere.
Thunderbird: Open the Address Book and use the Tools->Export menu to export to a file. You will have a list of formats to choose from, which include Tab Separated (Windows) or Comma Separated (Windows) formats. If you want to do a few different formats, call them something like "addressesCSV" and "addressesTAB", making sure to save each of these as the appropriate (corresponding) "file type". LDIF format is okay too, assuming that the mail program you're going to will read it.
Netscape 7: See the separate Netscape 7 section below for this information.
...then
import the address information you've collected into your new
mail program.
The information you've just exported in the step above
now exists as a file that you can import into your new mail program.
If you are switching to a new computer, you will first need to
take that file(s) and move them over to the new computer (by taking
it on disk or flash drive, moving it through a network, burning
it to CD, or sending it to yourself as an attachment). If you
want to, put it on the Desktop on the new computer too, so you
will know where it is. (Later on, once you've successfully done
the import, you can delete that file.)
Okay, you can now import the data contained in that file into your new mail program. Do this in Outlook Express with File-Import in Outlook using File-Import and Export and in Eudora using File-Import. In each of these cases, you will work your way through a short series of questions that will ultimately ask you to browse to and select the file that contains the information you want to import.
ALSO NOTE: You can also do this is in Netscape 7 or Mozilla Thunderbird using Tools-Import. Netscape users may also want to import Bookmark information at this time, and can do this with Bookmarks->Manage Bookmarks->Tools->Import. However, as for all topics related to Netscape 7, you may be doing this in a different way, so you should first consult the Netscape 7 section.
Move Messages from Current Mail Program -> New Mail Program, Manually:
If you have been using just Web-based
Mail, then you have no messages stored locally. All of
your messages are stored on ACS and you would also be able to
see them if you ever set yourself up to use
IMAP with a desktop mail program. This section does
not apply to you.
If you have been using IMAP with a desktop mail program, most or all of your messages (and the folders that contain them) are actually stored on the ACS server, which means that this section probably does not apply to you either. However, if you do have any locally stored messages, you would find them under a heading called something like "Local Folders" in the directory of your mail folders. If that's the case, and there are just a few of them, you could really just drag those folder(s) or messages into the ACS directory area in order to access it/them from elsewhere. Once your new mail program is set up to use the settings that allow you to access your mail on ACS, then you will see those folders and messages and, if you want to, could copy them back down to Local Folders and delete them from the server. However, if you have a significant number of locally-stored messages that you want to move to another mail program or computer, do you need to read on.
If you have many local messages and directories that you do need to save and move (as can be the case for POP users) then you should follow the instructions below.
Outlook Express 6: With OE open, choose File->Export->Messages. You may only be able to Export from OE into Outlook/Exchange, so do that if that is helpful. If you do go into Outlook, you would then have more choices for getting the messages out into a format that can be moved elsewhere. However, if that won't be useful, do the reverse and pull OE messages into a more flexible application (using methods described in the Automatic section at the top of this documentation).
Outlook XP: With Outlook open, choose File->Import and Export->Export to a file->Next. You will have a long list of formats to choose from, which includes .pst, Tab Separated (Windows), or Comma Separated (Windows) formats. Feel free to make a few different formats and save them to the Desktop so you will be able to find them easily. If you are going to Outlook or Eudora on a different computer, choose to save your messages in the .pst format. You will be asked to indicate which folder you want to export from, and should be sure to indicate that you want to Include subfolders. Save the resulting file to the Desktop so you will know where it is. Also, note that it's okay to "allow duplicate folders," so you can be sure not to miss anything.
Thunderbird: There is no option within the mail program itself for exporting locally-stored mail folders. Instead you should move the "Mail" folder located at C:\Documents and Settings\[username]\Application Data\Thunderbird\Profiles to the comparable location on your new computer.
Eudora: You should find Eudora's local mail folders stored within the /Qualcomm/Eudora folder. The path to those files could look something like this: C:\Documents and Settings\yourprofile\Application Data\Qualcomm\Eudora. What you can do to move them (after setting up Eudora on the new computer) is just copy and transfer them to the comparable place on the new computer. Once you launch Eudora, you should then be able to see them. If you no longer wish to use Eudora and want to go to something else, you should be able to then set up the new mail program and import Eudora mail automatically (as described at the beginning of this handout).
Search the Web for Conversion Utilities:
The Office of Information Technology doesn't have any specific utilities to recommend, but there are lots of them out there and many of them are free. If you find that you can't make your conversion work using any of the previously-mentioned suggestions, you should go out onto the Web and search. Usually the word "convert" combined with the name of the mail program will turn up some good links. Examples of sites that you'll find helpful are www.interguru.com and eMailman and products like Emailchemy or Transend Migrator or Address Book Exporter (OS X) as described at www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/14667 and elsewhere.
Saving Folders Stored on a BU server:
If you are leaving BU or have some other reason for downloading folders stored on a BU server, you have two options for getting them.
Option 1 is really just to be using IMAP with a desktop mail program. Once you are using IMAP, then you are already able to see your mail folders stored on the server and, if you need to download them to your "Local Mail" or move them to a mail account on another ISP, you can do that simply by dragging the folder and/or its contents (within your mail program's interface) to its new location. If you need help setting up a mail program to use IMAP, please consult our related page. If you think you have a folder on the BU server but you can't see it within your mail program, make sure you have "subscribed" to that folder, and that you have refreshed the folder list. Both of these options should be menu commands within your mail program, but help on this topic is also available elsewhere on our Web site.
Option 2 is mentioned only as an option for people who need to download a mail directory to a local computer for some other reason. What you would do in this situation is login to Horde at www.bu.edu/webmail and use Horde's "Folders" interface to save and download your folder to your local computer.
Accessing AOL mail from a desktop mail program
If your AOL messages are stored on the AOL server (which they should be by default) you can download them into a desktop mail program (such as Mozilla Thunderbird) and work with them there. Once your AOL messages are stored within a program like Thunderbird, you can drag them into folders within your ACS account (to move them to ACS) or to local folders (to store them locally). Just be careful not to drag so many messages up to ACS that you exceed your quota.
To use AOL mail via a desktop mail program you should create a new "Account" in your desktop mail program and use the following settings: protocol is IMAP - IMAP server is imap.aol.com - username is your AOL screen name - SMTP server should still be acs-smtp.bu.edu unless AOL is your ISP, in which case you might need to use smtp.aol.com. Provide your AOL password when prompted.
The Big Netscape 7 Section
Netscape 7.x: In Netscape 7 there are multiple things that you might need to export and move. For this reason, rather than doing each of them separately, it's best to move your entire profile (or profiles), rather than the individual parts. Using the upcoming method, your Bookmarks, addressbook, server settings, mail accounts, Local Mail folders, etc. will all transfer, and there will be nothing else that you need to configure or do. So let's assume, as an example, that you are going to move your entire "default" profile from an old computer and put it on the Desktop of your new computer. (If you have more than one profile, after doing "default" you would want to repeat steps 2-7 for each of them.)
Step 1: If you have not already done so, download and install Netscape just as you did on your old computer. If you use more than one profile, set up each of them in the Profile Manager, preferably with the same name(s) that you had on the old computer. Just for good measure, go ahead and launch Netscape 7 once under each profile, just to make sure it's working. It's probably best at this point not to do anything else until you bring in your old data, just in case important changes (new Bookmarks, new Local Mail, etc.) get replaced. In fact, you DO NOT need to set up your BU mail settings, since those settings will get transferred in too.
Step 2: Quit/Exit entirely out of Netscape.
Step 3: Find the .slt folder for the "default" Netscape profile on your new computer. The path toward finding it should look something like this C:\Documents and Settings\username\Application Data\Mozilla\Profiles\default. (If you cannot see all of the files within the Documents and Settings directory, go to Tools->Folder Options->View and indicate that you want to Show Hidden Files and Folders.) Note that In Mac OS X the path to these files is Macintosh HD->Documents->Mozilla->Profiles. ALSO NOTE: If you have more than one Documents and Settings username folder, make sure that you follow the upcoming instructions using the one that you were logged into when you installed Netscape. If the upcoming instructions don't work, you should revisit this alert as a possible source of the problem and contact the PCSC for more help.
Step 4: Find the .slt folder in the "default" Netscape profile (from your old computer) that's now sitting on your Desktop. It might not have the same name, and that's okay. Just in case it doesn't have the same name, we'll have you only copy its contents, and not the folder itself.
Step 5: So open that old .slt folder and do Edit-Select All and Edit-Copy.
Step 6: Next, open the new .slt folder and choose Edit-Paste. Replace All if prompted (which you should be).
Step 7: Cross your fingers, launch Netscape and, hopefully, everything will display just as it did on your old computer! If it does, you can go ahead and delete the old default folder from your Desktop.
If you have any problems, we'd suggest consulting our own source information at http://ilias.ca/netscape/profilefaq/#transferring or http://help.netscape.com/netscape7/moving_profiles.html.
