backup the email

[unvi$ible]

Hi all,
What would be the easiest way to copy all my emails to the cd or dvd disk or anywhere as a backup.
Is just private emails account not too big, not a company ones.(probably few hundreds emails).
Thanks
Running XP PRO
using outlook express.
Thanks

[CybertecOne]

Hmmm, im not quite sure but try the following:

1) Export from Outlook Express into *.msg files and each file will be an email message
2) Install MS Outlook and import from outlook express - From there you can export to PST or txt files or many other options.

You kinda limited your choices on this one simply by using outlook express


CTO

[unvi$ible]

i have ms outlook installed too so will try your suggestion.will keep informed.
thanks

[gore]

I haven't used Outlook Express in a long while, but anyway, I know they don't really do anything with it anymore because Vista comes with "Windows Mail" now or something like that, and so I don't think the features are going to be exactly the same since they no longer care about it, but in most email clients you CAN do something like this:

Right click on the email message you'd like to save, and look for "Save As" somewhere. Or, you could try just using the old way of the top menu bar where there is a save option.

Either one should allow you to save all your mail. There is another way but navigating through 2,000 dialogues to try and find where the hell Outlook keeps the folders your mail is in is more than a pain in the ass, so if you just wanted those few for your personal stuff, I'd use that.

Here is what I do because I have a lot of accounts, which is because I have one or two I use for private / family / friends, and then a few for mailing lists and so on:

I save the messages and create folders if need be (in FreeBSD and Linux this is done for you) and just back those up to my server, and synch it once in a while.

I also sometimes do this if it's very important:

Save each message twice; once on your machine, once on another, and then forward each one to a gmail account or whatever else, and store them on their servers.

Either one makes a good back up service

Also don't forget FreeBSD and Linux have a tool that let's you use a Gmail account as a storage device

I can't remember the name of the tool, but it basically mounts your Gmail account as a hard disk so you can copy files to it. Great idea with how you can sign up for free and get a couple gigs to back up to

[KorpDeath]

Sorry slightly off-topic. How about http://www.viksoe.dk/code/gmail.htm

[unvi$ible]

thanks,
yes the purpose of copy my emails was to create back up on a few different places.well do i know about importance of the back up?my 6 months old disk died without any warning signs.
Since then back up is the word.
Thanks for your help

[gore]

I think we've all had a lesson in back ups at one point in time or another. I've personally had quite a few. Back before I started college and was in full party mode, I got drunk one night, (a full bottle of Southern Comfort by yourself in 3 hours does that apparently ) and wanted to do a tri-boot installation:

Windows 98 SE on partition 1, Linux on 2, and FreeBSD on 3.... I looked at my back ups, and thought "These are old, I'll just delete ALL of them, and MAKE A BACK UP AFTER I INSTALL FREEBSD....."...... No, I don't even know what was going through my head... Probably something like "Ohhhh pretty colors" but still... I deleted ALL my back ups, thinking "I'll make new ones once this install where I could accidentally wipe the disk is done" and.... Windows wouldn't boot anymore.... Yea, two years of stuff gone. This was the second time I'd lost something because of not backing up.

Now, I have my very first machine I ever buoght with a 43 GB HD (Yes, 43) and a 120 GB HD, running Slackware 12, and an FTP server. I make back ups to it every time I have something new to back up, and another machine my Mom was going to toss out running FreeBSD 7.1 and, yes, an FTP service, with an 80 GB HD with secondary back ups of the important stuff, and... A test FreeBSD 7.1 machine running ANOTHER FTP server, with a third back up of the other important stuff, AND an external USB HD, 80 GBs, with all the very important stuff backed up on that too. So that's..... 4 back ups of the important stuff, and of course I have multiple partitions on each machine, with back ups there. I EVEN HAVE A ZIP DRIVE! I have about 10 ZIP disks that oddly enough still work great, all with back ups, CDs with back ups, and a few floppies of the super important yet small things.

So I've got quite a few back ups in multiple locations, + I've got online stuff just in case.

[Cheap Scotch Ron]

I agree with gore (... except for guzzlin' the so co. that stuff 'll kill ya man. bourbonics for a clear mind ... ) Having multiple backup copies is wise. However, be sure to put some of them in different physical places to mitigate the risk of a fire or theft. e.g. one at home, one at work.