Best replacement for Outlook Express in Win 7 (64bit)?

[skarydrunkguy]

Windows Live Mail absolutely blows. I don't want or need to spend $200+ for full Outlook. I hear Thunderbird is a pita and Eudora doesn't like Win7 64bit.

What is everyone using for email now?!

Anyone have success adding an old version of Outlook Express from XP to 7? Googling takes me to all worthless sites talking about beta releases from 6+ months ago (ps... wtf google?!?)

 

[Zoron]

You can try importing to Windows Live Mail and see if Thunderbird will import from that better than OE.

 

[Bunzi]

Thanks so much! As it turned out, I uninstalled Tbird then reinstalled it (latest version), and the directory hierarchy was properly imported. Gremlins at work ...

Now my next problem is, I can't get Tbird to communicate with the server my various email addresses are on. OE always gave a reason why it was having difficulties; with Tbird, nothing happens. NADA, zilch, zippo, etc. ... Also, I haven't been able to figure out how to change my default address (the import put the wrong address in as default). OE allowed such changes far more easily. What am I missing? Thanks!

 

[zannia]

Wow, I've been trying all types of e-mail programs. Most had way more than I needed and or didn't have the specific features I wanted with out having to search for any add-ons. Finally, I tried Incredmail as a last resort. Volia! I turned all the cutesy stuff off and the program does exactly what I want. It imported my connection settings like a charm with a wizard, it backed up all my Outlook express mail from my old computer and imported it to the new computer without a hitch, all four of my e-mail identies. I can have seperate identies, password protect each before access without having to set a new desktop for each. I was satisfied so I bought the paid version as #1 - it wasn't expensive #2 - with the paid verision you don't have the Incrediamail banner at the bottom of your e-mails. Without all the cutesy stuff and with the paid version, it works for me.

 

[Zoron]

There is one thing I absolutely hate about Incedimail... it's proprietary file format. You can't export to anything other than Incredimail without using 3rd party software. I don't know about the paid version, but I know this is true with the free version. It's nice that it does what you need it to do; but it's definately not without it's price.

 

[Augwong]

Windows Live Mail absolutely blows. I don't want or need to spend $200+ for full Outlook. I hear Thunderbird is a pita and Eudora doesn't like Win7 64bit.

What is everyone using for email now?!

Anyone have success adding an old version of Outlook Express from XP to 7? Googling takes me to all worthless sites talking about beta releases from 6+ months ago (ps... wtf google?!?)

Can anybody help to solve my question? I have export my outlook .pst file, but thunderbird does not recognise it. Is there any tools or any software which could convert or to run .pst file as similar like outlook. Thanks.

 

[Zoron]

Windows Live Mail should be able to import .PST files from Outlook. I haven't personally tried it yet, but if I recall correctly, it should work.

 

[zannia]

There is one thing I absolutely hate about Incedimail... it's proprietary file format. You can't export to anything other than Incredimail without using 3rd party software. I don't know about the paid version, but I know this is true with the free version. It's nice that it does what you need it to do; but it's definately not without it's price.

No, it's not perfect and the export is the same with the paid version, but it's the simplestest I've found so far to do the simple e-mailing I do. I don't need calendar's, and all the other stuff. And I want to have seperate identies that I can open seperatly with each one being password protected (to even get into the program) without having to set-up a new desktop for each e-mail to keep it private.
I'd be willing to try something else, but I tried at least a half dozen of them and just decided on Incredimail, in part because it basically does what I want simply and I got tired of trying programs that didn't do what I wanted and were stated to be simple and weren't. I'm computer literate enough to deal with them, I just don't want have to.
Just a simple, straighforward client that lets me have seperate identies that I can password protect each one seperately.

 

[Keith Wellington]

1. I copied the entire "store folder" from OE on an XP sytem to a new system using Windows 7

2. Opened Thunderbird, used its Import and got the entire set of OE folders which Thunderbird had placed under "OE Import". Dragged each folder to under my main email account.

Thunderbird is OK, but OE was far superior in respect of simplicity and ease of use. Why do I need to see the content of the Junk folder at Gmail whilst using Thunderbird ? Does not make any logical sense.

Windows Mail (not Windows Live Mail) can be installed on Windows 7 machines. It is very similar to OE except that it only remembers the last 28 email addressed you used.

Windows Live Mail.
Just what were the M$ programmers on when they dreamed up that useless software?

Keith Wellington

 

[Zoron]

What's wrong with it? I've had no issues using it. It's no worse than WM or OE.

 

[Keith Wellington]

What's wrong with it? I've had no issues using it. It's no worse than WM or OE.

Perhaps am missing something with how to set up Windows Live Mail

1. I have with OE only one set of folders, not a set for each email account. I want just the one Inbox and use message rules to place inward mail in folders I create that I want it to be in. I have multiple accounts on my single PC to serve business, person, forums, and a friend who can no longer operate a PC for himself do to illness.

The above is simple, fast, efficient on OE.

2. Windows Live Mail appears not to have message rules and allow multiple additional folders.

3. Messages are displayed in OE as a single line headers with date, subject, time, date, who from. In Windows Live Mail I get a few messages only per screen page with part of the message body displayed as well. This is great for those who get a handfull of messages per day, but I may get from genealogy forums upwards of 150 per day. Many forum message are immediately deleted after I see the subject is of no interest.

4. Windows Live Mail would not import all saved messages from OE. 90% of them were missing.

To me Windows Live Mail is not designed to suit the application OE did (and does) so well since the 1990s.

Having started with DOS and its logical simplicity over designed Windows programs that eat up hard drive space do nothing for me.

I feel that Thunderbird is trying to go down the same track as M$ in giving people what they think they need, rather than what most want. Most want simplicity, do not need synchronization between multiple PCs.

I don't want to see what is sitting in my Gmail accounts, especially junk mail, whilst using Thunderbird but do. I get Gmail to forward my email to my PC directly and then delete the original copy off the Gmail server automatically. Simple, fast, efficient.

Keith Wellington

 

[Zoron]

Windows Live Mail does have rules and the ability to create multiple folders within the same account.

You can customize your view in WLM to display the reading pane or not... you can also put it on the bottom or on the side (default) and resize the pane to your liking.

I had no issues importing mail from OE to WLM. It imported everything (including custom folders). The only annoyance was the fact that it would put it into a separate folder called "Imported Items" rather than just the Inbox of your main account. I moved everything over manually, though, and that solved that issue.

WLM is different to be sure, but it still has most of the features of OE. About the only thing I can think of that it can't do is multiple identities.

 

[caseym54]

The problem with Thunderbird is the reverse -- if you decide you don't like Thunderbird (at least TB2) and want to go to something like Outlook 2007, there is very little you can do to import the TB mail. The best method I found involved using bogus Googlemail IMAP folders and moving mail into them from TB and out via Outlook. TB2 kept crashing, though, so it was a real pita.

Back to the original poster's real question: ls there a LIGHT mail client like Outlook Express that just reads a bunch of mailboxes and dumps stuff in folders with minimal "features" getting in the way? Both TB and Live Mail seem to be hierarchical based on accounts. Almost like MS tried to copy Thunderbird.

 

[Keith Wellington]

OE allows one to have several accounts and put the messages in the same set of folders. This is what many user want but Windows Live Mail doesn't allow, such as you comment.

I see that Thunderbird is trying to imitate WLM with a separate set of folders for each email account one has.

Perhaps the authors of both or either might consider giving the user the option of the OE format of a single set of folders for all email accounts.

Windows Live Mail does have rules and the ability to create multiple folders within the same account.

You can customize your view in WLM to display the reading pane or not... you can also put it on the bottom or on the side (default) and resize the pane to your liking.

I had no issues importing mail from OE to WLM. It imported everything (including custom folders). The only annoyance was the fact that it would put it into a separate folder called "Imported Items" rather than just the Inbox of your main account. I moved everything over manually, though, and that solved that issue.

WLM is different to be sure, but it still has most of the features of OE. About the only thing I can think of that it can't do is multiple identities.

 

[Guest]

No tweaking required for Thunderbird either. Unless you want to and then you have the option for it. Plus add ons just like FF does (though they've been pretty limited until Thunderbird 3).

Why do you assume Thunderbird requires any more tech knowledge than Outlook?

Thunderbird is very clumsey, having to pull down the address book for each outbound and dragging the choices to the send line -- Also you can't use Snippy to paste a graphic to the outbound or reply document -- The attachments are in an obscure box at the screen bottom or upper right, depending who sent it -- I don't think it so hot -- I wish there was a better alternative --
Wally Bishop --

 

[Guest]

im tottaly agree I have exactlu same troubles, EMAIL CODE / SIGNS and add another in outlook you can easily move folders from one computer to another and backup or duplicate them, in other programs all email is a big bag unmovable
i use XP to maintain email because is my work, for fun use a win7 computer

 

[Saga Lout]

Doesn't this take some of the fun out of being anonymous, Walt? [/#000ff]

 

[Zoron]

im tottaly agree I have exactlu same troubles, EMAIL CODE / SIGNS and add another in outlook you can easily move folders from one computer to another and backup or duplicate them, in other programs all email is a big bag unmovable
i use XP to maintain email because is my work, for fun use a win7 computer

That is patently false. Just because the files aren't where you're use to finding them, doesn't mean the mail is "unmovable". I've had to back up and restore my mail under Windows Live Mail because my ISP switched over to WL for email and I had to delete and recreate my account on my desktop. It's much easier to do if you use the Export function rather than relying on just copying the files.

 

[RetiredChief]

This is an old thread, only posing to it for someone reading and is a die-in-the-wool Outlook/vista windows mail user.

(1) Outlook (just more features than OE) runs fin in windows 7 32/64 bit. So if you have OFFICE 2007 you can use it (Have it on my win 7 64 Bit machine).

(2) You can port vista windows mail program over to Windows 7. Did that for my wife's computer last week. For this you need access to vista. Takes about 30 min.
Basiclly, on win 7 rename ...Program files\windows mail to "win7 windows mail. On vista machine you need to "Take owneship" of all the files in windows mail. Copy the windows mail folder to a cd/thumb drive and copy to windows 7 program files.
(Google "using vista windows mail in Windows 7"

 

[Saga Lout]

OK, I'm going nuts. I have my Outlook Express emails in their original folder from my old XP computer on an external storage device, and I installed Thunderbird (don't know which version, but I don't think it was the beta) on the old XP computer and imported my OE emails into it, so I have them in a .default folder on the external device as well. I'm trying to set up Thunderbird (I'm open to which version) on my new Windows 7 64-bit system, and am having difficulty.

I thought I could simply move the .default file to the appropriate directory once I installed Thunderbird, but the installation didn't produce the same directory hierarchy on Windows 7 as it did on XP!

Then I tried importing the OE files into Thunderbird, and it messed up email the folder arrangement previously established in OE. What's the best way for me to get my emails up and running on my new system??? Thanks!

Did you copy those .dbx files over to the external as opposed to exporting from OE to the drive?

 

[Guest]

What's wrong with it? I've had no issues using it. It's no worse than WM or OE.

I have Windows 7 on a new HP laptop (G71-34OUS referred to as a notebook) with Windows Live Mail. WLM is different with a learning curve and I expect that but I have three email accounts xx 2, xx3 and xx5. WLM wants to use only one return address for all of the accounts. Bad...Also, I want a different signature with each account. I put a signature in one account, applied it and saved it. When I started a new email, it wasn't there. I have many groups to use with similar but different names so when I send mail and add a group, I like to check and see if the correct names are there. Some groups have a, bb, c, dd, etc. another will have a, bb, dd but not c. The only way the check is to put the group in the "TO" block first. OE6 allows a peek "before" putting it in the "TO" block. These are the objections I have so far but I expect more to come. OE6 is far better for me. Any suggestions.
KD5BNG

 

[Zoron]

WLM is by no means the only free email client available... give Thunderbird a try... maybe it has the features you are looking for. WLM doesn't have identities like OE, which is probably what you're missing. WLM uses individual Windows user accounts instead of identities.

 

[fstrick604]

If you've got Thunderbird installed on the same system as Outlook Express, you should be able to import using the instructions on this page: http://support.real-time.com/tbird/oe_import.html

In my case, I installed Thunderbird on my Win7 system, so I needed a different way to get the files from Outlook Express on my old XP system. I referred to this page: http://kb.mozillazine.org/Import_from_Outlook_Express, and used DbxConv and the ImportExportTools extension.

If you want to move stuff from Thunderbird on one system to Thunderbird on another system, MozBackup is probably the easiest way: http://mozbackup.jasnapaka.com/

I wanted to transfer my OE address book to thunderbird. One of the above links was very helpful. But only the main identities contacts were transfered. I have 1000 student contacts in a subfolder. That and other sub folders didn't transfer. I figured no problem, I backed up the main identity contacts and moved the 1000 student contacts into the main identity folder. Then tried to transfer that to thunderbird. Didn't work. Just had two copies of the original main identities contacts in thunderbird. What's up with that?

 

[Saga Lout]

I wanted to transfer my OE address book to thunderbird. One of the above links was very helpful. But only the main identities contacts were transfered. I have 1000 student contacts in a subfolder. That and other sub folders didn't transfer. I figured no problem, I backed up the main identity contacts and moved the 1000 student contacts into the main identity folder. Then tried to transfer that to thunderbird. Didn't work. Just had two copies of the original main identities contacts in thunderbird. What's up with that?

You might find it best to export the Address Book in comma separated values form to an Excel spreadsheet and then import that into T'bird.[/#000ff]

 

[Guest]

oh heavens this is depressing - I to am looking for a decent solution to OE. I have spent 2 frustrating days trying to work out how to bring into Outlook 2003, which I have the licence for, the old archives emails address book from OE on the old XP notebook that has died, in O2003.

I want the setup I had with OE - different IDs with some having more that 2 emails accounts popped into them. I hate Windows 7 - loved XP and if the damn notebook hadn't lost it screen capability would still be happy.

-Trying to set up the pop accounts is a nightmare,
-trying to get separate IDs for the groups of accounts another nightmare
-trying to import not sure of which OE files I need (also saved to an external drive as one other poster has done),
-and then reading all these posts extending the nightmare

All I can see so far is no happy solution for something that worked well and no simple way of recreating a good system using the available alternatives. I have tried to set up WLM and I hate it - big time.

Hands up everyone that hates microsoft as much as I do at this point! I will be hanging out for any post with simple instructions as so far from all the googling this thread is the most sensible I have read, even though that has given me a headache but that could be result of all the searches!!

 

[Zoron]

It's funny how I used to see nothing about complaints about OE (mostly security related) and now that it's gone... everyone wants it.

You cannot create multiple identities with WLM... if you want to sign in to a different "identity", you create multiple Windows user accounts and assign a different email to each.

Importing files went smoothly for me... I haven't run into any issues related to importing or exporting with WLM. You need any file with the .dbx extension for OE.

I haven't tried alternatives, because WLM does what I want / need. Of course, I realize that doesn't necessarily mean everyone will agree. One previous poster said Incredimail does all he wants... but the downsides are that it isn't free and it has a proprietary file format that forces you to use it forever. In the end, you'll have to decide if it's worth it for you.