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Migrate Outlook to a New Computer

In January, you told us how to transfer Outlook Express settings ("Move Outlook Express Settings to a New PC"), but what about Microsoft Outlook settings?

James Hoffer, Smithsburg, Maryland

Migrating Outlook is easier than migrating Outlook Express. You need to export only accounts, rules, and folders. Accounts identify you on the Internet, and rules determine how you filter incoming e-mail, among other vital functions. Important Outlook data--such as your address book, your saved e-mail messages, and any calendar appointments--are in folders.

To migrate accounts, open Outlook on the old PC, select Tools, Accounts, choose your mail account, and then click Export. Save the file to a shared folder or to a removable medium, and then click Close.

To export your rules, select Tools, Rules Wizard, click the Options button, then Export Rules. Again, save this file to a shared folder or removable medium.

To export folders, select File, Import and Export on the old machine, and on the first page of the Import and Export Wizard, select Export to a file (see FIGURE 2). On the next page, select Personal Folder File (.pst). On the page after that, select Personal Folders, check Include subfolders, and click Next. Save the file to a shared folder or a removable medium as well.

When you move these three files to the new computer, repeat the above steps in Outlook on that machine, choosing to import rather than to export. If you get the Startup Wizard when you start Outlook on the new PC, click Cancel, then Yes.

The obvious way to import your accounts is to select Tools, Accounts, click the Import button, and import the file from the old computer. If you're using Office 2000, this will work. Unfortunately, you can't directly import an account in Office XP's Outlook 2002. To do so indirectly, launch Outlook Express and select Tools, Accounts. Click the Import button and import the account file that you copied from the old computer to your shared folder or removable medium. Click Close, then close Outlook Express. Back in Outlook, select File, Import and Export; then choose Import Internet Mail Account Settings and follow the prompts.

To import your rules, select Tools, Rules Wizard, click the Options button, then the Import Rules button. Now simply import the file from the old computer.

Importing folders works as it should in both Outlook versions. Select File, Import and Export. Choose Import from another program or file, then Next. Click Personal Folder File (.pst) and Next again. Import the folders file you copied from the old computer to a shared folder or a removable medium. If some of your old folders don't appear on the Outlook Bar, select View, Folder List and drag them to it.