Transfer email message rules from Outlook Express to Windows Mail

If you had Windows XP and was using Outlook Express, it was a simple step to backup your email message rules by exporting a registry setting and restoring it to the new computer. However now there is Windows Vista and the message rules are stored in a different area in the Windows registry. Not only has the name changed from Outlook Express to Windows Mail, but there is no identity number used in Windows Vista as there was in Windows XP

How to Backup your email message rules in Outlook Express

To see how to backup email message rules you will need to read How to save your email message rules in Outlook Express. This article will show you how to get the file that we want to edit to restore into Windows Mail.

We only want to export the rules from the registry, then edit that file and restore it to the new Windows Vista’s Windows Mail.

This is what entries look like in Outlook express.. the message rules are stored in a different area.

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER{B82158E1-7B8C-45D7-926C-209985B61643}SoftwareMicrosoftOutlook Express5.0RulesMail00]
“Name”=”Funny Stuff #1″
“Enabled”=dword:00000001
“Version”=dword:00000003

This is what it should look like for Windows Mail message rules!!!!!!!!!

[HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareMicrosoftWindows MailRulesMail00]
“Name”=”Funny Stuff #1″
“Enabled”=dword:00000001
“Version”=dword:00000003
This is how to edit the Outlook Express registry file to make it compatible with Windows Mail.

Copy the registry file to the desktop of the computer you want to restore it to.
Right click on the file, a menu will appear
Choose Edit. This file should open with Notepad. If it doesn’t choose open with from the menu, and open it in notepad.
In Notepad on the Edit menu, click Replace.
We want to find {B82158E1-7B8C-45D7-926C-209985B61643}SoftwareMicrosoftOutlook Express5.0
And replace it with SoftwareMicrosoftWindows Mail
Press to replace all so it finds all and replaces all.
Save the notepad file
Now you can double click on the file on the desktop and all the settings will go to Windows Vista registry.

Of course your message rules will not work unless you have the same folders and contacts that you had on the other computer. Here’s how to find them.

To backup your folders from Outlook

Go to the tools menu
Choose Options
Go to the advanced tab
Press on maintenance
Then press on store folder
This will show you where the folders are stored.
Copy that address by making it blue.
Open my computer and paste the address in the top bar, or the search bar for Vista.
Copy all the folders in there and paste them to your new computer.

Also see Backup your email local folders in Outlook Express

Here’s how to Backup the Address Book

How to save your email message rules in Outlook Express

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After you have imported these message rules you should go through and check them and see if all links are still there…. For example I have a rule that will auto respond to an email. But if you are on a different computer the email to send back will not be in its right place.