Outlook Express e-mail messages -- How to archive them, or transfer them to another computer:

1. Click the Tools menu, Options.
   
   
2. On the following screen, click the Maintenance tab, and then click the Store Folder button. (Outlook Express will show you where it's keeping your e-mail databases "personal message store".)
   
   
3. Create a new folder called "outlook express" in the "My Documents" folder.

If you don't have this option, Outlook Express usually keeps your e-mail database(s) in the following location:

C:\Windows\Application data\Microsoft\Outlook Express

If you have your computer set-up for multiple users, your Outlook Express mail is probably in:

C:\Windows\Application data\Identities\ID NUMBER\Microsoft\Outlook Express -- where "ID NUMBER" will be an alphanumeric code.

Notes:

If for some reason you do not see the Outlook Express folder in the above location, right-click the Start button, select Find (or Search), and enter *.dbx in the name field (make sure you select your C drive from the "look in" drop down box). Windows will display all files ending with the .dbx extension in the folder in which you are searching.

Note that on some older versions of Outlook Express, these may have been .mbx files, so if you cannot find *.dbx files, try *.mbx.

Here's a screen shot of a Win XP filename search:

All of your Outlook Express files may not fit onto a single diskette. You may prefer to use a CD-R or a Zip disk to store them.

To later restore the e-mail files, just copy them to the Outlook Express folder where they were found. See the instructions above for how to find it.

If for some reason your messages do not transfer despite being in the folders, delete your Local Folders folder (on the new or 'target' computer) and re-start Outlook Express.