Simple Method to Backup Outlook Express Data to Computer

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  • Published on
    March 22nd, 2014
  • Updated on
    July 23, 2022
  • Read Time
    6 minutes
Summary:-Backing up data (emails, contacts, calendars, messages, address books, etc.) in MS Outlook Express is not an easy task; it’s a lengthy process for users who are from a non-technical background, but in this blog, we will explain how to backup Outlook Express data. MS Outlook Express emails and data are stored in “.dbx” files, and for each folder, in MS Outlook Express, a “.dbx” file is assigned. This way, it is not enough to back up a specific file simultaneously, so go through the steps below to complete a backup of MS Outlook Express data.

What is Outlook Express and How it is Used?

Microsoft Outlook Express is a Free email managing solution that allows users to access email messages, newsgroups or other mailbox items. It comes with Microsoft Internet Explorer 6 for Windows operating systems, and you can quickly download your email messages from the UH mail server onto your computer’s local hard drive. Furthermore, it offers a specific Identity for Email Folders, Account Settings, Signatures, and Message Rules. (if used), Blocked Senders. (if any), Stationary and Address Book.

MS Outlook express keeps all data in folders, and users can see all folders by clicking on the View menu. However, we will back up these folders, ensuring we have a copy of all our data (emails). On the left side of MS Outlook Express, users should see something like this:

Where is Outlook Express Data Stored?

Folders in the above image are stored in some specific location on a hard disk, and the location can differ from user to user, but we can find where the data (emails) folders are stored. So do the following:

  1. Open Outlook Express and click on the Tools.
  2. Select Options from the drop-down menu.
  3. On the options dialogue box, click Maintenance.
  4. Then locate the Store Folder button.
  5. Now, click the Store Folder button, and another box will appear.
  6. It is the location on the hard disk of your emails and data folders. We need to copy this location.
  7. Using the right mouse button, click where it says C:\Documents and Settings\user.
  8. You’ll get a menu popping up.
  9. Click Select All with your Left mouse button.
  10. When you click Select All, the location turns blue.
  11. Right-click on the Blue highlighted area and select Copy from the menu.
  12. Click on the Copy option to copy this location to the Windows Clipboard. Then it will be available for other programs.
  13. Now that we’ve copied the location to the Clipboard, we can come out of MS Outlook Express. So,
  14. Click Cancel on the Store Location dialogue box.
  15. When you get back to the Maintenance tab of the Options box, click the Cancel.
  16. Then close the MS Outlook Express altogether.

Also Read: What are the Causes of Outlook Express Corruption?

How to Backup Outlook Express Data?

In the above section, we copied the location where MS Outlook Express stores all data (emails) folders. In this lesson, copy those folders, backup Outlook Express Data, and then paste them to the backup folder you created. Here are the steps to backup Outlook Express Data to the computer:

Steps to Locate the MS Outlook Express Store Folder

Now we have to open that location we just copied, and to do this, we use the run utility. Please follow:

  • Click the Start menu (probably in the bottom left of your screen)
  • Then select the Run option.
  • Just after you click Start >> Run, you’ll see another box appear. If your Run dialogue box has anything in the Open text box area, click inside of it and then delete everything which is there. Then you should have a blank text box. To copy the MS Outlook Express Store Location, do the following:
  1. Right-click inside of the Open text box.
  2. Select Paste from the menu.
  3. The contents of the Clipboard (our Store Location) will get pasted to the Open text box.
  4. Click OK on the Run box.
  • If you have done everything successfully, you should see a new window appear. It will show all the items in the Outlook Express’s Store location, and a window should appear.
  • MS Outlook Express folders end with the three letters DBX. It tells you that it is an email folder. All of your emails and data are stored in these folders. You now need to copy these folders and paste them to that folder you created at the start of the lesson.
  1. So, click the “Edit” menu at the top of the screen.
  2. From the Edit menu, click “Select All”.
  3. Click the “Edit” menu again.
  4. This time, click “Copy”.

When you click Copy, your MS Outlook Express emails and data folders will be copied to the Windows Clipboard, ready to be posted elsewhere.

Steps to Save Your Copied Outlook Express Folders

  1. To save your copied MS Outlook Express folders, you need to locate the folder you created earlier. Here, we’ve navigated to the backup Outlook Express Data. It was created on the hard drive called F (this is a second hard disk. So if the first one goes down, we’ll still have all of our MS Outlook Express email folders on a different drive.)
  2. Double click your new folder to open it and from the menu bar, click Edit >> Paste. Finally, all your MS Outlook Express emails and data folders will get pasted to your new folder. You can store them on CD for safekeeping or save them to another hard disk.

What If Your Outlook Express Data File gets Inaccessible?

Suppose you are performing the steps to backup Outlook Express data into the computer, and during the ongoing process, you won’t be able to access your DBX file. It may be possible that your Outlook Express data file gets corrupted. So, in that case, you can use the Sysinfo DBX Recovery Software, which allows users to recover data from corrupt or damaged DBX files.

The software allows users to restore corrupt DBX files into EML, PST, MSG and RTF format. So, whatever the reason for DBX file corruption, the software is the only tool that works as a perfect remedy for all corruption issues.

Conclusion

In this blog, we have explained how to backup Outlook Express data successfully. Follow the above steps carefully to get a backup of MS Outlook Express emails and data. Technical users can easily understand every term and step, but non-tech users must pay extra attention. I hope my article has helped you to create a backup of DBX files.

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