Backup and restore outlook express emails, and email address book

This information is online so I have access to it when I'm away from home and doing a clean install of the Windows 98 operating system on a computer and need to backup and restore the outlook express emails and email address book.

Windows 98 Operating System Clean Install and Startup Tweaks

To backup my outlook express emails I open windows explorer and go to the outlook express folder. This is how I get there:

click the windows folder

click the application data folder

click the identities folder

click the {8401EB40-421E-11D8-B719-B20CECC7EA17} folder - (different for every computer)

click the microsoft folder

click the outlook express folder

I save all .dbx files in the outlook express folder to cd.

To backup my outlook express address book I open windows explorer and go to the address book folder. This is how I get there:

click the windows folder

click the application data folder

click the microsoft folder

click the address book folder

I save all .wab files in the address book folder to cd.

To restore my outlook express emails after I have completed a clean install of windows I open windows explorer and make a temporary folder. I copy the backup emails to the temporary folder. Then I remove the read-only file attributes:

right click on file

click properties

uncheck the read-only box

click the apply button

Next I rename the files so they don't have the same name as any of the files in the outlook express folder. (I don't change the .dbx file extention.) Then I copy the files to the outlook express folder. When I open outlook express I should see my backup files in the local folders list.

If I don't see the files I need to remove the backup files back to the temporary folder. Then I open outlook express. I create new local folders with the same name as the backup files. (minus the .dbx file extention) Then I close outlook express. I open and close outlook express one more time. Reboot the computer and open and close outlook express one more time. Reboot the computer. Open windows explorer. Copy the backup files from the temporary folder to the outlook express folder. It will ask if I want to replace the existing file. Click yes. Open outlook express. I should be able to access my backup files in the local folders now.

To restore my address book I need to copy the default.wab backup file to a tempory folder. Then I remove the read-only file attribute. Next I open windows explorer and copy the file into the address book folder. Reboot the computer. When I open outlook express I should be able to access the address book.