This browser is no longer supported.
Upgrade to Microsoft Edge to take advantage of the latest features, security updates, and technical support.
![](data:image/svg+xml, %3Csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' height='64' class='font-weight-bold' style='font: 600 30.11764705882353px "SegoeUI", Arial' width='64'%3E%3Ccircle fill='hsl(128, 8%, 22%)' cx='32' cy='32' r='32' /%3E%3Ctext x='50%25' y='55%25' dominant-baseline='middle' text-anchor='middle' fill='%23FFF' %3EA%3C/text%3E%3C/svg%3E)
I am trying to import my email on a computer with Outlook into my new notebook with Vista Mail. When I select Import/Outlook I get the following error message:
"Messages cannot be imported from the MAPI client. MAPI is not installed on this computer or an error occured while initializing it."
How do I find out if MAPI (whatever that is) is installed on my new HP Pavillion notebook? If it isn't installed where do I get it?
Thanks!!
Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.
Bart,
Outlook Express should be installed with Windows XP by default. If you go to Start, and then All Programs it should be in the list. Let us know if you need further help, but it should be there.
Shane
Microsoft Answers Support Engineer
Visit our Microsoft Answers Feedback Forum and let us know what you think.
Hi Bart,
If you have Outlook Express 6 on the Windows XP PC you can import the messages into it directly from Microsoft Outlook and then copy the Outlook Express data files to the Windows Vista PC. You can then use the import tool in Windows Mail and choose the Outlook Express 6 option.
Set up a temporary account in Outlook Express on the Windows XP PC and select the File menu, choose Import, then Messages, and Outlook (Outlook must be configured and will have to contain the messages you are wanting); then select what folders you want to import. Once the import is complete and you see all of your messages you will need to find out where the data files are stored.
Within Outlook Express 6:
Click the Tools menu, and select Options
Click the Maintenance tab
Click the Store Folder button
This will be the path to the files you need
Browse to that path and copy any files in that directory to the Windows Vista PC.
On the Windows Vista PC:
Within Windows Mail, Go to File, then Import, then select MessagesChoose Microsoft Outlook Express 6Click NextChoose Import mail from an OE6 store directory, and click OKClick the Browse button
Browse to the folder that you copied the data stores to.
The files will not show up and you will see a message saying "No items match your search" This is ok. Just click the Select Folder button.
The path should now show up to the left of the Browse button
Click Next
Select which folders you want to import
Click NextThis will begin the import process. Within Windows Mail there should now be a folder named Imported Folder that will contain whatever you imported over. If you have any other questions, please let us know. Thank you.
Shane
Microsoft Answers Support Engineer
Visit our Microsoft Answers Feedback Forum and let us know what you think.
Jack,
Your analogy is a little flawed. No, you should not be thankful to the car dealership because you purchased a car, but when you buy, you are expected to know how to use it. I think a better analogy here would be you buying a car and not knowing how to put gas in it. Because you don't know, you will eventually run out of gas. When you do run out of gas, you call the dealership and tell them that their product is no longer working for you. Is it their fault that you don't know how to put gas in your car? Would you be thankful when they teach you how to do it FREE of charge? I would hope so. I know I would be.
The reason I am in this thread is because this helped me out. I had the same problem and I was thankful that someone was able to help me. Yeah, it wasn't the easiest solution but I will take what I can get.
To Tommah:
Being "thankful" is too much to ask, I'm afraid. Should I be thankful when I drive a newly purchased car to my destination? Should I kiss the ground because the engineers delivered a product that transported me successfully? I don't think so. I expect them to deliver a product that works and I expect Microsoft to do the same.
I would have been happy to continue to be an "average user" and keep Outlook as my e-mail client, if MS had kept it in the basic Office package. They took it out and left me with an inferior mail client, in my opinion, and provided no simple solution to migrate old mail from Outlook to Mail. That's their bad.
Jack
To Jack:
Maybe you should just be thankful that the solution here worked for you. I think that the average Outlook user would just use Outlook when they converted to vista. The problem here is that Outlook is more of a professional email service. You have to pay for it. there is certain technology within outlook that needs to be present in order for the import/export to takes place. outlook express was free and was replaced by windows mail in vista. I guess they decided that someone who already had outlook in XP would have it in vista, and the time it would take to develop the technology into windows mail probably would make it to where it was not plausible in order for it to be FREE. Have fun at the museum.
