Importing email from Outlook to Vista Mail: "MAPI not installed on this computer..."

Anonymous
2009-01-07T03:18:50+00:00

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!!

Windows for home | Previous Windows versions | Internet and connectivity

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Anonymous
2009-01-09T01:49:19+00:00

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

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Anonymous
2009-01-08T06:14:23+00:00

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

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  1. Anonymous
    2009-04-08T15:53:06+00:00

    Hi Wayne,

      Thank you for visiting Microsoft Answers.  Sorry that you are having problems.  Have you tried copying the files to a different location other than the desktop?  If not, you may want to try creating a folder in your "Documents" folder and putting the files into it and then try the import.  If it still doesn't work, try Hal's method with Outlook 2007.  As Hal said; you are probably going to have issues with any version of Outlook older than 2003.  You said that using Hal's method failed.  How, and at what point did it fail?  Did you get an error message?  Please let us know how all of this goes, so that we can continue troubleshooting your issue.  Don't give up!


    Shane

    Microsoft Answers Support Engineer

    Visit our Microsoft Answers Feedback Forum and let us know what you think.

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  2. Anonymous
    2009-04-08T04:28:09+00:00

    Shane

    Your solution got me real close to a succesful import, but it left me up against another microsoft wall.  At the third step from the bottom of your instructions, when I hit "next", a message tells me "No messages can be found in this folder or another application is running that has the required files open.  Please select another folder or try closing applications that may have files open."

    Of course, Microsoft provides no clue as to what program might have the file open, so that path is a dead end. (though I don't think anything else has it open - at least nothing I am running).  Tried from a clean restart too.

    So, I am 'All ahead STOP' as they say in the Navy.

    Prior to trying your method, I did try to load OUTLOOK 2002 and try Hal Hostetler's method.  That failed.

    By the way, at your step 7 under "On the Windows Vista PC:", I did not get any message.  I'm running Vista 64 Ultimate in case that makes a difference.

    One last thing regarding your instructions - they do not provide a method of importing Personal Folders into OE6.  It seems OE6 only imports OUTLOOK's primary folder and not any user created personal folders.  I got around this by copying my personal folder into the "DRAFTS" folder.  That worked for importing into OE6.

    One more clue in case it matters - I put the folder containing the dbx files on the desktop on the vista computer.

    (one other 'by the way', somewhere in all of this, or maybe during the alleged "Windows Easy Transfer", Windows Mail renamed itself.  In it's window, the title is now "Outlook Express provided by MindSpring Internet Services"  Apparently that got imported successfully :-(

    anyway - I'm going to try downloading a trial OUTLOOK 2007 and doing Hal Hostetler's method again, and then give up.

    Thanks so much if you have a solution to this.

    v/r

    wayne

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  3. Anonymous
    2009-04-07T18:08:21+00:00

    Thanks, Hal.  I will give that a try when I'm ready to switch machines completely from old to new.

    Jack

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