Export messages fails using Windows Live Mail 16.4.3528.0331 on Windows 8.1

Anonymous
2016-02-12T21:45:50+00:00

I am using Windows Live Mail Application Version 2012 (Build 16.4.3528.0331) on a Windows 8.1 laptop.

I am buying a new laptop which will come with Windows 10.  I am trying to export the emails from two of the three accounts I have in the current application to back them up and to hopefully import to the Windows 10 email application.  (The third account is a web based account so it does not need to be backed up locally.)  I want to keep the communications on my local computer and back up drives.  

I am following the Microsoft directions for exporting the emails from the application.  Although I had no problems exporting the contact files from the application, I am not able to export the emails.  A couple of different things have happened.

1 - At first I received a message indicating the data had been exported, but when I went to the folder to which it should have gone, the folder was empty.  (I tried this several times.)

2 - Then I was able to get as far in the process as browsing to find the folder I wanted to put the emails in, I was able to select the folders I wished to export, I was able to click on "next" and a split second later (way too short a period of time for the number of emails involved) to click on "finish." None of the emails were exported to the new file.

3 - I repeated the process as in step 2 above twice and instead of attempting to export only selected files, I attempted to export all files.  I had the same results - no emails were exported or in one case only one draft email was exported.

I feel confident I am following Microsoft's directions for this process as depicted in their Microsoft Essentials part of their website.  Would appreciate some advice.  I know I can simply copy the files from the section on my hard drive where they are stored.  My concern about using that approach is that importing them to the Windows 10 email application may not work.

Windows for home | Other | Email and communications

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  1. Anonymous
    2016-02-17T21:23:40+00:00

    I uninstalled Windows update kb3126593.  Then I was able to export Windows Live Mail successfully.  I also turned off my Windows update automatic updates since I don't know if kb3126593 would automatically be installed again.

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  2. Anonymous
    2016-02-17T23:37:00+00:00

    I uninstalled Windows update kb3126593.  Then I was able to export Windows Live Mail successfully. 

    OK, that looks like a likely culprit. Can any of you find reports in Event Viewer's Applications log that might give some clue to what's changed? Press Windows key + X and select Event Viewer to open it.

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  3. Anonymous
    2016-02-18T01:39:44+00:00

    For many years I have backed up email each week by creating a new folder, then exporting email messages, then backing up the folder to an external hard drive.   I think I used this technique way back on Outlook Express, but certainly for at least 4 years on Live Mail 2011.   About 6 weeks ago I switched to Live Mail 2012, and nothing went wrong.

    But on my most recent attempt to export, instead of taking 1-2 minutes the export ended in a flash.   I looked at the folder and there were a few empty folders and eventually one folder with just one message.   (There is ample space on the disk by the way).   Since then, being careful to use an empty folder to take the export each time, I have experimented with trying to export fewer and fewer folders, eventually to one folder with just three messages.   Always the same - just one message finds its way to the export folder.

    I uninstalled Essentials and re-installed it.  No joy.   I chatted with Microsoft, eventually being told that Live Mail 2012 is now a "self-support" product.  Hmm.   I deleted my two email accounts.  No joy.  I deleted folder after folder until I had just one left.   No joy.  I deleted the single folder and that left me with Outbox, and Storage folders containing Drafts, Sent Items, Deleted items, all empty.    I used the "advanced" maintenance tab to change the store folder.  I closed live mail and upon restart, as expected, the little that was left in the original live mail folders was copied.  I then imported a small folder from a backup, tried to export - 1 message.   As I've said, when I changed the store folder a bunch of stuff was copied from the original place.   I deleted everything in my new store folder so that all that was left was the completely empty folder.   I imported a small folder, tried to export - 1 message.

    I am at a complete loss now.

    I have searched the web for ideas and of course found quite a bit on this forum, but I hope you can see that I am doing the standard back-up process, it's worked fine for years, but now...

    So if anyone knows where live mail 2012 stores its "maximum number of messages to export" (!!!) or something I'd be so, so grateful. 

    Windows 8.1, no third party software, Windows Security Essentials, vanilla flavor, HP netbook used for email only.

    **UPDATE**

    Before I deleted everything from live mail I identified about 20 messages that had arrived since my last backup that needed to be saved.   I emailed them to another email account so they would be safe.    I needed to import the most recent backup so I could continue handling email as usual.    Having done that I emailed the 20 messages back, and filed them in the relevant folders.   Just for "fun" I thought I'd try another export.   Ended in a flash, as I expected.   BUT - when I looked in the target folder there were TWO messages there.   Both small, so that leads me to think that whatever is happening it's not a "1-message" limit, but some size limit that happens to be very small.    As I said earlier there is plenty of space on the disk - for example just to prove the point I duplicated the most recent backup and there was still plenty of room after the copy.

    END OF UPDATE.

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  4. Anonymous
    2016-02-18T09:13:25+00:00

    Hi, 

    Thank you for posting your query on Microsoft Community. 

    I suggest you to try follow the below steps and check if it helps.

    • Open Windows Live Mail, Select Tools | Options from Windows Live Mail toolbar
    • From the Options box go to the Advanced Tab then click the Maintenance button.
    • From the Maintenance box, click the Store Folder button
    • In Windows Live Mail Store location, you can find respective folders for all the users configured in Windows Live Mail. In each users folder all Files are stored.

    Let us know the status of the issue to assist you further.

    Thanks.

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  5. Anonymous
    2016-02-18T09:25:51+00:00

    Hi Alan,

    Sorry for the delay in Response & Regret the inconvenience you have experienced, as you have tried repair Windows Live Mail.

    We suggest that you try to export the emails again to make sure that you are exporting the correct folder. To export emails, here are the steps:

    1. Start Windows Live Mail.

    2. Click on the File tab (Alt + F), click Export email and then select Email messages.

    1. Select Microsoft Windows Live Mail as the export format, and then click Next.

    4. Click Browse and then select the folder in which you want to store the exported messages. 

        IMPORTANT: The export directory must be an empty directory*.* 5. Click Next.

    6. Select the message folders that you want to export, and then click Next. You will receive a message that states that the messages were successfully exported. Click Finish.

    Keep us posted for any concerns, we're glad to assist you.

    Thank you.

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