How to backup email messages in Outlook Express :

1. Open Outlook Express

2. Click on Tools menu at the top

3. Click to select options from the tools drop down menu.

4. The Options window will open – Click on the maintenance tab

5. Just to the right of “click store Folder to Change the Location of Your message Store“, click on the Store Folder button

6. The Store Folder window will open.  Press the Tab key on your keyboard a few times until the entire line of text just under “Your Personal Message Store Is Located in the Following Folder” are selected (highlighted). Note: This is the location of where your email messages are stored.

7. Press and hold down the ctrl (control) key on the keyboard, then while still holding down the ctrl key, press on the C key, then let up off the keys (this will copy the selected text)

8. Click on the start button on the far lower left side of the screen

9. Click on Run

10. The run window will open on the bottom left side of the screen

11. Press and hold down the ctrl (control) key on the keyboard, then while still holding down the ctrl key, press on the v key, then let up off the keys (this will paste the text you copied from the store folder window)

12. Press the enter key on your keyboard once (or you can use your mouse and left-click once on the OK button.)

13. The folder that opens is where your email messages are stored.  You will not be able to open and read your messages from this window.  They are special files with .dbx file extension. 

14. Check the size of your outlook express messages. Press and hold down the ctrl (control) key on the keyboard, then while still holding down the ctrl key, press on the a key, then let up off the keys (this will select (highlight) all the files in this Outlook Express Store Folder. Click on the file menu in the far upper left corner of the screen, then click on properties.  If the file size is under 680mb.  Then it will easily fit on a CD-R.  If you have an external USB flash drive, check how many MB or GBs your USB flash drive will hold, back your email messages to an external USB flash Drive. 

Copy these files to an External Hard Drive, CD or DVD and store in a safe place.   It is recommended to backup to two other places and keep a copy at someone elses home or your bank safety deposit box.

For more information on backing up, See: Backing up Files To CD using Windows XP CD writing wizard, or Backing up Files to External Hard Drives or Flash Drives.

Please Back up Regulary! <:3)~ The Working Mouse Recommends:

Maxtor OneTouch III 750GB External Hard Drive

If you have other software like Roxio….You should use that software to backup rather than the CD Writing Wizard that come with Windows Xp.  I highly recommend purchasing an External Hard drive: Maxtor OneTouch III 750GB External Hard Drive It could save you hours of frustration and make backups much easier than backing up to CDs.

1.Insert a blank CD-R into Your CD Writer Drive.
2.Click cancel if any popup windows open.
4.Go to the folder or file you wish to backup (for example: if you want to backup your my documents folder, click start, then my documents) select the files you need to back up.  To select all files in this folder, click edit menu in the upper left side of your screen, click on select all.  To select only a few in a row, click once on the first file folder, the press and hold down the shift key and click on the last file folder in a row to select a all in between the files you clicked.
5.Click File
6.send to
7.Then CD drive (D:)  (Your CD Drive Letter May be different, depending on how many drives you may have. Click start, My Computer to check the drive letter for your CD Writer.

8.Wait for the files to copy (If you get a “Confirm Stream Loss” Popup window, about thumbs checkmark “repeat my answer each time this occurs”, then click yes.
9.When you see the pale yellow pop up balloon on the lower right side of the screen, click on “You have files waiting to be written to the CD” (not the X in the upper right or it will close the balloon popup.) Wait for the copying to complete (Note: if you lose the little pale yellow cartoon balloon and don’t see “You have files waiting to be written to the CD” before you have a chance to click on it…no biggie…just open my computer [Start, my computer, double left-click on the CD Drive (D:)]
10.The files will look faded (Note: if the files Don’t look faded, and it doesn’t say Backing up files Using the Windows XP CD Writing Wizard”, then you are in the wrong window.  Close all the windows and click on start, my computer, then click on the drive letter for your CD Writer. The Files will look faded…you should now be in the temporary CD writing file folder.  Now you should have files waiting to be written to the CD.)
11.Check the file size to be sure they will fit on the CD by clicking on edit, then select all, then click on file, properties. The properties window will popup. File size must be under 680-685mb.  click OK to close properties window. Even if your CD Rom drive says it will hold 700mb there are some files needed to close the CD so, I recommend staying under 680mb to ensure your copy will be successful.

12.Again. be sure it says files ready to be written to the CD at the top, this way you can be sure that you are not deleting your actual files just the temporary CD Burning Files. Delete any of the files that won’t fit onto the CD (right-click once on any one of the files, left-click once on delete-repeat until all the files that won’t fit have been deleted…you can always go back and copy those files later)
13.When finished deleting any files you don’t wish to burn, check the size of the files again. Click edit, select all. Click file, properties. If the size is no more than 680MB (if it is larger, you will have to delete one or more of the files)Then click OK
14.Over on the left side under CD Writing Tasks
15.Click on “Write these files to CD”
16.You can leave it the date, or type a new name for it
17.Then click next
18.Wait for the CD to burn
19.When complete the CD will eject
20.Click finish (or you can insert another CD and “make another”)
21.Re-insert the CD and verify that the files did copy—When the CD Window pops up, scroll down and click on “Open folder to view files” (Note: if you don’t see this popup window, click on start my computer or open my computer from teh desktop, then double-click on your CD Rom Drive letter.
22.Then click OK
23.Your files you burned should be there.  Yeah!  You did it.  Now. put them in a jewel case to protect it. Label the jewel case and keep it in a safe place. <:3)~