Solved Windows Live Mail Questions?

I've installed a new operating system on an older computer and plan to give it to a person running XP and still using Outlook Express. Since Outlook Express is gone, I need to find a replacement, and I gather Windows Live Mail is the current equivalent from MS? I use Thunderbird, so not familiar with this application, but expect this person will want to use MS only.

I think I have the transfer from Outlook Express figured out. I plan to just copy the .DBX e-mail files from the XP computer, and then ask Windows Live Mail to import them. Sound OK?

The other complication is that his internet service provider has stopped hosting their own e-mail accounts and somehow redirected them to Outlook.com accounts? He keeps his current e-mail address, but accesses his mail through Outlook.com... Seems strange, and cheap on the part of the service provider, but it is what it is. I gather I should be able to just add this account to Windows Live Mail using the e-mail address and password?

If I do this when you sign into the Outlook.com account using Windows Live Mail, does it actually download the e-mails from the Outlook.com server? And, delete the server copy?

Sorry for all the questions, but I have not kept up to all the changes MS has made to the way e-mail is handled, and I have to admit that is why I got tired of it, and switched to Thunderbird. Thunderbird has some issues too, so I would not want to force it on someone who didn't want it.

Thanks for any help you can provide.

If you are using outlook.com for email now, when you install WLM and put in the username and password it should sync everything including his emails up and contacts

robinb9 said:

If you are using outlook.com for email now, when you install WLM and put in the username and password it should sync everything including his emails up and contacts

Click to expand...

Does that mean when he opens e-mail in Outlook.com it (the text and any attachments) is automatically downloaded to the computer hard drive, and deleted from the Outlook.com server? Or, is that something you have to set up?

If he uses either one, both programs will show the same unless he deletes an email on wlm or outlook.com then it will not show up
If he is WLM and deletes an email, it will delete on outlook.com because they are linked up to each other, the same with a contact, if he deletes on one it will delete on the other, if he adds an contact it will show up on both
Robin

robinb9 said:

If he uses either one, both programs will show the same unless he deletes an email on wlm or outlook.com then it will not show up
If he is WLM and deletes an email, it will delete on outlook.com because they are linked up to each other, the same with a contact, if he deletes on one it will delete on the other, if he adds an contact it will show up on both
Robin

Click to expand...

OK, thanks. I did not appreciate that it worked that way. But, it prompts another question. My wife used Hotmail only, and somehow in the switch to Outlook.com she lost everything, all e-mail, all contacts. Then about 2 months later it all appeared again. If that was to happen when you are using Windows Live Mail, do you still have copies of everything on your HDD? In other words you are not depending on Outlook.com to not lose your data.

Ron AKA said:

robinb9 said:

If he uses either one, both programs will show the same unless he deletes an email on wlm or outlook.com then it will not show up
If he is WLM and deletes an email, it will delete on outlook.com because they are linked up to each other, the same with a contact, if he deletes on one it will delete on the other, if he adds an contact it will show up on both
Robin

Click to expand...

OK, thanks. I did not appreciate that it worked that way. But, it prompts another question. My wife used Hotmail only, and somehow in the switch to Outlook.com she lost everything, all e-mail, all contacts. Then about 2 months later it all appeared again. If that was to happen when you are using Windows Live Mail, do you still have copies of everything on your HDD? In other words you are not depending on Outlook.com to not lose your data.

Click to expand...

Outlook.com should not loose your data but understand WLM is a full email program which is on your harddrive. You can backup WLM and if you ever lost something you can import it back in.
This way if OUtlook does mess up you have copies of all your emails
This pdf tells you how to backup windows live mail 2011/2012
You do the reverse, you pick import instead of export when you need to restore the backup. You can also backup your contacts, as a csv file just in case that messes up too