Genealogy Chat

Just read this after the last nudge. re emails: I don't use outlook at all now (techo reasons to start with when we went onto broadband using a different server to our email account) but the main thing is I really don't miss it - I just go into my ya hoo account through internet explorer. It's got tons of memory space to store emails and because my address book is on there I can use my account anywhere in the world no problem. SO..... if my pc goes 'pop,fizzz' I've still got all my addresses & old mails. re usb sticks/pens: I just discovered these amazing things - I went on holiday in the summer to my parents in England. I took my FTM installation disc and a usb stick which I had put my gedcom onto. It took about 2 minutes to have my entire tree exactly the same as my home one on my dad's pc !!! I got further use out of it when I went through all my parents old photos of rellies, photographed them and transferred the photos from my camera (when its card was full) onto the stick/pen too - about 1000 of them. They all made it home fine and I've uploaded them all back onto my home pc. It's a 1g stick and cost about £20. A computer-shop-owner friend of mine lent it to me for the trip but I'm not giving it back now !! I took him the £20 as soon as I got home!! Once you've discovered the joys of usb I can't see any reason why you'd want to faff about with nero & company in the future - a bit long-winded, sorry Sarah :-)

nudged for Raymond Quayle

Thanks Errol Saving for later Janet

Errol the Sheep is a Gem... Ive just backed up all my emails!! Thanks so much... Sara

A pen drive is another name for a memory stick - it plugs into your usb port and acts as a mini hard drive that you can carry around with you. It's about the size of a cigarette lighter.

Oh thanks for explaining it to me I understand now. I think I need to go on a PC maintenance/itc course or something (I have taught myself, and learning the hard way).....I think they run one at my local college. Anyway I am going now for the evening and relaxing with a nice glass or two or three of wine.........by all means enjoy your evening too. goodnight Sylviax

mb is larger than kb 1 byte = 8 bits 1 kilobyte (kb) = 1,024 bytes 1 megabyte (mb) = 1,024 kb = 1,048,576 bytes 1 gigabyte (gb) = 1,024 mb = 1,048,576 kb = 1,073,741,824 bytes The numbers appear to be odd figures because they are based on the binary system. The word bit is derived from 'binary term', a storage unit capable of holding a single character (in other words it is either 'off' or 'on'). Often, the numbers are (incorrectly) rounded to a thousand etc.

hi errol sorry not tech yet...even after 5 years..lol......i mean file size. what takes up the most room. I have a 628MB file size and a 722KB file size

I don't understand your question, Sylvia. Largest file for what?

Hi all Thanks to this thread, I have finally backed up everthing and feel good about. tomorrow i am going to buy a flat screen monitor and a new keyboard........all part of my upgrade..........OH and of course a pen drive. but can i ask, what would be the largest file be a 100kb or 100mb? cheers sylviax

I hope this has proved useful to people.

To import your Outlook Express Mail Account: 1. Click on Tools and then Accounts 2. Click on the Mail tab. 3. Click Import. 4. In the Look in box at the top locate your backup folder. 5. Select the mail account you wish to import. 6. Click Open. 7. Do this for all individual email accounts. 8. Click Close.

To export your Outlook Express Mail Account: 1. Click on Tools and then Accounts. 2. Click on the Mail tab. 3. Select the account you wish to export. 4. Click Export. 5. In the Save In box find the backup folder created earlier. 6. Click Save. 7. Do this for all individual email accounts. 8. Click Close.

To import your Address Book: 1. Click on File, then Import and then Other Address Book. 2. Select Text File (Coma Separated Values). 3. Click Import. 4. Click Browse. 5. Find the backup folder you created earlier. 6. Click on the 'address book backup.csv' file. 7. Click Open. 8. Click Next. 9. Click Finish. 10. Click OK. 11. Click Close.

To export your Outlook Express (v5 or 6) address book to a file: If you are using multiple identities a Windows Address Book (.wab) file is used. Individual data for each identity is stored in a folder by user's name. The only way to keep individual's data separate is to export the data whilst logged in as that identity. If the .wab file is disassociated from the identity then data can only be exported en masse. 1. Click on File, then Export and then Address Book. 2. Select Text File (Coma Separated Values). 3. Click on Export. 4. Click Browse. 5. Find the folder you created as described earlier when backing up your email. 6. In the File Name box type 'address book backup'. 7. Click Save. 8. Click Next. 9. Select the tick boxes for the fields you wish to export. 10. Click Finish. 11. Click OK. 12. Click Close.

As promised, I'll now post the other steps for backing up Outlook Express.

BIG bookmark for me.

If you are importing your data (mail, address book etc) and you had more than one account/identity, make sure you recreate each of those accounts first. 1. In Outlook Express click on the File menu and select Import and then Messages. 2. You will be asked to select an email programme - choose the one from which you exported your data earlier. 3. Click on Next. 4. Click on 'Import mail from an OEx store directory' where x is the version (5 or 6) of Outlook Express you exported from and click on OK. 5. Click on Browse and select the backup folder you created earlier. 6. Click OK and then Next. 7. Select All Folders and then click Next. 8. Click Finish. I'll post how to back up your address book and settings later.

Wow!! All of you - what an amazing response! I am going to pick up my discs (from computer guy) with hopefully all my tree on, e-mails etc tonight. It has cost me £35, which I think is ok. However, I will deffo be backing up regularly when I get my new computer (borrowing friends laptop at present). Thanks everyone for your useful info esp re the backing up of e-mails by copying them to my docs. If this thread saves one person from losing all their stuff then it has been worth it!!!

Instructions for backing up Outlook Express 5 or later (if you have more than one account/identity you have to perform this task for each one): Messages: 1. In Outlook Express click on Tools menu and select Options. 2. Click on the Maintenance tab. 3. Click on the Store Folder button. 4. In the box that opens highlight the address in the centre (something like C:\Documents and Settings etc). To do this point to the beginning of the address, hold down the left mouse button and move to the right as far as you can - it may scroll a little). 5. Press Ctrl and C to copy the address. 6. Click cancel and then cancel again. 7. Click on normal Start menu at bottom left hand corner of computer screen and select Run. 8. Click in the Open box and press Ctrl and V to paste the address. 9. Click OK. 10. In the window that opens go to the Edit menu and click on Select All. 11. Again on the Edit menu, select Copy. 12. Close that window. 13. In an empty space on your desktop, right click and from the menu select New and then Folder. 14. Give the new folder an obvious name such as Email Backup and press enter. 15. Open the new folder by double clicking on it. 16. Open the Edit menu and select paste. 17. The window may now be closed, containing a full backup of your emails. Next, I will post how to restore your messages from the backup folder. (apologies for the funny spacing - I'm writing in notepad and copying across so you got odd line breaks etc and I can't be bothered to correct them lol)