EMAIL FAQ 007 - How do I move my email address book to another machine?

When using Outlook express your address book is kept in a single file. You can move your address book by simply moving this file to the new machine. However locating this file can be a little complicated as it is not setup directly through Outlook Express.

Please note - The following in only meant as a guide.  Screens may not appear quite as described. Flexisoft does not accept any responsibility for any loss of data as a result of performing this operation.

These instructions refer to the Windows 2000 Operating system. Other Microsoft Operating Systems may be slightly different (such as Windows 98 or Millennium Edition). The instructions assume the person setting up the email has a little knowledge of how to move and copy files.

Step 1. Identify where the address book is kept on the old machine

The location of the address book is kept in the registry.  It is therefore necessary to run regedit to locate this file

From the start menu select Start - Run...

Type in Regedit<Enter>

The registry editor will be displayed.  Navigate to the hive

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\WAB\WAB4\Wab File Name

Get the full name and path displayed here. (It should have a wab extension)

Close the Registry Editor

Step 2. Find the address book file

Run Windows File Explorer. 

(From the Start menu in Windows 2000
select Programs - Accessories - Windows Explorer)

Navigate to the directory found in step 1.  If you can not find the directory it may be hidden by the operating system - refer to step 2a. 

If you have found the directory go straight to step 3

It is possible that the directory is hidden by the operating system.

If you can not find it Select Folder Options from the Windows Explorer Tools Menu, then select the View tab

Make sure Show hidden files and folders-ON is selected

Select OK

Repeat step 2

Using Windows File Explorer copy the address book file to a floppy disk.  If there is too much data to fit one disk it may be easier to burn a CD with this file on it. Alternatively copy the data through a network if possible.

Repeat Step 1 on the new machine to locate where it is storing the address book.  There should already be an address book (.wab file) in this directory.  Note the name of the address book.

Copy the file from disk to the new machine. Rename the old file *.old and rename the new file to the name of the original found on the new machine.

Run Outlook Express and your address book should be available

Create a directory C:\Mail\Address.  Copy your address book to this directory and then change the registry to point at this file and directory.  Performing this will mean next time you will know where to find your address book, should you change machine again.

return to Flexisoft home page
Close Window