-=PCTechTalk=- Re: Outlook Express Backup 6.5

Much of your response was already known or figured out but I know 
others will learn from it.  What I did not know was that the restore 
process would create a new identity rather than restore to the 
existing, but so far unused, Main Identity.  Also didn't know about 
the Identities key.

I think the restore did something to "hide" the new identity since 
those folders are usually not seen.  The first thing I do on a new 
install is set the View to show everything,  In desperation, I double 
checked all those setting and found one set to hide instead of show. 
Once I figured out what had happened everything was a piece of cake. 
I searched for dbx files again.  Found them.  And the rest is history.

I am doing a third slipstreamed XP install build (see earlier wierd 
message).  Once I install it on drive C: I will have a Main Identity. 
I will use OE Backup to backup from the laptop and tell it to back up 
only the one identity now code named Main Identity 1.  I will then go 
to the new install and rename the exisiting Main Identity to some 
other name so when the restore is done, I will be able to tell which 
Main Identity is the REAL Main Identity.

Once that is identified I will move the message store to the portable 
harddrive and I should be back in business.

Once I am certain everything is working right I will get rid of the 
extra Main Identity.

Don


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Gman" <gman.pctt@xxxxxxxxx>
To: <pctechtalk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Sunday, September 28, 2008 7:44 PM
Subject: -=PCTechTalk=- Re: Outlook Express Backup 6.5


> Ah, NOW we're talkin'!
>
> Every installation of Windows will create a unique (random) 
> alphanumeric
> string for use by OE's "Main Identity".  Even if you use the same
> installation source CD on the same exact system with no hardware 
> changes in
> between, this string will change from one install to the next.
>
> In XP, open up Windows Explorer or My Computer and go to 
> "C:\Documents and
> Settings\[username]\Local Settings\Application Data\Identities" and 
> you'll
> see at least one such string as the name of a subfolder.  If you 
> find two
> such strings, you're looking at one that was created during the 
> actual
> installation of Windows and one from a previous Windows install that 
> was
> 'restored' from your backups.
>
> To figure out which one is the Main Identity that's actually used by 
> OE in
> this Windows installation, open up Regedit and look inside the
> "HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Identities" key.  Note that this only shows you 
> the
> identity in use by the current user.  If you have more than one user 
> on your
> system, there will be more of these found under the other user's 
> Documents
> and Settings folder area as well as other parts of the registry. 
> Once you
> see which of the alphanumeric strings are the real one, you'll know 
> where
> all of your 'in use' DBX files reside and can take steps to add any 
> others
> that you want to be able to access from within OE.
>
>
>
> Restoring unused DBX files:
> Note: Do NOT skip any steps.  They are ALL important
>
> To restore messages currently contained inside an unused DBX file 
> (one you
> found somewhere other than the main DBX store folder), open OE, 
> create a new
> folder and give it a unique name.  If the DBX file you wish to 
> restore is
> called "Inbox.dbx", name the new OE folder something like "Inbox1". 
> Once
> the new folder is created, select it to force the creation of a new
> "Inbox1.dbx" file in your hard drive's DBX store folder.  Then, 
> click on ANY
> other folder to release that one from use.
>
> Go back to Explorer and change the name of the unused DBX file to
> Inbox1.dbx.  Next, Move it to the hard drive's DBX store folder and 
> answer
> Yes when asked if you wish to overwrite the one already there.  The 
> one
> already there will only be about 59k, which shows you that it 
> contains no
> messages.
>
> Go back into OE and click on that new folder again and you'll see 
> all of
> those messages appear.
>
> Rinse and repeat as necessary.
>
> Peace,
> Gman
>
> "The only dumb questions are the ones we fail to ask"
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Don101" <don101@xxxxxxxxxx>
> To: <pctechtalk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Sent: Sunday, September 28, 2008 6:48 PM
> Subject: -=PCTechTalk=- Re: Outlook Express Backup 6.5
>
>
>> Hi Wally,
>>
>> The problem was... I restored to my laptop.  and everything worked,
>> but no dbx files to be found.  It now turns out that what it did 
>> was
>> to create a second identity when it did the backup and then 
>> restored
>> it to a second identity but also put two copies of the dbx files in
>> two different locations on the computer AND as it turns out, put 
>> them
>> in a second identity in a second identities store folder.  No 
>> wonder I
>> couldn't find anything.
>>
>> It named the second identity Main Identity.  I'm surprised that did
>> not conflict with the Main Identity which is/was also called Main
>> Identity.  And they made the second Main Identity the Main Identity
>> and didn't tell me they had switched identities.  Once I figured 
>> out
>> which Main Identity was the Main Identity I was able to find the 
>> dbx
>> files.
>>
>> Now I need to figure out how to move everything back in ONE 
>> identity.
>>
>> Don
>
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