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TICKET ARCHIVE -> Mail From Outlook on OS9 to Mail.app

ovadiamz - Mar 20, 2008 - 12:42 pm

Hello, I have a friend who has a slew of email on an old iBook running OS9. The mail is in Outlook and she would like it moved to her iMac running Mail.app in Tiger. What do I need to do to make this migration? Thanks!

earthsaver - Mar 20, 2008 - 3:17 pm

Outlook stores all that content in a .pst file. Locate that file and copy it to the iMac. Download Microsoft's PST Import Tool for Office 2004 from this page and use it to import the content from the file to Entourage. (Does she have Microsoft Office at all?) Then, use Mail's Import Mailboxes command to import from Entourage.

I'm also assuming here that all of this email is only on her computer and not also stored on an Exchange server, which is why she would have needed Outlook to access it. If it's still on the server, then she should be able to simply use the Exchange integration in Mail to access the messages.

- Ben

ovadiamz - Mar 20, 2008 - 3:37 pm

Thanks, Ben! She doesn't have MS Office. Will this work with Neo Office?

-Micah

earthsaver - Mar 20, 2008 - 3:54 pm

Nope, the PST Import Tool is specific to Entourage and Mail requires Entourage open to access its email for import. You're confirming that the email is only on her computer and not on an external server? I'll have to reopen your question to other techs.

ovadiamz - Mar 21, 2008 - 7:33 am

Yes, the email is oonly on her computer, not on an external server. Thanks!

earthsaver - Mar 21, 2008 - 8:32 am

I think the only way is to find someone who has Microsoft Office 2004 and use the PST Import Tool to import the PST file (which she might have to manually create from within Outlook first, then transfer it via a flash drive or any other means). On the same computer, preferably in a new, guest, or other temporary user account, import from Entourage to Mail. Finally, copy the /Home/Library/Mail folder to the iMac and import mailboxes in Mail.app, pointing to that folder location.

I'm reopening your question now.

MACBOY29 - Mar 22, 2008 - 5:18 pm

can i get more info on this system wise i think i have an esier solution just need more info.

ovadiamz - Mar 23, 2008 - 9:18 am

Sure, what system info are you looking for that hasn't been provided? Thanks!

MACBOY29 - Mar 25, 2008 - 11:27 am

do you have mac os 9 installed on the system what version of os x are you running ?

ovadiamz - Mar 25, 2008 - 11:36 am

I know she can run classic on her iMac. Not sure of the specific OS number she's got at this point, and she's on vacation so I won't be able to find out until the weekend...

ovadiamz - Apr 1, 2008 - 6:11 am

OK, I now have more information. Her notebook is running OS 9.0.4, and her iMac is running 10.3.9. I was mistaken - it's not Tiger, but Jaguar. The version of Outlook running on the laptop is 5.0.6. I've looked for a .pst file on the laptop and can't find it, nor do I see any way to generate one (I've tried looking under menu items for an option to export a data file). Any ideas? Thanks!

MACBOY29 - Apr 1, 2008 - 9:51 am

i'm looking into this one i will get back to you a.s.a.p.

MACBOY29 - Apr 1, 2008 - 10:04 am

on the mac running os x go to utilities in the application folder on the start up disk open migration assistant and follow the onscreen directions it will allow you to transfer everything from the old clasic enviroment to os x and then we will worry about importing the e-mail

MACBOY29 - Apr 1, 2008 - 10:07 am

try this site and see if the steps work in apple mail.
http://www.apple.com/business/tips/e...ge/index2.html

ovadiamz - Apr 1, 2008 - 10:15 am

OK, I'll give that a shot. At what point in the process does a .pst file get created? Does migration assistant do this? All she really wants is her mail off the old computer - the rest of the stuff is unneeded. Thanks for the help!

MACBOY29 - Apr 1, 2008 - 10:23 am

i am not sure but if we can coppy her user settings from os 9 we might get all her e-mail without going nuts thats all

ovadiamz - Apr 1, 2008 - 10:26 am

Gotcha - I'll go over this weekend and see how it works out. I'll report back...

ovadiamz - Apr 1, 2008 - 11:36 am

Hmm, I just read this on O'Reilly's site:

"Since the Mac OS 9 folder structure did not know about the notion of "accounts" (at least in the same sense than Mac OS X) and allowed users to place applications and files in very varied locations on their hard drives, the Migration Assistant cannot help you transfer files from Mac OS 9 installations..."

Here's the link: http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/a/mac/.../17/tiger.html

- Apr 1, 2008 - 12:19 pm

try this site and see if the steps work in apple mail.
http://www.apple.com/business/tips/e...ge/index2.html

ovadiamz - Apr 1, 2008 - 12:25 pm

Yeah, MACBOY29 sent me that site. I can't find or figure out how to generate a .pst file out of Outlook 5.0.6, though.

nhmac - Aug 13, 2008 - 8:00 am

Hi, new tech here. Seems to me I've done this by using the Thunderbird mail client. If I recall, Thunderbird can import Outlook email, and then you can either use Thunderbird for your mail in OS X, or with some renaming there is a way to import TBird mail into Mail.

So to do that you would start by downloading Thunderbird and then go to Tools>Import and see if you can import the OUtlook email that way.

--Beverly